Counselling for Young People
COUNSELLING AT RENEW
We know just how difficult it can be to reach out for support. At Renew, we want to give you a safe, confidential space where you can be heard and understood. Our counsellors are trained to work with young people, helping you to explore your difficulties and understand how they are affecting you.
You may feel awkward or as though you don’t want to talk – that’s okay! Our counsellors can work in lots of different ways. It’s often easier to express your feelings or concerns through art (e.g. painting, modelling), or while doing something else. We’ll look for ways to help you feel as comfortable as possible during your session.
“[Adolescents] are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.”
– Virginia Satir, Psychotherapist
How does the process work?
How does the process work?
Your assessment
At Sycamore Centre, you may need to pay a deposit for your assessment, the team will explain when they speak with you.
Depending on your age, you may be able to come along to your assessment on your own, or you may attend with a family member or carer. Whether you come with someone or not, we think it is important for you to get time on your own with the counsellor to see if counselling is for you.
This appointment will give you a chance to see if counselling is for you or if there may be something else that would work better. The counsellor will ask some questions and invite you to ask any questions you have. We will want to know what brings you to counselling, why you’ve decided to come to counselling at this moment in time and anything else you want us to know.
What happens after my assessment?
If, after your assessment, we find that Renew is the right place for you, we will allocate you to a counsellor. This will depend on both your own availability and the availability of a suitable counsellor. There may be a wait while we find the right counsellor for you.
It may be that we discover that we are not the right place to fulfil your needs. If this happens, we will help you to find a more suitable service. It is important to us that you get the best support possible.
about your counselling sessions
If you do decide to go ahead with counselling and we are the right place for you, you will then see a counsellor every week at the same time in the same space. Counselling sessions usually last about 50 minutes.
Young people will usually come to us for up to 6 months, although this could be extended if you and your counsellor agree that you would benefit from continuing with counselling.
Every session is confidential to the service. This means that nothing will be discussed with anyone outside Renew unless there is risk, and in almost all cases we would want to talk with you before disclosing any information to anyone else.
Paying for your sessions
Funding options will be discussed with your parent or carer (or with you if you are over 16) when you speak to the Centre Manager about your initial assessment.
We are a charity, so we do have some funded services available. For example, we are funded to provide counselling to young people aged 11 to 18 in Basildon and the surrounding areas through Basildon and Brentwood CCG. Clients can have up to 24 sessions fully-funded.
We also receive funding from other external organisations to support some of the services that we deliver. However, this is not always the case – you may be required to pay what you can afford.
When you get in touch, we will make you aware of the current funding available and find out whether you qualify for funding. Where there is no funding available, we will work out what level of support you may need from us to cover costs of counselling.
You can click below to learn more about how Renew is funded and the support available to you.
Any questions?
If you’re unsure about any of the information on this page, or would like a further chat before booking your initial assessment, please do not hesitate to contact us.
"Kelly feels stronger and more able to be out in the world".
Meet our counsellors
We are proud to employ over 60 skilled counsellors across our centres. Many of our counsellors have individual areas of interest and a wealth of experience.
In line with our ethos, all counsellors are trained to a high professional standard and are registered to/accredited by a recognised professional body, abiding by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Code of Ethics.
Learn more about our counsellors by clicking the link below.