The Spark’s Children and Young People Team (CYP) offers therapeutic counselling in Whinhill. Aimed at helping the high number of children struggling with emotional and well-being difficulties, The Spark aims to:

• provide a supportive relationship to children
• provide a safe environment where a child can improve social skills, self-awareness and learning capacity
• enhance the overall emotional health and mental wellbeing of the child.

Our counsellor is called Joanna Gifford. Counselling at Whinhill offers a safe, confidential place for our children to talk about experiences that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable. These experiences may exist within their own home, community or at school. Typically they will be impacting upon them, their relationships and their readiness to learn.

Joanna establishes a therapeutic relationship with the child through acceptance, trust and empathy. Thus providing children with an opportunity to express and process feelings at their own level and pace.

This positive relationship can then be internalised by the child and help instil:

• a sense of competence
• improved ability to form healthy relationships and
• re-align negative patterns of behaviour or thinking.