Sarah Lock

I currently have space for new clients. 

Please note I do not work at weekends.

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am a fully qualified psychodynamic child and adolescent counsellor. I see clients (up to the age of 21) for regular weekly sessions in my practice room, and offer parents one-off consultations as well as regular reviews as therapy progresses. I also have a range of experience of working therapeutically with children in primary and secondary school settings and I currently work 1 day a week as a school counsellor.

For 20 years, prior to counselling, I worked in both mainstream and specialist education. I was a primary school teacher before working as a specialist advisory teacher for Essex education authority. This role involved collaborative working between children with SEND and their families, preschools, schools and other services. I have extensive experience working children and young people with ASD and ADHD and am deeply committed to ensuring that every individual is given an equal opportunity to thrive.

My approach

My underlying approach is psychodynamic but I also draw on other theoretical frameworks (person-centred approach, attachment theory and systemic thinking) to meet the needs of each individual client. I aim to establish a containing therapeutic relationship with each child and young person through play, creative work and talking. My approach is gentle, relational, and child-led, with a focus on building trust and empowering each individual to explore their emotions, thoughts and feelings at their own pace.

I believe that involving parents is essential for understanding family dynamics and supporting the child at home. My initial assessment includes meeting with parents and I offer regular reviews as the therapy progresses. While a psychodynamic approach to counselling often takes time, the benefits to the child and family are likely to be long term.

For children and young people:

For children I offer play and creative resources, as well as talking. I am happy to work with non-verbal children. For older children and adolescents I offer talking as well as creative materials, therapeutic resources and table-top games should they wish to use them.

For parents:

I offer a space to meet with parents/carers to talk about their worries around their child/young person. This might be a one-off consultation or more regular sessions to support with any parenting issue that may be affecting the parent/child relationship.  

Following a free telephone discussion (up to 30 minutes) I invite the parent/carer and their child in for an assessment meeting. This is charged at the standard session rate. It is here that we will talk and think about what is going on for the child or young person, learn more about the child's systems and what to expect from counselling. The purpose of this assessment is to help inform our work together, should you choose to continue with the therapeutic process.