Create and Connect Child Counselling

💛 Supporting Children with Friendships 💛

Friendships can be one of the best parts of childhood but they can also feel confusing and hard to work out at times. It is completely normal for children to experience ups and downs with friends and it can be just as worrying for parents watching it unfold.

Friendships are about more than playmates. They help children learn to trust, communicate, share, and work through disagreements.🤝 Over time, they build confidence, emotional wellbeing, and a strong sense of belonging.

It isn't always about having lots of friends as one supportive friend can be really powerful 🌟

If you feel your child is finding friendships difficult at the moment, a safe and supportive space to talk things through could really help. I specialise in child counselling for children age 4-11.

You are very welcome to get in touch for a free 15 minute consultation to discuss things further.

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

If your child's worries seem bigger at bedtime, it can help to give them a place to put those thoughts before they try to sleep.

📝 Invite your child to write down, draw, or tell you their worries.

📦 Pop them into a special "worry box", jar, or envelope.

For many children, worries become louder at bedtime because the distractions of the day have gone and there is more space for anxious thoughts.

Writing worries down doesn't make them disappear, but it can help children feel that they don't have to carry them into sleep.

💛 Remember: the goal isn't to get rid of worries completely. It's to help children feel safe enough to put them down for the night.

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

Why worries often feel bigger at bedtime.

At bedtime, the house gets quieter but for some children their thoughts get louder.

💬Once the distractions of the day fade away, there is suddenly space for worries to show up. Things that felt manageable earlier can grow in the stillness of a dark, quiet room: school worries, friendships, separation fears, the dark, and all those “what if” thoughts.

💬Research shows that anxiety and sleep difficulties in children are closely linked. When worry increases, sleep becomes harder and when sleep is disrupted, anxiety often feels stronger the next day. It can quickly become a cycle that is difficult to break.

💬The nervous system can stay switched on long after the day has ended. Even when a child is safe in bed, their body may still be in “alert mode,” making it harder to relax and drift off.

👇If bedtime has become a struggle, it may be worth looking a little deeper. Sleep difficulties are not always just about sleep sometimes they are a sign a child needs extra support to feel calm enough to rest.

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

🎨💭 Sometimes feelings can be tricky to put into words for children.

In the therapy room I love using creative check-ins like this one. It gives children a safe and creative way to explore and express how they are feeling and develop emotional literacy.

Sometimes, a simple visual can open up big conversations. 💛

Try it for yourself with your child. Have paper and colouring pencils to hand so they can record their responses. 🖍

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

🌈 Counting Colours on the School Run

A calm, grounded start to the day just by noticing colours in nature.

🎨 Give your child a colour to look for.
👀 Spot natural colours: green leaves, yellow flowers, red bricks.
🧘‍♂️ Ask: Which colours felt calm, happy, or exciting?

Why it works:
Builds focus and sensory awareness
Expands emotional vocabulary
Fosters a connection to nature and inner calm

Backed by research, simple to do, and fun. Rainbow Walks are a powerful way to nurture emotional wellbeing.

Try it on the way to school or whenever it fits your routine.

Follow this page for more wellbeing tips.

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

This Monday morning can feel like a big shift for many children as they head back to school after half term.

Some will walk in happily, ready to reconnect with friends and routine. Others may feel more anxious, tearful, clingy or unsettled than expected.

Both responses are completely normal.

For many primary-aged children, returning to school after a break can bring a mix of emotions especially around separation, friendships, learning demands and routine changes.

If you have been noticing ongoing worries around anxiety, emotional regulation, school stress, friendships, confidence or transitions, you are welcome to get in touch to learn more about the support I offer for children aged 4–11.

www.createandconnectcounsellimg.co.uk

🧠Early intervention can make a significant difference, helping children build skills, resilience, and confidence before challenges become more deeply rooted.

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

What confidentiality means in child counselling 🔒

When parents are thinking about counselling for their child, one of the biggest questions is often:

“What will I be told?”

Confidentiality is a key part of helping children feel safe enough to open up 💛

In child counselling, confidentiality means:

🔹 Your child has a private, trusted space to express themselves
🔹 What they say in sessions is not shared with parents unless they agree to.
🔹 This helps children feel respected, heard, and more able to explore difficult feelings.

But there are important boundaries:
⚠️ If a child is at risk of harm, or someone else may be at risk, safeguarding procedures must be followed and appropriate professionals will be contacted.
This is always explained clearly at the beginning, in an age-appropriate way for the child and in conversation with parents.

The aim is to balance two things:
🧠 Keeping children emotionally safe and supported
🛡️ Keeping them physically safe at all times

When children feel confident that their voice is respected, they are more able to express what’s really going on underneath behaviour 💬✨

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

A warm welcome to Create & Connect Counselling.

I am Amanda, a BACP-registered counsellor specialising in working with primary-aged children (ages 4–11).

This is a supportive space for parents who feel that something may feel difficult for their child right now. Sometimes children show us they are struggling through worries, big emotions, changes in behaviour, withdrawal, frustration, or difficulties at school.

Using an integrative approach that combines talking therapy, play, and creative techniques, I tailor each session to meet the unique needs of every child, including neurodivergent children.

With seventeen years of experience as a primary school teacher before moving into counselling for the past six years, I bring both therapeutic knowledge and a deep understanding of child development.

I work with children within primary school settings during the day and offer afternoon and evening sessions at West Street Counselling Practice in Fareham, Hampshire.

I believe early intervention in childhood can help prevent difficulties becoming more complex later on.

You are welcome to follow my page to find out more. 💚

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk

How play helps children process feelings 🎨

Children don’t always have the words to explain how they feel. Instead, emotions often show through behaviour, play, or creativity.

In 1:1 counselling sessions, play becomes a child’s language. It helps them to:
🧸 express feelings safely
🧠 make sense of worries or experiences
🌱 build emotional regulation over time

Play isn’t “just play” it’s how children communicate, process, and begin to understand what’s going on inside.

If your child is struggling with big feelings, support doesn’t have to wait until things get worse 💛

www.createandconnectcounselling.co.uk