Counselling Children and Young People in Private Practice

Reliability and validity of an auditing tool for person‐centred psychotherapy and counselling for young people: The PCEPS‐YP

“…All had a minimum of a two‐year diploma‐level qualification and had been qualified for an average of 7.2 years ( SD = 6.6). Counsellors were instructed to practise a manualised form of SBHC, developed for the trial (Kirkbride, 2017). In terms of principal therapeutic orientation, 11 of the counsellors identified as ‘person‐centred’, six as ‘integrative’ and two as ‘humanistic’.…”

An exploration in to how young-people from ethnic-minority backgrounds interact with online counselling

“…Research suggests that YP are exposed to more opportunities to build social connections and online networking has shown to lead to potential increase in well-being, self-esteem and self-efficacy (Haner and Pepler, 2017; Steinfeld, Ellison and Lampe, 2008; Velkenburg and Peter, 2007; Valkenburg et al , 2017). It is also proposed that online social communication creates an opportunity for those who struggle to form connections and relationships in the physical world, to form these connections in a cyber one (Kirkbride, 2015; Spradlin et al , 2019). Israeli, Asulin-Simhon and Sharabany (2013) suggest that cyberspace and social networking create an environment for YP to experiment with social communication and relationships providing the opportunity to find an online space or community in which they feel they belong.…”

“…Nevertheless, the impact of online social networking on YP is complex with an increase in time online relating to a potential increase in risk of sexual exploitation and cyber bullying (Hayes et al , 2021), as well as poor academic performance (Andreassen et al , 2016), and in some cases increased symptoms of depression (Wegmann et al , 2015). Thus, Kirkbride (2015) posits that it is incumbent upon counsellors to be informed on developments in technology and their impact on YP, both positive and negative, as this will facilitate a deeper insight into their world as well as help cultivate meaningful therapeutic engagement through the mediums within which they feel comfortable communicating. Research conducted in the UK suggests that one in eight children between the ages of 5 and 19 face mental health struggles (NHS, 2017).…”

“…Nevertheless, considering initial methods of online counselling were largely email and IM based, some counsellors were uncertain of whether therapeutic alliance and relational depth would be possible. More recently, the challenge of building an authentic therapeutic relationship considering the young person perhaps not presenting their authentic selves due to the ability to remain anonymous has also been questioned (Kirkbride, 2015). However, Barak et al (2008) suggest that online counselling has a disinhibiting effect and thus YP are likely to feel more comfortable and disclose at a quicker rate, and Hanley (2012) found that sufficient therapeutic alliance to facilitate psychological change can be cultivated online for this reason.…”

“…Research also suggests that the ability to remain anonymous creates an additional layer of safety which is especially helpful when discussing potentially intimate details (Hanley et al , 2017). This is prudent considering that the provision of counselling online allows access for YP who may otherwise be isolated or unable to attend face-to-face sessions for a variety of reason such as disability or unsupportive caregivers (Kirkbride, 2015).…”