Therapy for children and adolescents
Therapy for children and adolescents in North London
At Spring Psychology, we have several years’ experience of working in schools, NHS CAMHS and Paediatric services. We offer a range of psychological therapies for children and adolescents who are navigating life’s challenges. We are flexible in our approach and aim to meet the unique needs of each child. We draw on a range of therapies, including: narrative, solution focussed, systemic, CBT, ACT, Narrative Exposure Therapy for trauma, and EMDR. We also utilise creative modalities such as play and arts.
Currently, our child and adolescent service is predominantly lead and delivered by Dr Gail Sinitsky. She explains her areas of specialism below:
Trauma
I work with children and adolescents who may be struggling to cope with stressful or distressing experiences in their lives. My approach largely depends on the trauma that your child has experienced, how they may have processed this, and in what ways the trauma is impacting on their life. It also depends on your child’s age and their own best hopes and wishes for the work. It may involve:
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Providing a confidential, supportive and safe space to express and process their experiences, whether that is verbally or non-verbally through play and arts
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Helping children to understand their emotions and behaviours through psychoeducation
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Coaching children in emotion regulation techniques as well as skills for coping with anxiety, disrupted sleep, nightmares, social interaction and other trauma-related experiences
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Where appropriate, working through their trauma by developing a time-line and narrative of their painful experiences, which helps their brain to contextualise their traumas as well as highlight strengths and positive experiences in their lives
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Building on a child’s strengths and personal qualities to enable them to achieve their preferred futures and connect meaningfully with people in their lives
Anxiety
Supporting children and adolescents to work through their worries and anxieties is another area of specialism. Whether through arts or talking therapy, my aim is to help children and young people recognise their strengths and qualities, build their self-esteem, and develop their capacity to understand their anxiety and to develop skills to ensure that their worries do not get in the way of their relationships, learning, sleep, confidence and most importantly their happiness.
Therapy for girls
Girls face unique challenges in this world - not least the impact of social media, pressures to look a particular way, pressures to fit in, and difficulties negotiating relationships. When we also combine this with factors such as neurodiversity, racism, and trauma, it is not surprising that girls’ self-esteem and mental health across the nation are declining. Whatever her age – and whether your girl is struggling with anxiety or low mood, the effects of trauma, exam stress, social difficulties and so on – I will provide a space where she can:
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Build a trusting relationship in which she can feel safe to express herself
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Learn more about herself, her identify, her values and her best hopes
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Develop key skills in emotion regulation
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Most importantly, develop the confidence to be her true self
