Children and Young People's Service

Counselling provides the opportunity to talk about things that are of concern, in confidence, with a qualified Counsellor. What is spoken about will depend on the individual, but common themes are stress, relationships, change, loss, and distressing, traumatic events. Our Counsellors are professionally qualified and are trained to listen without judging, to help children and young people sort out their thoughts and feelings about whatever is concerning them.

Counselling service - Information for children and young people

What is counselling about?: Sometimes we have problems that are worrying us, confusing us and it is difficult to talk to others, our parents, friends, or teachers. A counsellor is someone who you can talk to in a different way, who will listen to you very carefully, who will not judge you or tell you what to do.

Counselling is about helping you to work things out for yourself, make decision and choices, see things differently and help you feel better about yourself.
Will other people know what I have talked about?: No, what you talk about is confidential, it is your time and your space, between you and the counsellor. The counsellor will keep confidentiality, unless you are at risk of harm, then they may need to talk to someone else to keep you safe. They will always try to talk to you first if this happens.

All information and notes about your counselling will be private and confidential, unless you agree to sharing this information or it is your best interest to share to keep you safe from harm.
How do I get to see a counsellor?: You can talk to someone you trust; a family member, a teacher or an adult who can contact us. Or you can email us yourself at The Bounds thebounds@abdn.ac.uk.

Counselling service - Information for parents or guardians

What is counselling?: Few of us are able to work well when we are stressed or unhappy. The impact of distressing or difficult situations can be felt even more acutely by children and young people than by adults. Our experience is that young people find counselling useful in the same way as adults. If children and young people are able to receive emotional support from a qualified professional, they will have greater opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Accessing counselling: Just because your child is accessing counselling does not mean that you have failed as a parent/guardian. We all experience occasions when it feels hard to speak to those closest to us about things which are bothering us. Often this can be because we don't want to worry those we love best, or because we want help thinking things through with someone unbiased. The counsellor will not be judging you or your child but looking to help them find their way through whatever is troubling them.
Confidentiality: An essential feature of counselling is that the information disclosed is treated confidentially. It enables the young person to open up and share feelings without fear of blame or reprisals. It is also a time when it is acceptable to talk about concerns without fear of them being discussed elsewhere. This includes not discussing the work with parents, unless the young person requests or gives consent for this. We acknowledge that this isn't an easy situation for parents, and it is quite natural for you to feel anxious about what may be being said in the sessions but ensuring the confidentiality of the work is crucial for establishing trust so that the young person feels confident to speak openly and freely about what is concerning them.

Duty of care and safeguarding

Although the contents of the sessions will be confidential within the counselling service, we require the right to breach confidentiality in some specific circumstances:

The young person requests, and feels that it is within their best interest, that certain information be passed on.
For the purpose of Counsellor supervision, which is a regular meeting to make sure that the Counsellor is working in a safe and effective manner. Identity will not be disclosed
Circumstances where the Counsellor has sufficient grounds to believe that the young person is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.
If the young person discloses that they are aware of significant harm of another person.
In the event that the young person is under a care order, or when child protection issues arise, the Counsellor, with the permission of the young person, may attend case conferences and continue to honour the confidentiality contract.

However, if they appear to be at risk of significant harm, it may be appropriate to seek help from other agencies to keep them safe; if appropriate you will be informed of this. The Counsellor would discuss this first with the young person concerned.