It’s Your Choice offers a free Counselling service to young people aged 12-18 in the New Forest.
Update: We are now offering a free counselling service for young people aged 18-25 who are living in the New Forest area via our Healthy Transitions project. Find out more about Healthy Transitions here.
If you’re a young person and feel counselling may be of benefit to you, or if you know a young person that could benefit from counselling, you can find more information below about the It’s Your Choice Counselling Service.
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a boundaried, confidential time for a young person to explore and solve their problems. It can raise a young person’s self-esteem and can help them develop skills for coping with adversity and may also facilitate recovery from mild or emerging mental health difficulties.
What usually happens in counselling?
In the first instance the young person will meet a counsellor for an initial assessment. This initial meeting helps the counsellor and young person decide whether counselling is needed and wanted at present and to clarify what areas the young person wishes to explore.
If the young person and counsellor believe counselling will be helpful then the young person is allocated to a specific counsellor, with whom they will then meet weekly, at a mutually agreed place for an agreed number of sessions – at It’s Your Choice we currently offer up to six 50 minute sessions of counselling, although in extenuating circumstances this can be extended. Sessions are held Monday-Friday, 9am-3:30pm. There are limited evening appointments available in some areas.
How can counselling help?
During counselling sessions, the counsellor will spend time exploring what has brought the young person to counselling. This might include talking about life events, (past and present), feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. The counsellor will do their best to help the young person look at their issues, identify the right course of action for them, and either to help resolve the difficulties they are facing or help the them find ways of coping.
Should I refer myself/a young person to the It’s Your Choice counselling service?
It’s Your Choice offers short term counselling. The sorts of issues that may be suitable for counselling at It’s Your Choice include, but are not limited to:
- Relationship difficulties including family issues, difficulties with friends, partners, problems with jealousy, experiences of abuse, neglect or bullying,
- Bereavement and loss.
- Problems with confidence and self-esteem.
- Social anxiety and/or feelings of loneliness and isolation.
- Feelings of sadness and depression
- Excessive worry or anxiety.
- Issues around sexuality, sex and intimate relationships.
- Difficulties with anger/repeated destructive behaviour.
It is difficult to watch someone you care about struggling. However, please remember no one can really be “sent” for counselling – for it to be effective it MUST be the young person’s choice to attend. Pushing someone to engage in therapy is likely to be ineffective, could exacerbate the initial difficulty and can leave the young person feeling hopeless and frustrated if things fail to improve.
You can download a referral form to complete and bring to a drop in, just click here.
What can you/a young person expect?
The young person can expect to be seen on a weekly basis by a counsellor who is either qualified or on a training placement as part of their qualification.
The young person can expect the counsellor to have lots of experience, to have undergone a rigorous selection process and to have received and be receiving additional on-going training and support through It’s Your Choice
The young person can expect the counsellor to be non-judgemental, empathic and patient, and to listen to them carefully and take their concerns seriously. They can also expect the counsellor to be committed to the sessions, to arrive promptly and attend all sessions booked except in extenuating circumstances (at which point the young person will be notified as soon as is possible).
What does It’s Your Choice expect from you/a young person:
Counselling is a two way process that requires a commitment from both the young person and the counsellor. It’s Your Choice therefore expects the young person to take the sessions seriously, to attend regularly and arrive promptly and on time each week.
Where will I/a young person be seen?
We understand that travelling across the New Forest can often be challenging for a young person. We therefore have premises across the New Forest and will do our best to meet the young person at a location convenient to them.