Claire Gibson

I have some session times available in school hours or after school hours.

As an integrative therapist, I work creatively with young people to find means by which they feel most comfortable to express themselves within the therapeutic space. I work with art materials, sand trays, clay, stories, puppets, slime etc., to best enable the therapeutic relationship to develop between me and my young clients. Equally, it is sometimes more comfortable for some clients to work verbally in an open and non-judgemental dialogue. Within their chosen medium and this safe space, the young person is then enabled to process verbally or non-verbally, some of the feelings or experiences that challenge them.

My experience in counselling has been wide and varied. I have worked for two charities based in central Cambridge and have worked with young people in school settings and in counselling practices. I have worked with children from age 4-17 with a range of presenting issues including trauma, domestic violence, anxiety, self-harm, depression and school refusal. I have worked with neurodiverse young people with ADHD and ASC, as well as young people who are questioning their gender or sexual orientation. I also continue to practise in a special school setting with young people exhibiting challenging behaviours and significant emotional and mental health needs.

Before qualifying as a counsellor, my professional background has been mostly in education. I have been a History Teacher, Head of year, Behaviour Support Teacher and have held a range of pastoral roles within schools. The unifying theme that continues throughout all of my professional work is that of enabling young people to thrive and find their place in the world. My work in education has also given me an insight into the challenges that young people can face in that environment.

I work closely with my Clinical Supervisor to ensure that my work with young people is of the highest standard. I have full professional liability insurance and a current enhanced DBS check.

When therapy begins, the sessions will last 50 minutes and be held at the same time each week. Each session will involve a meeting between myself and the young person only. If it would be helpful for parents to pass on new information, it may be better to do this by email or a pre-arranged phone call rather than in front of the young person.

Even in the early stages of therapy when trust is still being established, it is quite common to feel tired or drained by the sessions due to the nature of the work. In the case of young children in particular, this can sometimes impact behaviour. As big emotions are uncovered it can appear that things get worse before they get better.

It is good practice to meet with parents to review the work every 8-10 weeks and this is a good opportunity to consider together the anticipated length of therapy. It is helpful at this meeting to gauge from all perspectives how things are going but it is important that client confidentiality is still respected.

Though parents will be involved at regular intervals throughout the therapeutic process, the information shared between myself and my young clients remains confidential. I am bound by the ethical guidelines of my Professional Organisation, the UKCP, and will only breach confidentiality if I consider my clients or someone else they discussed, to be in danger. Therefore, it is important to be aware that review meetings will not reveal the content of the therapeutic sessions but can touch on the engagement/willingness of the young person. It is also a great opportunity to update me on other aspects of the young persons life.

The intention of the therapy sessions is to provide a safe non-judgemental space where all feelings are welcome. For many young people, they can feel quite powerless in normal life so it is very valuable to have a space in the therapy room which allows them autonomy and control. This allows me to work at the pace of the young person and attune to their needs.

An initial assessment meeting is held between myself and parents to discuss the history of the presenting issues and the nature of the current problem. This will be charged at the normal session rate of £70.

After that, I will begin counselling sessions with the young person at their own pace. It is common for children to bring a parent with them until they feel comfortable in the therapy space. The goal of for the individual therapy to begin once the young person has established a sense of safety first.