How do we help young people under 13?

The Isle of Wight Youth Trust offers a counselling service for those aged under 13 years called the Under 13s Service and attempts to meet the needs of many younger children and their families / carers on the Island, as well as meeting the needs of the GPs who have used the service. Since February 2008, the Youth Trust has seen hundreds of young children and their families / carers, delivering counselling sessions in five venues across the Island. The clients attend a series of six hour long sessions taken across six weeks and work with a professionally trained counsellor.

The Youth Trust firmly believes that many of the children and their families / carers who have already accessed the service have benefited from some of the following:

Improved family communication and relationship dynamics.

Having space to explore the child's emerging identity, especially when in the light of the impact of loss, change or transition.

Enabling parents to recognise behavioral triggers and consider suitable responses and reactions.

Learning about ways of resolving conflict within the family.

Understanding the issues that the family face and how they can work together to overcome these issues based on mutual understanding.

Increased self esteem and confidence amongst family members, both children and adults.

The identification and assessment of other needs and the sign-posting towards other services e.g. CAMHS

The issues that have been addressed within these sessions vary, obviously, from individual to individual, but some of the main areas that have been presented are problems with relationships, both family and peer relationships, bullying, depression / anxiety, behaviour, anger, self harm, physical abuse and others.

If you would like to access this service offered by the Youth Trust, please contact your local GP and ask them to refer you to the Youth Trust Under 13s Service.

Once the Youth Trust receives the referral from the GP, we will contact you to arrange a suitable appointment.