Counselling for Children & Adolescents

If you’ve been looking for top-rated child psychologists in Ipswich open on weekdays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, then schedule your free 15-minute consultation with us. Happy Brain is a Queensland-based mental health clinic that provides youth and child psychology services in Ipswich. We also offer our services to parents/carers of children in Brisbane.

Our friendly clinical psychologists and behavioural therapists are experienced in working with neurodivergent kids and their families. Happy Brain adopts a neuro-affirming, trauma-informed, and client-centred approach to mental health care. We accept and celebrate our clients’ brain differences, giving non-judgmental support and strengths-focused guidance.

The Techniques Used in Counselling Children and Adolescents are a Little Different from Those Used With Adults. Your Child May Tell You That They Played a Game, Drew a Picture, Played With Toys, or Played in a Sandbox.

You may think this is a very odd way to get to the bottom of whatever the problem is, or you may think it doesn’t sound very helpful in developing healthier strategies in life.

However, if we were simply to invite your child to talk to us, they would probably feel hesitant and uncomfortable about telling a counsellor their concerns. Child and adolescent counselling combines verbal counselling with other strategies, such as the use of games, art media or work with symbols and sand.

These strategies are intended to help children and adolescents feel more at ease and provide them with alternative or additional means of communication.

If given the opportunity, children and adolescents are able to tell their story, sort out a problem or gain a sense of control over an issue. The role of the counsellor is to facilitate this process, and sometimes, we cannot explain precisely what has helped the child feel better. The counsellors can assist parents and caregivers on how to support their child through counselling, support their improvements and maintain the changes.

We Believe the Most Helpful Things You, as Parents and Caregivers Can do are:

Provide opportunities for your child to talk about the work they are doing if they wish to.
Do not continue to question them if they seem unwilling to talk about it now.
Provide the usual limits on unacceptable or destructive behaviour.
Remember that you know your child better than anyone else, so please share your opinions and observations.

We respect the privacy of each child regarding their disclosure of information during counselling. We are able to tell you an outline of what the sessions involved are but unless your child wants to tell you, or the content is harmful to themselves or someone else, the content will remain confidential.

At Happy Brain we work holistically with the family unit. It may be a requirement for the parents or caregivers to participate in the information and strategy sessions while your child is participating in counselling.

What is a Trauma Psychologist?

A trauma psychologist is a mental health professional who is qualified to provide trauma therapy. Trauma psychologist qualifications can include an academic degree in psychology and training or experience in providing EMDR trauma therapy. The most important quality of a trauma psychologist is that they know how to work with individuals and groups who have experienced or are experiencing trauma. Trauma psychologists help people process and heal from trauma, enabling these individuals and groups to lead more mentally-healthy and enjoyable lives.
What Qualifies as Psychological Trauma?

The long-term negative effects on functional capacity and well-being as a result of a traumatic experience are what qualify as psychological trauma. As the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services and Administration (SAMHSA) defined it in their Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach 2014 manual, “Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically and emotionally harmful or life-threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.”
How do I know if I Need Trauma Therapy?

Signs that you need trauma therapy include the following: Intense, uncontrollable emotions, memory, consciousness, and self-perception (Yadav, McNamara & Gunturu, 2024, Trauma-Informed Therapy) Impaired physical, emotional, mental, psychological, or interpersonal functioning Persistent feelings of fear and mistrust towards other people (Kimberg & Wheeler, 2019, Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care) Overwhelming sense of not being safe or secure Sleep disturbances such as nightmares and insomnia Trauma shows up differently in each person. If you have a distressing symptom that isn’t mentioned in the list above or think trauma therapy would be helpful to your well-being, you can still seek trauma therapy or the assistance of a trauma psychologist.
What is a Trauma-Informed Psychologist?

A trauma-informed psychologist is a psychologist who follows a trauma-informed approach in their delivery of mental health services such as therapy. First proposed by Maxine Harris and Roger D. Fallot, the trauma-informed approach was further expanded on by SAMHSA. Trauma-informed psychologists realise the effects of trauma and events in the person’s life on their mental health condition and respond to this realisation by applying the 6 principles of a trauma-informed approach (SAMHSA, 2014): Safety - Trauma-informed psychologists ensure that the people they help feel physically and psychologically safe in their physical settings and interactions. Trustworthiness and Transparency - Trauma-informed psychologists build and maintain trust with the people they help. Peer Support - Trauma-informed psychologists offer ways for the people they help to establish healthy relationships with their peers. Collaboration and Mutuality - Trauma-informed psychologists and the people they help are partners in the latter’s well-being, collaborating towards the best outcome. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice - Trauma-informed psychologists empower others to develop their strengths and sense of self, share their opinions, advocate for themselves, and make shared choices regarding their mental health. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues - Trauma-informed psychologists address historical trauma, recognise cultural factors, and provide gender-responsive services.
What is the Difference Between Trauma Therapy and Trauma-Informed Therapy?

Trauma therapy is focused on treating the trauma that an individual or group has experienced or are currently experiencing. Trauma-informed therapy is therapy provided in a trauma-informed manner. For example, if a person seeking therapy (but not explicitly seeking trauma therapy) goes to a psychologist who provides therapy in a trauma-informed manner, then that person is receiving trauma-informed therapy. However, this doesn’t mean those seeking trauma therapy won’t also receive trauma-informed therapy. Whether or not the therapy is trauma-informed depends on the manner in which it is provided.

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