Looking for a Child Counsellor? Questions Every Parent Should Ask.

Finding the right counsellor for your child can feel daunting, particularly if this is your family's first experience of counselling. You may be wondering where to start, what questions to ask, or how to know whether someone is the right fit.

Counsellors come from a variety of training backgrounds and may work in different ways. While websites and professional profiles can be helpful, it's absolutely fine to ask questions before deciding who might be the right person for your child. A good counsellor will welcome those conversations and be happy to explain how they work.

Here are some things you may wish to consider:

Child Counsellor: Professional Qualifications

Counselling is not a legally regulated profession in the UK, which means training routes can vary considerably.

You may ask whether a counsellor has completed recognised practitioner training that included supervised clinical practice. Training that combines academic study with hands-on experience allows counsellors to develop their skills while working directly with clients under appropriate supervision.

Experience Working with Children and Young People

Working therapeutically with children and young people requires more than simply adapting adult counselling techniques.

Children often communicate through play, creativity, metaphor and action rather than words alone. Young people may bring different developmental, social and family issues to counselling than adults do. It can therefore help to ask about a counsellor's specific training and experience working with children and young people.

Children are not simply "small adults". Their emotional, social, and cognitive development influences how they experience and communicate difficulties, which is why specialist knowledge of child development can help when working therapeutically with children and young people.

Professional Registration and Ethics

Most qualified counsellors register with a professional body such as the BACP, NCPS, COSCA or UKCP and work within an established ethical framework.

Professional registration can reassure you that a counsellor is committed to ongoing professional development, ethical practice, and accountability. You can check whether a counsellor belongs to a recognised professional organisation and what standards guide their work.

Clinical Supervision

Counselling can be complex and emotionally demanding work, particularly when supporting children and young people through difficult experiences.

Regular clinical supervision is an important part of ethical practice. Supervision gives counsellors space to reflect on their work, consider how best to support clients, and ensure they practise safely and effectively. It can help to ask whether your child's counsellor receives regular supervision and whether their supervisor has experience working with children and young people.

Therapeutic Approach

Counsellors may describe their work using terms such as person-centred, integrative, psychodynamic or cognitive behavioural. These approaches can sound quite technical, but what matters most is whether a counsellor can explain how they work in a way that makes sense to you and your child.

Every child is different. A good counsellor should be able to describe how they adapt their work to suit the individual needs, age and preferences of the young person sitting in front of them.

What Happens in Counselling?

Parents sometimes worry that their child will be expected to sit and talk for fifty minutes every week.

In reality, counselling with children and young people can look quite different. Depending on the child's age and needs, sessions may include conversation, drawing, creative activities, play, storytelling, or other age-appropriate ways to explore thoughts and feelings. The aim is to create a space where children and young people feel safe enough to express themselves in whatever way feels most comfortable.

The Importance of the Therapeutic Relationship

Qualifications and experience matter, but so does the relationship your child develops with their counsellor.

Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors in successful counselling. Children and young people are most likely to engage when they feel safe, respected, listened to and involved in decisions about their support.

Trust takes time to build, but your child should feel that counselling is a place where they can be themselves without fear of judgement.

Finding the Right Fit

Choosing a counsellor is an important decision, and it's perfectly acceptable to take your time. Asking questions, exploring different options and trusting your instincts as a parent can all help.

The right counsellor for your child is not simply the person with the longest list of qualifications or the most impressive website. It is someone with appropriate training and experience who can also build a genuine, trusting relationship with your child and create a space where they feel heard, valued and understood.

A Little about my own training

My journey into counselling builds on more than 20 years of experience in education, including school leadership and supporting children, young people and their families.

I hold an MSc in Counselling (Adults, Children and Young People) from the University of Aberdeen. My training included an initial 100-hour supervised clinical placement as part of my postgraduate counselling qualification, followed by a further 100 hours of supervised counselling practice specifically with children and young people.

Alongside my academic training, I have extensive experience working therapeutically with children and young people in educational settings. I am an accredited member of NCPS and a member of BACP, and I undertake regular clinical supervision and continuing professional development.

You can read more about my professional background and approach on my About Me page.