Supporting children’s emotional needs is an integral part of the Clover House approach. Children are constantly developing and experiencing new things. Much of this is positive, but there are times in your child’s life when they can feel confused or overwhelmed by what is happening around them.

 

Things like starting or changing school, parental divorce or separation, a new step-family, bereavement, moving house, bullying, exam stress or just the pace of modern life can all be a cause of emotional distress.

 

A child’s imagination is very powerful – they love inventing games, stories and characters through make-believe play. But for a child with a problem, the power of their imagination can make things worse. Fear or anxiety can overwhelm them. They may find it difficult to talk about their feelings, and so express their emotions through withdrawn, angry or disruptive behaviour at home orschool, or through difficulties with sleeping or eating.

 

Many families who come to Clover House have sought help elsewhere, which has often involved diagnosis, labelling and analysis. Our approach is child and family centred – we don’t judge or label. We listen. We listen to you, and most importantly, we listen to your child. We provide a safe and nurturing environment and always work at your child’s pace, never making them feel upset or distressed.

 

Our Creative Imagery Therapist, Joanne Cole, is a qualified NLP Master Practitioner who is experienced in working with children, helping them to harness the power of their imagination to eliminate fears and change their behaviours in a positive and self-supporting way.

 

Each session is adapted to the needs of your child. By building rapport and allowing your child to go at his or her own pace, a gentle and successful transformation can be achieved over two or three sessions.

 

Sometimes a child’s problem has been caused by an event in the past that has resulted in certain thoughts, behaviour and emotions. These can be ‘unconcious’ – they are beyond the child’s conscious awareness but have become a habitual response to certain situations or within relationships.

 

Through the use of Imagery techniques, stories and metaphors, Joanne is able to help children change their thought processes and so let go of unconscious habitual behaviours. Imagery uses the power of the child’s own imagination and allows them to generate their own solution to their particular problem. The Creative Imagery process helps them develop new strategies, increase their confidence and self-esteem and achieve emotional wellbeing.

 

The result? What every parent wants – a happy, healthy child who has all the resources they need to reach their full potential.