If your child is struggling with big feelings, facing a tough change, or you're simply worried about their wellbeing, a chat with a counsellor is a good first step. There's no "right" time - early support often prevents bigger problems down the road.

For a lot of children, it's actually better. We've found that in many cases, kids actually focus better at home. They're in their own space, with their own things, on their own turf — which lowers the stress enormously. There's no unfamiliar building, no waiting room, no car trip home in loaded silence. Screens are also native territory for most kids, which takes the edge off. And yes, it's safe — all our counsellors are qualified and insured. Sessions are completely confidential (except of course in child safety cases, which we're legally required to report).

That's normal. A quick chat beforehand helps. Most kids relax once they meet their counsellor and realise it's not "scary shrink" stuff. We've got proven techniques for helping reluctant kids feel safe & comfortable.

Generally, for under-13s, we often start with an intake just with the parent/guardian and arrange to every-so-often bring the parent into the last 10 minutes of the session (with the child's permission). For older kids and teens, it's 100% confidential - they need privacy to open up and are given complete autonomy in the process. This is non-negotiable and crucial. We'll keep you in the loop about progress only with their knowledge and without breaching their trust.

Of course, each young person we meet with is made aware in their first session about the limits of confidentiality and our duty of care to report anything to parents in the case that we deem a risk or a concern that meets this criteria. The therapist can explain more about this in your free introductory phone call with them.

It varies. Some kids benefit from 6-8 sessions and feel ready to move on. Others work through deeper stuff over months. Your counsellor will check in with you in terms of the number of appointments necessary, the appropriate spacing between sessions, and be honest about this.

Sometimes there's a grumble at the start. Almost always, that softens once they realise this hour is theirs — not a report card, not a telling-off, and not a place where they're in trouble. We'll also have a chat with you about how to best introduce it to your child to help them feel good about it.

Good news: they don't have to, not straight away. Our practitioners don't lead with interrogation, ever. Session one with very young children is often mostly play, drawing, or the practitioner being introduced to every single toy in the room. Trust first, talking later.

We work with children as young as 5 all the way through to teens and young adults — the approach simply changes to suit them. For younger children, sessions lean heavily on art, play and imagination. For older children and teens, it's a blend of talking and creative work. If you're unsure whether your child is "old enough", give us a call and we'll talk it through.

It depends on what you're after. Psychologists are registered health practitioners who can carry out formal psychological assessment and diagnosis. Our practitioners are qualified counsellors and psychotherapists registered with bodies such as PACFA and ACA — they provide therapeutic support, emotional skill-building and creative therapy, without the assessment or diagnostic component. If your child needs a formal diagnosis, your GP is the right first stop. If they need a safe, skilled space to work through what they're feeling, that's us — and no referral is needed.

No. You can book directly with us, no GP referral required but of course, we accept them

Absolutely — this is a really big part of what we do. Children's counselling can run alongside our Couples Counselling and/or Family Dispute Resolution services, so support wraps around both the child and the family at the same time.