Life always has its ups and downs, and there can be times when your child or young person might need a little extra support – with someone outside of the immediate family who can listen, and help them explore and express their feelings in a safe way.
Let me introduce myself...
I’m a UKCP accredited integrative psychotherapeutic counsellor, trained specifically to work with children and young adults, and experienced in helping them process and better understand and manage feelings, thoughts and behaviours.
Using a range of tools - from creative play and arts-based activities to more traditional talking therapy - I help clients when they feel that things are getting on top of them.
I currently have some availability for work with clients in Newmarket and Cambridge.
What support can I offer parents/carers, and family groups?
Sometimes I work with all of the family in the room, and create a safe space to explore what might be going on for them. We then work together to find strategies to improve communication and connection.
I also offer consultations for parents/carers to talk through their worries with no judgement and in total confidence. It can often be helpful to have some input from someone outside of the family system, to help the adults see things a bit differently and be ready to try (or just tweak) some strategies to create positive change.
Having worked within multi-disciplinary teams in social care and education, I'm able to help families find creative solutions to difficulties that their young people might be experiencing around school or college, for example Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
For other clients - often those who are being educated in settings outside of school - I might be able to offer well-being support to the young person and their parent(s)/carer(s).
Common Questions
Where do sessions take place?
Depending on my availability, you will be offered a weekly session in central Cambridge, or Newmarket.
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In some circumstances, and with permission from the institution, it may be possible to arrange sessions in a school or college setting.
How do I book a session?
Get in touch by phone or Whatsapp on 07356 217729, or email ellen.boyle@yahoo.com​, leaving your name, number, and a couple of days/times when we might schedule a call.
I will aim to respond to you within 72 hours, and offer you a free 15 minute call back so that we can see whether I might be the right therapist for you and/or your child.
What does the work look like?
All sessions last 50 minutes.
When working with younger clients, I will often suggest a parent consultation before meeting the child.
For all clients, early sessions focus on establishing a good therapeutic rapport. Hopefully, once the client feels at ease, they will be able to share what they have been experiencing. For younger clients or those who are less able to talk, the therapist usually observes non verbal communication, behaviour, play, or artwork to assess what might be going on for the client.
At this point, usually 3 or 4 sessions in, we can think about what the goals for the work might be.
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I usually work with clients in blocks of 12 weeks (aligned with school/college terms) and we can review the work towards the end of these blocks and decide whether further work is indicated.
Sometimes I will ask parents/carers and/or clients to try some strategies or new behaviours between sessions, and this can make therapy more impactful.