Hannah Sillence
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Finding the right counsellor can be difficult, especially when it is not for yourself but for your child. This is why I feel it is so important that counselling is adapted to fit the individual and can be made accessible to all who need the support. Children can often struggle to verbalise what they are struggling with emotionally or what they are finding difficult. Often, children have yet to develop the language to express how they feel and, like adults, they can find talking about the issue directly too challenging. My approach to counselling is integrative which means I will draw on different skills and approaches based on the client. For example, I will use a Person-centred approach to develop a strong rapport between myself and the client. Sometimes I will incorporate creative and play-based methods, as in my experience as a counsellor I find this the most effective way of supporting children in talking about emotions and processing events. Through creative and play-based methods, children can then learn to identify emotions, process the past, and develop effective ways to manage and express themselves.
I am aware that it is a daunting prospect for both parents and children to enter counselling. It can be difficult for children to speak about their feelings and thoughts to someone new which is why I will always take the sessions at their pace. I believe building a trusting and honest relationship is a crucial aspect of counselling and giving children a safe, confidential space to feel able to fully express themselves.
I feel very passionately about children having their voices heard and having access to support so they can then develop the right tools to express themselves and build resilience to go forward. I have a calm, encouraging approach with children and incorporate sensory, creative and play activities into sessions.
I work primarily in the Bognor Regis/Chichester area. I am happy to work within the child’s school or from a therapy room in Chichester. I am also happy to work within the child’s home if it is too difficult to deliver sessions at school or to travel to Chichester. These options can be discussed in-depth during the initial assessment to see what suits best.
I work by having an initial free 30-minute phone/zoom call with the parent to determine what the need for counselling is and to answer any questions about my practice. If the wish is to progress with the counselling, a face-to-face assessment is then booked with the Parent/Carer and child in attendance. Following the assessment, sessions can then be booked and therapy can begin.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a registered BACP member and a qualified children’s counsellor. I work to the ethical framework and practice as outlined by my registered professional body. I am also in the process of working towards my BACP accreditation.
I qualified as a children’s counsellor in 2019 after completing my Diploma in Child Counselling from the Institute of Arts in Therapy and Education. It was through this, that I learnt how various creative mediums can be used within counselling sessions with children aged 5 onwards.
As well as my private practice, I also work for a Hampshire based charity that provides counselling to primary aged children. Before this, I was working for another charity on the Isle of Wight which provided counselling to children and young people across the island.
Prior to qualifying as a counsellor, I worked for the NHS supporting children with complex medical needs within their homes, school and public.
- Diploma in Child Counselling (First Class)
- BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies (First Class)
- Certificate in understanding Autism
- Certificate in understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Certificate in Counselling skills
- Certificate in Counselling studies
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
Initial 30-minute phone call is free.
Assessment lasting up to 50 minutes (with child in attendance) is £30
Counselling sessions are then £50
When I work
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Further information
Within every role I have undertaken, I have completed various child safeguarding courses and will continuously undertake safeguarding training to refine my knowledge and skills.
