My Approach and 121 Sessions
I practice with a combination of my youth work and coaching practices with counselling skills. It is caring, respectful and non-judgemental. I work in a collaborative and adaptive way with a young person through games, craft, activities and discussions to support them best, giving them a holistic and tailor-made approach, to meet your young person’s individual needs. I also draw upon a range of other different theories and practices including but not limited too: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Trauma Informed Practice, Mindfulness, Youth Work, Scouting and Play Therapy.
Sessions are relaxed and informal and centre around the young person, their interests, building of life skills and our common goal. Learning is informal and engagement from the young person is voluntary – meaning I work hard to make sessions interactive, enjoyable and informative. I have music playing (This is dependant on the young person and their wants and needs). I find this way of working works well for children and young people that find it hard to relax or engage in formal settings such as school or traditional counselling. The consultation, the initial session and pay as you go sessions are no obligation to continue which means if your young person feels the sessions are not for them there is no need to continue. I understand how hard it is to make such an investment when your young person may not be ready to take that step.
Your young person will also come home with lots of the items we make or use used during sessions. As well as (if relevant) signposting. Examples of items that can go home with your young person are: positivity jar, getting to know activities, small coping strategies and items, worksheets, crafts that we have done in sessions, information sheets, a young persons own made versions of activities/games we have done during sessions to enjoy from home.
For online sessions I send all documents via email to after the session.
Everything I do is packed full of informal learning. A simple activity has so many opportunities for informal learning!
Areas Covered
Here are some of the areas of concern/what your young person would like to work on and have goals on:
- Self esteem
- Life Skills – including and not limited to cooking, finance, safety and first aid.
- Exam preparation, stress and revision timetable planning
- NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training)
- Internet safety
- Bullying
- Mentoring
- Relationships
- Resilience building
- Building coping strategies
- Alternative Education for Young People out of School
- Sexual Education and Sexual Health
- LGBTQIA
- Body image
- Social skills building
- Mindfulness
- Anxiety
- OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- Knife Crime
- Drugs
- Alternative Learning
Please note: This is not an exhaustive list. All these areas I have previously worked sucessfully with young people. If your particular concern is not listed or you are worried about whether your young person is a good fit, please get in touch and we can arrange a FREE 15 minute consultation to discuss.
Group Sessions – Minecraft / Lego Brick Club / Pokemon Academy / Youth Club
These are the sessions that I run from Open Space in Waterlooville. https://openspacewaterlooville.co.uk.
Minecraft
A creative and collaborative Minecraft group hosted on the OpenSpace LAN server, giving young people a safe space to play, build and connect together.
Young people will work together to create homes, shared spaces and community projects within their own village world while taking part in weekly themed challenges, games and activities.
Sessions are designed to support:
Social skills
Teamwork and communication
Problem solving
Confidence and self-esteem
Online safety awareness
Emotional regulation
Cooperative play
Young people will also help shape the sessions by contributing ideas for future builds, games and challenges, helping create a group that feels inclusive, engaging and youth-led.
Pokemon Academy
Whether your young trainer is a seasoned battler or just starting their journey, our weekly 1-hour drop-in sessions are designed to help them learn, create, and explore through the world of Pokémon.
What to expect at the Academy:
- Trainer Passports:
Kids can earn “badges” in their own passport booklets for completing sessions and learning new subjects.
- Card Trading & Community:
Young people are encouraged to bring their collections. We’ll be teaching how to make fair trades, compare stats, and giving them a safe space to just talk Pokémon with friends.
- Learning Disguised as Fun:
Each week we use Pokémon to explore science, geography, literacy, and art. From designing their own Pokémon to learning about real-world animal adaptations and habitats!
- Weekly Crafts:
We will be doing a small, hands-on craft each week.
Lego Brick Club Formally known as Lego Therapy
Our Brick Club is a fun, welcoming and inclusive group for children and young people who enjoy building with LEGO®. Using the evidence-based Brick-by-Brick® programme methodology, children work together in small teams to build models, solve problems and develop important social and emotional skills through play in a relaxed setting. If your young person person enjoys Minecraft but needs less screen time this is the perfect alternative that supports there development without increasing the amount of screen time they have.
Each session is carefully facilitated by a trained Brick-by-Brick® Facilitator, creating a supportive environment where every child can take part at their own pace. Children initially learn to communicate and build on their own then work collaboratively, taking on different roles within their team, including Engineer, Supplier and Builder, encouraging communication, listening, turn-taking and teamwork in a natural and enjoyable way.
Alongside structured building activities, children are encouraged to use their creativity, work together to solve challenges and enjoy playing with their completed models. The focus is always on building relationships, developing confidence and having fun together.
Brick Club is suitable for children and young people aged 5 years and above who enjoy building with LEGO®. It is particularly beneficial for children who may benefit from additional support with social communication, confidence, emotional wellbeing or making friendships. Activities are adapted to meet individual needs, helping every child feel welcomed, included and successful.
Children attending regularly may develop:
- Communication and listening skills
- Teamwork and cooperation
- Problem-solving and flexible thinking
- Confidence and self-esteem
- Emotional wellbeing
- Friendship skills
- Creativity
- Independence
Research has shown that children attending Brick Club over several months may experience improvements in social skills, communication and emotional wellbeing, while becoming more confident and developing meaningful friendships.
Our sessions are ideal for home-educated children, neurodivergent children and any young person who enjoys building in a supportive, structured and accepting environment where they can connect with others who share similar interests.
Facilitator- led by Emma a trained Brick-by-Brick® Facilitator.She brings a wealth of knowledge, qualifications and experience in counselling, youth work and working with neurodivergent young people. She has taken time to source lego kits and pieces that will spark interest. Ranging from animals, cars to Avengers or Minecraft.
The facilitator’s role is to support children to make decisions together, solve challenges, communicate effectively and ensure every child feels included, successful and able to enjoy the session.
Youth Club
A welcoming and inclusive youth space where young people can relax, socialise, develop confidence and help shape activities that matter to them.
Sessions include access to:
Games and consoles
Creative activities and crafts
Social spaces
Group projects
Themed activities
Discussions and skill-building opportunities
The youth club follows themes linked to the National Youth Agency framework while remaining strongly youth-led, allowing young people to influence activities, projects and future ideas.
Led by an experienced and qualified youth worker, the group aims to create a safe, supportive and engaging environment where young people feel heard, respected and included.