Welcome to Emma Wood Counselling
Helping young voices
be heard and understood
About me
Hello - I specialise in counselling children and young people from ages 5-20 years in Brighton, Lewes and the surrounding area. I’ve been lucky enough to have met and worked with many wonderful children, young people and their families for over 25 years. I place a lot of value on the therapeutic relationship and work in a non-judgemental and empathic way to create a place of safety and regulation. I seek to create a space where children and young people feel heard and accepted and where they can make sense of who they are, explore their inner world, and understand difficult and complicated feelings.
Young lives can be experienced as a journey through shifting identities, peer groups and an ever-widening world – a journey which can be painful and confusing.
Resilience is a quality which is so important when navigating change and a changing world. Childhood and adolescence are notable for the changes and challenges which they present, and I’m keenly aware of how useful it is to develop a young person’s capacity for resilience, and for their sense of their own agency and identity to be fully expressed.
My Approach
I trained at the Institute of Arts and Therapy in Ediaction in a range of theoretical frameworks which allow me to provide a customised and holistic approach to suit the needs of each child or young person. I aim to see the whole person, not solely the troubling issue. This allows me to engage with the child/young person in a non-threatening way, helping them to organise their feelings and process their experiences.
My work is relationship based (I seek to get alongside the person) and I use a range of creative mediums to support this. With younger children sometimes words are not enough, and resources like sand trays, paint, music, clay, storytelling, and books provide a richer source for communication – they allow for the development of control and perspective over troubling issues, where problematic feelings of situations can be externalised and shared.
With teenagers and young people, I use a mixture of talking and creative approaches to encourage the development of self-understanding and insight into past patterns and experiences which currently impede their sense of well-being.
I work in a way that includes support and space to think carefully with parents (and sometimes with other professionals such as teachers and health professionals), in order to help them support their family through difficult periods.
I'm registered with the BACP.
What issues can Counselling help with?
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues.
Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
ADD/ADHD
Anger Management
Anxiety
Autism Spectrum
Depression
Disability
Eating Disorders
Health Related issues
Identity Issues
LGBTQ+ Counselling
Loss
Neurodiversity
Phobias
Self-esteem
Self-harm
Sexual Identity
Stress
Trauma
The first session
Following an initial phone call or email I’ll invite you to meet me at my therapy room in Brighton or Lewes for a longer chat of 30-40 minutes. There is no charge for this meeting – it’s a chance for you to ask questions about counselling and explore the space, and for me to find out a little more about what is troubling for the child/young person.
If you decide that you would like to go ahead with counselling we would agree a regular time and date and an initial timescale in order to assess and review progress.
Get in Touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can also call me on 07717 365107 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.