Child Services

When your child presents with difficulties coping, therapy can help to identify the cause of the problem and enable targeted solutions to address the issue. The therapy approach will vary based on the needs of the child. Often, a collaborative approach is adopted whereby we we work with the child, as well as his/her parents and/or school. Other professionals may also be involved.

Initial consultation: Therapy begins with an initial consultation with our psychologist to obtain relevant background information about the child and his/her related systems (e.g. family, school), as well as information about his/her presenting problems. This typically begins with a session with the parents, preferably with both parents, so that we can obtain a comprehensive account of the situation. Time will also be spent with the child to obtain information from his/her perspective, or observe his/her behaviours. Where appropriate, contact with the school will also be established to obtain the school's perspective of the child's difficulties. With all this information, an appropriate treatment plan can then be developed to provide appropriate intervention for the child. 

Therapy: Intervention for a child may include intervention with the child only, intervention with the parents only, or therapy with both child and parents. There is also the possibility of group sessions with other children/parents  as this will allow children/parents to share with other similar individuals and learn from the group experience.

Some of the difficulties that we provide child counselling for include:

• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Addiction (alcohol, drug, gambling, internet)
• Anger management
• Anxiety (generalised anxiety, panic disorder, phobia, social anxiety)
• Assertiveness
• Autism
• Bullying
• Conduct problems
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Low self-esteem issues
• Oppositional behaviours
• Perfectionism
• Procrastination
• Self-harm behaviours
• Sleep problems
• Social skills and social thinking
• Worry and rumination

Social Skills Groups:  Social skills are essential for children to interact with their peers and make friends. Some children however struggle to acquire social skills and require more support to learn social skills. Social skills group thus provide a good opportunity for social skills to be taught explicitly in small groups, and for children to practise these skills with their peers under direct guidance and support. Teaching will be done through stories, role-plays and activities. This includes teaching the children to be social detectives, and helping them understand how their behaviours affect others. 

Details:   

• Group of 2-3 children (aged 4-12) matched by age and social emotional needs.
• 10-session long programme, each session being 1 hour long. 
• Feedback provided to parents at the end of each session.
• Pre-assessment required before enrolment into group