Child psychotherapy

I offer psychoanalytic therapy to children and adolescents at my practice in Bristol. This provides a safe space where a child or young person can talk about (or find other ways to communicate) the thoughts, wishes or worries that are important to them, and which they might otherwise be struggling to express.

Psychoanalysis in the Lacanian tradition does not make a distinction between work with children and work with adults in terms of the aims of the treatment, but there are some practical differences.

The offer is the same: that of a confidential, non-judgmental space for someone to speak about the things that are difficult in their life, in a way that may not have been possible before. The aim of the child psychotherapist in this kind of work is not to “fix” a child, but rather to listen to them, and to help them to articulate whatever it is that is troubling them. Through this process, they may be able to discover more about it, and to explore their own solutions.

Something that is particular to therapy with younger children is that it might involve play, or activities like drawing, as ways of enabling the child to symbolize what matters to them. Also, the nature of working with children means that the family will be involved in the treatment in some way, although the specific arrangements will be different for each child based on their age and what would work best for them. If you think that your child could make use of working with a therapist in this way, feel free to contact me and I would be happy to discuss any questions that you might have.