WORKING WITH PRE-TEENS
Ages 11-12 years
Young People's Counselling gives any young person the opportunity to address anything that they might be struggling with.
​I am able to offer the young people that I work with, a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space, in which they can explore and express difficult thoughts and feelings that they might be experiencing, gain a better understanding of themselves, increase their emotional awareness, increase their confidence, self-esteem and emotional resilience, improve relationships, and learn healthy coping strategies.​​​​​
I have over 10 years of experience working in a variety of support roles with young people, where I have supported them with a wide range of issues, including stress, anger, anxiety, relationship problems, behavioural issues, bereavement, bullying, low self-esteem and confidence, social challenges and suicidal thoughts.
Challenging experiences, thoughts and emotions can be difficult and often overwhelming for anybody! When it comes to young people, it's important to remember that hormonal changes, which can begin in a young person from as early as around 9 years old, coupled with the fact that a young person's brain is still developing, and continues to do so until well into their early twenties, can further complicate, navigating such difficulties! Therefore, when it comes to working with pre-teens, a good understanding of developmental stages of young people is needed, as it's important to work with the developmental age of the person you are working with.
It's important to me to recognise each young person that I work with as being perfectly unique, in their personal life experiences, in the ways that they respond to difficulties, in the issues that they are bringing to counselling, in their preferred ways of working, as well as in their personalities, views and interests, so that I'm able to offer them a tailored and unique counselling experience, in which they will feel heard, understood, supported and empowered!
When it comes to ways of working, I am very much led by the young person, meaning that we will work together, to find ways of working that suits them. Some young people might prefer to simply just talk in their sessions for example, whilst others might opt to combine talking with creative activities. It really does come down to the individual and their wants and needs.​​​​
Creative Activities
Everybody that I work with is unique, with different interests and different preferences for the ways in which they like to work, and it’s therefore, incredibly important to have a wide range of creative activities available for those who choose to work in this way. Some young people engage well with painting, drawing, creative writing or music for example, whilst others might prefer sand tray work, storytelling, crafts, role-play, story-stones work, puppetry, Lego-work or shell work. ​​​​
Due to the overwhelm and complexity of a young person's feelings, verbalising these can sometimes be difficult for them. Therefore, incorporating creative activities into sessions can often be hugely effective and beneficial, as when we work creatively, we use different parts of our brain to those parts associated with verbal language, which can help young people to better understand and express their thoughts and feelings.
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​​​Whether it is the more traditional talking approach that is adopted, or a combination of this and creative activities, counselling can be hugely beneficial in supporting pre-teens though challenges and complexities that they might be facing.