Counselling and Therapy for Children and Adolescents

For Children and Adolescents

Mosman, Sydney, NSW – Lynda Dolan

I offer individually tailored treatments in accordance with your child’s needs with the goal of restoring good health and happiness to their everyday life. Consultations, counselling and therapy are conducted by me in a specialized child-friendly space in Georges Heights, Mosman to encourage and ensure young clients feel comfortable, safe and at ease.

If your child has experienced a stressful life event such as moving school or home, divorce or separation, this may have an adverse impact on their functioning. Some children also have negative reactions to stressful events such as significant trauma, illness or bullying. Often a person may be going through developmental changes such as transitioning from infancy into early childhood or middle childhood.

Your child may also be experiencing pubertal changes or peer group influences that cause them difficulty in expressing their feelings. This may result in ‘internalising’ their feelings and displaying withdrawing behaviours, eating issues, secretive behaviours, or more externalising behaviours such as cutting, aggressive or acting out behaviours. With today’s pressurised daily living some children and young people worry excessively or develop perfectionist tendencies through competitive school pressures. Often such difficulties may even be expressed with physical symptoms such as unexplained stomach pains or headaches.

My therapy process helps your child and may also include appropriate involvement for you or other family members.

Depending upon the presenting problem and after discussion with both parent and the child / adolescent, I will recommend an appropriate assessment and/or course of treatment which may include eg. appropriate individual therapy / play therapy. Parent guidance and family therapy may also be recommended as an appropriate inclusion depending on the nature of the problem.

My typical process may include one or more of the following:

• An initial telephone discussion to arrange a convenient time for your initial appointment. This information will be used to facilitate the most appropriate process depending on your child’s developmental stage and specific requirements
• Your child’s individualized therapy needs will be discussed following the initial interview with the child. A typical treatment session is 50 minutes.

Treatments may include any of the following:

• Individual therapy, Play therapy, Family Therapy, Hypnosis,  Parent support and guidance
• Psychological support for chronic illness, disability and learning difficulties

Individual therapy involves a process of age appropriate talking therapy. This may include a number of different therapies and may include addressing the child or young person’s cognitive, emotional, behavioural, social, or physical functioning.

Therapies for children include psychotherapy, hypnotic strategies and self-hypnosis.

These treatments are all discussed with you before the process begins.

Informed consent and individually tailored treatment is essential in the process.

Play Therapy sessions help young children work through emotional, psychosocial and behavioral difficulties and can help address family problems. Children use the language of play to express themselves. Play may be initiated with materials such as painting, paper, clay, sandplay, miniature toys or figurines. Play Therapy is an effective tool in assisting children and families who have experienced life difficulties including the following issues:

Typical presenting problems treated include:

• Emotional, Behavioural or Learning difficulties
• Eating Disorders (e.g. anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating, ARFID)
• Anger and Aggression
• Sibling Rivalry
• Sleep difficulties
• Physical aches and pains (e.g. stomach pains, headaches)
• Physical symptoms (e.g. constipation, bed-wetting (enuresis), soiling (encopresis)
• Loss of interest in normal activities
• Shyness
• Communication difficulties
• Bullying
• Low self-esteem
• Phobias
• Asperger’s Syndrome

How to make an appointment:  If you believe therapy or counselling may help your child please call me on 02 9960 8875 or contact me online.