FAQs

Counselling is a safe space where your child can feel free to express their feelings and worries. The counsellor will use their training and expertise to build a warm and trusting relationship with them, so they feel empowered to explore their difficulties. 

Each young person is unique. Some will have a strong idea of how they wish to use the sessions and will talk through their issues confidently. For others, they may need more encouragement from their counsellor. Our counsellors will know how much they need to 'lead' the sessions.

With our interactive, online games, your child is able to engage in fun and creative activities which support the therapeutic process and improve their emotional wellbeing. These resources are great for creative and play therapy, which are effective ways of helping children open up and express their feelings.

We're able to offer counselling to children and young people between the ages of 6-25. 

To book your child’s first session, go to the 'Our Therapists' menu. You can filter by specialism, age and availability and then browse through the counsellors' profiles. Once you’ve selected a session with the counsellor of your choice, complete the information to confirm the booking.

All of our counsellors are fully qualified and registered with a recognised professional body, such as the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) or the Association of Children's Psychotherapists (ACP). They have enhanced DBS checks, as well as regular safeguarding and GDPR training. We have a robust recruitment policy and recruit counsellors based on their qualifications, experience and personality. All of our counsellors have significant experience of working with children.

The first session is your chance to meet the counsellor and ask any questions. You can do this alone, or with your child present. Once you’ve done this and your child is happy and settled with the counsellor, please leave them to access the session privately. The counsellor will contact you after this session to discuss next steps, including agreeing a regular session time. They will then be in contact regularly to arrange future sessions and to give general feedback on how things are going. 

The counsellor cannot share any details of what is discussed in the sessions unless there is a safeguarding concern. On some occasions they may feel it’s appropriate to share something from the sessions with you, however, they will only ever do so with the permission of the child. Every 5-6 weeks they will have a check-in call with you to discuss progress, but they will only share details that your child has consented to. 

Each counselling session costs £65. When you register you will be asked to enter your card details, and payment will be taken from your registered card 48 hours before each counselling session.

The frequency and number of counselling sessions can depend on several factors, such as the severity of your child's difficulties, their level of motivation and engagement in the therapy process, and the goals you and your child have set for therapy.

It's most common for counselling sessions to be scheduled on a weekly basis, especially in the beginning stages of therapy. Over time, the frequency of sessions may decrease as progress is made, and the counsellor may suggest moving to fortnightly or monthly.

Following the first session your counsellor will make a suggestion for an initial block of sessions, this will usually be around 10 sessions. You're not charged for sessions all in one go, payment is taken 48 hours before each session, but it is helpful to book them all in, in collaboration with your counsellor. 

You're free to pause or stop the sessions at any time. However, it can be incredibly damaging to your child to cancel their sessions without notice. If your child is not finding the sessions helpful you are free to cancel, however we still recommend a final session to review what’s been covered and to discuss future strategies. 

Each online counselling session lasts 45 minutes. The appointments usually take place at the same time each week unless agreed otherwise with the counsellor. We recommend that when you book your first session, you choose a day and time that you’ll be able to stick to regularly. 

The consultation session is your chance to meet the counsellor and ask any questions. You can do this alone, or with your child present. Once you’ve done this and your child is happy and settled with the counsellor, please leave them to access the session privately. Alternatively, if you feel it’s not necessary to meet the counsellor first and your child is happy to access the session independently, simply help them to log-in and leave them to it. 

Our counsellors will spend the first few sessions building rapport with your child, so they feel comfortable enough to open up about their feelings. The counsellor will usually carry out an assessment questionnaire in session one, in order to learn more about your child’s difficulties. Following the first session the counsellor will contact you to confirm whether our service is suitable for your child, and suggest how many sessions would be appropriate.

You’ll have the chance to meet the counsellor and ask any questions in the first session, you can then stay as your child settles. From then on the sessions will need to take place privately and you cannot sit in unless you are asked to join.  Depending on the age of your child it may also be necessary to start each session with them, in order to ensure they’ve connected, at which point you can leave them to it. 

