Child & Adolescent Therapy

Sessions are tailored to the young person’s age, needs, interests and preferred way of engaging. A session may include art-making, play, games, creative activities, sensory materials, conversation or a combination. Some children prefer to work alongside the therapist rather than sit face to face, while others may move between talking and creative activities throughout the session. The therapist supports the young person to explore emotions and experiences, build self-understanding, develop coping and emotional regulation skills, and work towards their individual therapy goals.There is no pressure to talk about difficult experiences before they are ready, and no art skills are required.

No art skills or previous art experience are required. Art Therapy is not an art class, and the focus is not on creating artwork that looks a particular way. Creative materials can be used to help children and adolescents express themselves, explore experiences and engage in therapy in ways that may feel easier than talking alone. Some young people enjoy making art throughout their sessions, while others may prefer play, games, conversation or a combination.

Our Yellow Gum Art Therapy Studio and counselling space in Mill Park has a wide range of art and creative materials available, including:Drawing and painting materialsMarkers, pencils, pastels Collage and mixed-media materialsClay and other three-dimensional materialsCraft and construction materialsTextiles, yarn and fibre-based materialsSensory and tactile materialsGames, play resources and expressive-play materialsClients are free to explore the materials that feel comfortable or interesting to them. Some people prefer familiar materials, while others enjoy experimenting with something new with support from their therapist.

That’s completely okay. Art-making is available, but it is never compulsory. Sessions can include conversation, play, games, sensory activities, interests, storytelling or other creative approaches depending on what helps your child feel comfortable and engaged. Some young people begin therapy without wanting to use art materials and may choose to explore them later, while others prefer mainly talk or play-based therapy. We follow the child or adolescent’s pace and preferred way of engaging, enabling us to build a therapuetic relationship with your child that will be helpful.

Can you teach my child art skills?Art Therapy is not an art lesson, so the main goal is not to teach technical art skills. However, therapists may support a child to build confidence using art materials, learn how to use unfamiliar materials, experiment with different techniques and develop creative skills when this helps them engage in therapy. Artwork created in therapy is treated as part of the therapeutic process and as private and confidential information. It is not displayed, shared or interpreted outside the therapy context without appropriate consent, except where required by law or safety obligations. If your child is mainly looking for structured art instruction, an art class may be more appropriate. In Art Therapy, creative skill-building is used to support emotional expression, building confidence and supporting therapeutic goals.

This depends on the child or adolescent’s age, needs and therapy goals. Generally, children and adolescents attend therapy individually, giving caregivers an opportunity to take a break or visit the nearby Stables Shopping Centre. Parents or carers are involved in the initial intake and in child-focused parent support and review sessions at least once per term or more, depending on need. There may be occasional time in therapy where parents may join if it helps with a particular goal.

We usually begin with a parent or carer intake appointment without the child present. This gives you space to discuss your child’s history, current concerns, strengths, interests and support needs. The child or adolescent then attends their own session with the therapist. The first few sessions focus on getting to know each other, building safety and trust, and understanding how the young person prefers to communicate and engage. Therapy goals are developed collaboratively and reviewed over time with the young person and their caregivers where appropriate.

We provide child-focused parent support and review appointments at least once per school term, with more frequent parent contact where a child has higher or more complex needs. The focus of these sessions are to help parents and carers better understand their child’s needs, respond supportively at home and identify when additional services or referrals may be helpful.

We believe it is important not to force children or adolescents to attend therapy. If a young person is showing some reluctance, we can use the parent or carer intake appointment to explore what may be making therapy feel difficult and what might help them feel safer or more comfortable attending. This might include how therapy is introduced, their interests, preferred ways of communicating, or what they are worried about. However, if a child or adolescent does not want to attend or refuses therapy, we are generally not able to provide individual therapy, as a therapeutic relationship requires some willingness to participate.In these situations, we may instead be able to offer child-focused parent support or suggest other services that may be better suited to supporting your family.

Parents and carers can contact us directly to refer their child. You do not need a GP referral.Referrals can also be made by an NDIS Support Coordinator, case manager, family violence practitioner, school wellbeing professional or another professional involved in your child’s support.When you contact us, we will send you our intake form to gather information about your child, their history, current needs and concerns. W can then arrange a parent or carer intake appointment to discuss this in more detail, talk through therapist availability and plan the best way to begin.We can also offer a meet and greet before starting therapy, so you or your child can meet the therapist, become familiar with the space and see whether it feels like a good fit.