Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy with children and teenagers calls for a specific outlook, one that takes into account their developmental stage, their level of development, and their family, school and social environment.

We don’t work on symptoms or difficulties in isolation: we try to understand what they mean within the young person’s stage of development, and how they relate to their experiences, their bonds, and their personal and family resources.

We work with a wide range of emotional, behavioural and relational difficulties and painful life circumstances — whether there is a clinical diagnosis or the child or teenager is simply going through a period of distress, significant change, adjustment difficulties, or experiences that are interfering with their wellbeing.

Treatment is adapted to the child’s age and the specifics of each case, and may draw on approaches such as:

• EMDR therapy, adapted for children and adolescents, particularly when difficult or traumatic experiences continue to affect the present.
• Emotion-focused approaches, helping the young person identify, understand and regulate their emotional states.
• Attachment-based interventions, especially relevant when difficulties are linked to emotional security, relationships or significant bonds.
• Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), adapted to the child’s developmental stage and specific needs.

The family’s role

In childhood and adolescence, parents and carers usually play a particularly important role within the therapeutic process.

Depending on the child’s age, the difficulty at hand and the treatment goals, parents may take part through specific interviews, joint sessions, parental guidance, or ongoing support throughout the process.

This involvement doesn’t mean every session has to include the family. Especially during adolescence, it is essential to also preserve the young person’s own confidential therapeutic space, alongside the necessary collaboration with parents.

The aim is to support changes that don’t stay confined to the therapy room, but that can carry over into the different areas of the child’s life.

How we get started

The first sessions focus on understanding the current situation, the child’s developmental and family history, their needs, and the family’s concerns. Based on this initial assessment, we agree on goals together and put forward the most suitable course of treatment.