Counselling Young People

Counselling is a two-way communication process during which you give adequate information and help the young person to evaluate their feelings about their problems. The purpose of counselling is to help young people make rational decisions and cope with the situation they find themselves in. Counselling and related interventions are aimed at improving the mental health of children and young people. In the educational context they are linked to learning, achievement, attendance and behavior. Counsellors who work with young people in a range of contexts know that they are not engaging with 'mini-adults'. The issues young people bring to counselling are often complex, challenging and wide-ranging, as adolescents are experiencing times of turbulence and change in their physical, emotional, social and psychological development.

There are some differences in counselling for younger people in the range of around 14-25 years of age compared with older clients. The differences for younger people stem from their unique family situations, experiences, psychological development and engagement in therapy. Therapists may take different approaches based on those elements, always respecting the young person’s rights, relationship boundaries and confidentiality .This book is intended to give you an overview of the process and also provide some advice on how to get the most out of it.

Counselling offers a safe, confidential place to talk about issues that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable. These experiences may exist within their own home, community, workplace or further higher education institution. Ultimately they will be negatively impacting upon the young adult and their relationships.

This book brings together the fundamentals of counselling children and young people theory, research, skills and practice. The book provides an approachable introduction to the field of counselling young people for anyone undertaking counselling within organizations. This groundbreaking book takes a humanistic approach to counselling young people, establishing humanistic counselling as an evidence-based psychological intervention.