Counselling is a one-to-one therapy and it’s important that your child is able to have their session privately. The counsellor will work with them to create a trusting and therapeutic space where they can discuss anything that’s on their mind. This private space will improve your child’s feeling of emotional safety and allow them to experience the full benefit of the counselling.

The counsellor will contact you after session one, session six and then regularly from that point on  to discuss how your child is getting on. However, counselling sessions are a confidential space where your child can share anything they want, safe in the knowledge the counsellor won't tell anyone (we make it clear that if there is a safeguarding risk, we will break this confidentiality). 

When it's time to check in with you, the counsellor will ask your child what they're comfortable sharing, and they will only share what's been agreed. However, part of the counselling process is that they help the child develop ways to open up more to their loved ones, so hopefully you'll find that your child will be coming to you more with what's troubling them.

We don't provide written reports, diagnoses or in-depth information about what's being discussed in sessions. The counsellor's notes can only be obtained with a court order. 

It’s important your child has their sessions in a private place where they’ll feel relaxed enough to open up without feeling like they might be overheard. This could be their bedroom or another quiet room where they won’t be interrupted. Headphones will help to make the sessions feel private and will also remove the risk of any echoes with the speakers.

It’s also important that you choose a room where you have a good wi-fi connection, so as close to the router as possible. 

All our counsellors are trained to listen without bias or judgement. We understand that family relationships can be difficult and at times all young people will feel negatively towards their parents. Many of our counsellors are parents themselves and understand this first hand. Having a safe space to express these feelings could help your child to overcome some of their negative emotions and it’s likely to improve their relationships with their loved ones. Our counsellors will always support your child through family issues with discretion and sensitivity.

Safeguarding children and young people is the highest priority to us at Mable Therapy. We are trained in safer recruiting practices to ensure that all our counsellors are committed to the wellbeing of their clients, which includes being fully qualified, DBS checked (enhanced), insured and registered with a professional body (such as the BACP or NCPS). Our counsellors all report to a Case Manager within Mable Therapy and attend monthly supervision with a clinical supervisor. Should our counsellors have any concerns they will adhere strictly to our safeguarding procedures and raise their concerns.

It can be tempting to try to persuade children to access counselling if we can see that it would be beneficial. However, counselling will only help if the child is willing and engaged. It can help to tell your child that it is only one session to start with and then they can then decide whether they’d like to continue. You may also want to show them one of these videos which explains more about how Mable Therapy works:

This video is suitable for children under the age of 12

This video is usually suitable for children 12 and over

If your child has their first session and does not want to continue, it’s important to respect their decision. It’s essential that your child has a positive experience or counselling, so they feel empowered to access it in the future. By giving them the power to decide, they know they can access it once they feel ready. 

All of our counsellors are recruited based not only on their qualifications and experience, but also their ability to engage with children and convey warmth and understanding. Most of our clients are keen to stick with their first choice of counsellor, however we know how important it is that your child clicks with them in order to make the most of the sessions. If they’ve not found the right counsellor there is a 'change therapist' button on your Mable dashboard where you can book with someone else. Alternatively, you can let us know at info@mabletherapy.com and we’ll help you to find a better match.

Our records are completely confidential and will not be shared with anyone unless there is a safeguarding concern or they are requested in criminal proceedings. Before the first session we will ask for details of your child’s GP and school. We will not share any information with them or let them know your child is using our service, unless we have a safeguarding concern. 

We are unable to make any mental health diagnoses or offer any kind of written report for diagnostic purposes. On occasions we may write a letter to a GP if we have concerns about a child but this is done at the counsellor’s discretion. 

We do not write reports to support legal proceedings in court, such as custody hearings. Counsellors will be legally obliged to release their notes if ordered by the courts. We may also release our notes when requested by the police, but only with the consent of the child. 

Different insurance companies have different parameters of what they will cover, so it's best to call your insurance company and the Mable Therapy team before you book a session.