Sarah Baird

Hello my name is Sarah (she/her) and I am a qualified child and adolescent counsellor and registered member of the BACP.  As such I abide by the BACP frameworks including the code of ethics for working with children and young people.  I love working with children and young people and I am passionate about young people’s mental health and well-being.  I am insured and hold an enhanced DBS certificate.

I trained with the children’s mental health charity, Place2Be and I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools. My training is integrative which means I can draw on a variety of theoretical approaches to counselling to ensure that my sessions are tailored to suit each individual child/young person. I have worked as a counsellor in both primary and secondary schools.

It can be hard for children/young people to find the right words to describe feelings, and verbal responses can be tricky, so in addition to talking I can offer creative activities, metaphor, play and games to enable expression and exploration of what your child or young person may not yet be able to articulate. 

I consider a child/young person’s developmental stage and their interests and abilities when we work together and I try to ensure that this is reflected in our sessions together. I also work with parents and caregivers to help support their child.

I believe that building a good relationship with a child or young person is key to bringing about positive change. I am passionate about the well-being of young people and feel privileged to be instrumental in helping a young person develop the resilience and confidence to be themselves and fulfil their potential.

Counselling sessions are 50 minutes long and usually take place once a week.  I have a comfortable room located above a cafe. There is parking available outside and on nearby streets.

I offer child-centred sessions which means that I work with what the child brings to the session and at a pace led by the child. It is important that your child or young person feels comfortable and engaged so I offer a variety of creative activities such as drawing, painting, clay and a sand tray as well as talking to help explore their feelings. I may also offer guided meditation, visualisation and discuss relaxation techniques if appropriate. Sessions are child/young person-led and so they will always have the choice of what they do.

Counselling sessions are confidential which means they are a private conversation between your child and their counsellor. Although It can feel daunting to bring your child/young person to a counselling session and not know what is being discussed, your child/young person may not wish to share the content of the sessions with you and it is important to respect this. Whether they share the content with you is their choice. The exception is if there is a serious risk of harm to your child or someone close to them, in this case, concerns will be shared with you, my supervisor and any other appropriate authority.

If you are seeking counselling for your child or young person please get in touch. Each child/young person is unique and so I offer an initial free short discussion by phone to find out what you are looking for in counselling.

The first session is with the parent or caregiver only and lasts about an hour. It is an opportunity for me to explain more about counselling and to take a history of your child/young person and family and to discuss what has brought them to counselling now. During this session we will also discuss how many sessions might be appropriate, as well as how we communicate and monitor progress. The cost of this session will be £65.

In your child/young person’s first counselling session we will explore what counselling is and how we will work together. We can get to know each other a little and see what it would be like to come to attend counselling sessions on a regular basis. Regular sessions last 50 minutes and cost £60 per session.