Stella Sookun

• Tuesdays and Thursdays:  Various slots please enquire.
• Saturdays as above on request
• Online and Face to Face

https://www.untoldstorieschildcentredtherapeuticservices.com/

Hello, my name is Stella. I am a BACP Accredited Integrative Child and Adolescent Therapist with a Clinical Specialism to actively support children and young people during times of challenge . I am currently working with Young clients between the ages 6 - 26 years in Private Practice, Schools, University Settings and as a Clinical Supervisor. I know that that starting the process of finding the right therapist for a child or young person can be anxiety provoking in an already demanding time. My profile seeks to help you to gain clarity towards; how I work, why I work in the way I do, what I know, and how working with a specialist can help .

Working with children and young people requires a specific skill set to developmentally assess and respond to themes of transition, safety, safeguarding, developing brains and nervous systems as well as the fact that many young people are fully growing up online. For this reason, my Clinical approach and experience is; Attachment focused, Trauma treatment Informed, SEND guided, developmentally based, Creative and and grouped in solid clinical knowledge about stress responses, emotional regulation and how to work from a ' what's happened' rather than a ' whats wrong' relational approach.

I understand that no two children or young adult experiences their lives in the same way. To respond to this, therapy with this age group needs to start  a young person is today and specifically so. Client's often tell me they can feel anxiety towards finding the words for their experiences or feelings for their words. Further, growing up fully online means that expected behaviour and communication styles are changing with young people under pressure to'  pick a group ' or post certain content without time or empathy from a peer group that can be moving back and forth  towards 'peer' approval' over family validation.

What can support start to respond to?

We know now that Children and Young Adults cannot make good, sustainable or healthy decisions when they are ' full up' of anxiety, mixed feelings or chaotic ones. Therapeutic support with me seeks to offer all Clients another place to; slow down, check in with their beliefs, notice unhelpful or confusing patterns and ultimately start to process what is important to them without worrying about what others may think/feel about these concerns. *In all cases of working with minors under 16, confidentiality (and limitations around this) is carefully contracted, with safety at the heart of it as per duty of care legislation for children in the UK *

Parents and carers can also assess regular Thinking Spaces with me, so that their own bandwidth to straddle periods of challenge and recovery are included alongside the support.

A tip if i may! Parents/carers of teenage children may wish to share the profiles and websites of therapists you may be interested in. Many young people can identify who they resonate with and who they may wish to meet with. This can be really useful for setting up a period of support that is consensual, co- created and includes the voice of the young person.

I welcome all enquiries and offer a free 30 minute call or meeting to check in together about your concerns. Thank you for reading my profile, and I look forward to hearing from you. Stella.

Process for contracting a piece of work together

A ) I offer an initial free 30 minute telephone/ zoom call to understand more about your inquiry and to assess whether I am the right practioner for your needs and gain a starting insight into the challenges/concerns you may have for a child or young person in your care. 

b) If we are happy to proceed, I will facilitate a fuller information gathering assessment with a parent/carer, with an offer to meet the child or young person in question for an initial chemistry sessions. This is charged at £80.00

Sessions from here are open ended from here, and guidance is shared around a 6 week assessment period to see how both parties engage in the nature and role of therapeutic support.