Children and Youth Counselling

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth the future.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt, former United States President

Growing up in a fast-paced Singapore with so much exposure to opportunities, cultures, belief systems and media can be novel and exciting. Yet it can also be stressful and intimidating for our children and youth. At times, despite best efforts, our children and youth may feel anxious and down, alone in these struggles, and not understood by those who matter most.

Parents, on the other hand, want the best for their children. Seeing them growing up can be stressful and confusing, especially when we see the children struggling and behaving in ways that are worrying for the parents. Parents may feel at a loss as to how best to support their children or adolescents, while also managing the multiple demands on them such as career or caregiving responsibilities. This is especially so when parents’ efforts strain the parent-child relationship instead of bearing the results that parents hoped for.

To Children and Youth:

At times, the challenges you face might seem too overwhelming. You may feel lost and alone and misunderstood by friends or the important people in your life. It is normal to feel this way as you navigate through the unfamiliar grounds of discovering yourself amidst the changes in life. However, you do not have to go through this by yourself. Seeking professional help by involving a counsellor can help you with what you are currently going through. Common issues that child counselling and youth counselling services can help with are:

• School and social related issues such as stress from studies, peer pressure, feelings of loneliness
• Difficulties in interpersonal or romantic relationships
• Difficulties managing emotions and moods swings
• Self-esteem, self-image, self-identity, and sexual identity issues
• Adjustment to changes and transitions
• Family-related conflicts
• Depression and anxiety
• Phobias
• Grief the loss of a loved one
• Traumatic experiences

These issues can affect your emotional well-being and mental health if not attended to in a constructive and healthy manner.

With counselling support, you can grow to become more self-aware, develop greater self-understanding and learn new and helpful ways of coping and communicating, so as to feel more at ease and more connected to the ones you love and care about.

Our counsellors at In Focus will provide you with a safe and non-judgmental environment for you to talk about your difficulties and concerns so that you are not alone in trying to resolve your issues. For constancy in care and support, a dedicated professional counsellor will journey with you in this process. Contact us now to find out how our counsellors can support you in this time.

To Parents:

There is an increasing awareness of youth mental health concerns in Singapore. Youth and child counselling services are more accessible, yet young people seem to delay seeking help for various reasons. Some are concerned about possible stigma, some are not sure where is the right place to go, and others are unable to obtain parents’ understanding and support for them to seek help. Some parents may believe that their children have to learn to overcome and outgrow their struggles on their own, while other parents may feel that there are no real issues as long as the child is doing well academically.

The emotional struggles faced by youths can be very real and daunting. Professional counselling and therapy sessions can be one of the best gifts you can give your child at this stage of their life. Counselling can be beneficial for your child if you observe that your child has been having difficulties coping in areas in life and exhibiting behavioural issues of concern such as:

• Decrease in self-confidence and negative self-image
• Mood swings and difficulties managing emotions
• Self-harm behaviours or explicit talk about suicide
• Sleeping difficulties
• Changes in appetite
• Body image issues
• School refusal
• Withdrawal from others
• Strained relationship with family members
• Addictions

When Therapy & Counselling Can Be Beneficial For Your Child

It is important to identify and address the issues of concern at an early age. Delays in seeking help may adversely affect the child’s mental and emotional health and hinder the process of your child reaching his or her full potential in life. Conversely, seeking therapy and counselling for your child in a timely manner will help in your child’s emotional and mental health, improve their connections with the family and loved ones, and grow in resilience to work towards their goals.

At In Focus, we provide a safe and non-judgemental space for your child to talk about his or her concerns with a dedicated professional counsellor who can journey with your child to explore those struggles in-depth. The counsellor or therapist will help your child make sense of what he or she is experiencing and develop skills to respond healthily and responsibly to their experiences, problem-solve, and communicate what is going on for them. A key part of the work is in helping your child obtain a greater understanding of themselves and learn to identify, express, and manage intense emotions like fear, sadness, shame, anger, confusion, guilt, and curiosity in an age-appropriate and constructive manner.

Through these counselling sessions, your child will also develop greater confidence to navigate the challenges in life and know how to reach out for help where needed so that they do not feel alone in their struggles. Our counsellors or therapists may also recommend and offer family therapy and counselling or other areas of individual counselling to complement the work that is done with the child. Through family counselling and therapy, the relationships between the child and parents will be strengthened.

Contact us now to find out how our counsellors can support you and your child in this time.