Emma Wood

I currently have availability some weekdays and some early evenings.

Hello - I specialise in counselling children and young people from ages 5-20 years. I place a lot of value on the therapeutic relationship and work in a non-judgemental and empathic way to create an environment of safety and regulation. I seek to create a space where children and young people feel heard and accepted and where they can make sense of who they are, explore their inner world, and understand difficult and complicated feelings.

Young lives can be experienced as a journey through shifting identities, peer groups and an ever-widening world – a journey which can be painful and confusing.

Resilience is a quality which is so important when navigating change and a changing world. Childhood and adolescence are notable for the changes and challenges which they present, and I’m keenly aware of how useful it is to develop a young person’s capacity for resilience, and for their sense of their own agency and identity to be fully expressed. 

I trained in a range of theoretical frameworks which allow me to provide a customised approach to suit the needs of each child or young person. This allows me to engage with the child/young person in a non-threatening way, helping them to organise their feelings and process their experiences.

My work is relationship based and I use a range of creative mediums to support this. With younger children sometimes words are not enough, and resources like sand trays, paint, music, clay, storytelling, and books provide a richer source for communication – they allow for the development of control and perspective over troubling issues, where problematic feelings or situations can be externalised and shared.

With teenagers and young people, I use a mixture of talking and creative approaches to encourage the development of self-understanding and insight into past patterns and/or experiences, which may currently impede their sense of well-being.

I work in a way that includes support and space to think carefully with parents (and sometimes with other professionals such as teachers and health professionals), in order to help them support their children through difficult periods.

Following an initial phone call or email, I’ll invite you to meet me at my therapy room for a longer chat of 30-40 minutes. There is no charge for this meeting – it’s a chance for you to ask questions and explore the space, and for me to find out a little more about what is troubling for the child/young person. If you decide that you would like to go ahead with counselling we would agree a regular time and date, and an initial timescale in order to assess and review progress.