Our Creative Counselling Supports for Children
At the Hope Support Cancer Centre CLG we are committed to providing a safe and caring environment where children, adolescents and young adults can express their emotions and learn valuable coping skills. Our counselling and play therapy service which is free to everyone is specifically designed for children, adolescents and young people from age four to 18 years old, with a cancer diagnosis, their siblings, and children with a parent/caregiver with a cancer diagnosis. Illness in a family or a personal cancer diagnosis can be a difficult experience for children, adolescents and young adults and can often lead to a range of complex emotions such as:
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Behaviour difficulties
- Communication Difficulties
Concentration/motivation- Disconnection
- Emotional difficulties
- Fear
- Lack of confidence
- Low self-esteem
- Phobias
- Relationship difficulties
- Sadness or depression
- Social difficulties
- Trauma
- Worry
Our counselling sessions focus on different aspects of mental health, including feelings, self-esteem, and resilience, where we encourage creativity and self-expression. Our therapists are trained to provide age-appropriate support to children, adolescents and young adults of all ages. Parents and family members are supported and encouraged to be active in this process so the skills learned by the child can be carried over at home. We offer a range of activities and counselling styles depending on the age and issues of the person concerned, to help children explore their emotions in a safe and supportive environment. These activities might include:
- Sand Tray
- Mindfulness Exercises
- Art & Drawing
- Music
- Clay
- Puppets
- Creative visualization
- Therapeutic story telling
- Dance & Movement
- Masks
- Puzzles
- Games
Through these activities, children can learn to identify their strengths, take care of their emotional wellbeing, and develop tools to cope with change.
Adolescent and Young Adult Counselling
Our adolescent and young adult counselling service offers young people a safe and confidential space to explore and process their thoughts and feelings, which can often feel confusing and upsetting. Sometimes these thoughts and feelings can become overwhelming and difficult to manage and can affect their emotional wellbeing, behaviour and relationships.
Whereas some young people wish to simply talk, others may find this too challenging and need a different, more creative way to help them to process, understand and express their feelings and experiences. Our therapists are trained to offer therapy which is developmentally appropriate and use a wide range of approaches and a variety of media to create a therapeutic relationship with our adolescents and young adults.
At the Hope Cancer Support Centre counselling is offered to children, adolescents and young people following an assessment with the parent/guardian. The number of sessions required may vary as some people may require more sessions than others. All decisions are in consultation with the therapist, parents/guardians and the child/adolescent/young person. The Our children’s therapy sessions are one to one, with just the child/adolescent and therapist present and are usually 50-60 minutes in length each week. Confidentiality is essential for the therapeutic process to work.
CLIMB® Programme for Children
(Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery)
This six-week group programme is designed specifically for children from age 5 -11 years old (primary school), who have a significant adult in their lives who has been diagnosed with cancer. This fun interactive programme involves discussion, art and play to support children in understanding, processing and expressing any feelings and experiences they may have.
