What is Child Counselling?
Child counselling is a specialised form of therapy designed to support children and adolescents facing emotional, social, developmental, or behavioural challenges at home or school. These sessions provide a safe space for young people to process difficult emotions and navigate traumatic experiences, fostering personal growth, healthy development, and positive change.
At Counseling Perspective, our therapists are also equipped to treat various mental health conditions in youth, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and eating disorders. We maintain a No Wait Policy, ensuring that any child or teen aged 18 and under will receive an appointment within 24 hours of contacting us.
How Do Child Counselling Services Work?
Child psychologists and therapists use a range of techniques to help children and teens address behavioural challenges, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and learning difficulties.
At Counseling Perspective, our counselling and clinical psychology services include
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Anger Management Therapy
- Play Therapy and Role Play
- Art Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Psychological Assessments
We approach each young person as a unique individual with specific counselling needs, tailoring treatment goals and methods to suit their particular situation.
Do We Need a Child Psychologist or a Child Counsellor?
Both child psychologists and child counsellors work to help young people navigate emotional and medical challenges that can affect their social interactions, academic performance, and overall well-being. While these terms are often used interchangeably, there are important distinctions between the two types of mental health professionals.
In Singapore, a child psychologist specialises in working with children and adolescents and holds at least a master’s degree in psychology, often followed by a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD), requiring years of study and practice.
On the other hand, a child counsellor or therapist has a postgraduate diploma in a counselling-related field, with a minimum of 600 hours of direct counselling and 60 hours of clinical supervision.
Psychologists can diagnose and treat developmental conditions like ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For children with such conditions, a psychologist may be more suitable due to their advanced training. But in most cases, the choice between a psychologist or counsellor depends on the child’s comfort level with the therapist.
Additional Counselling Services
Our team of child psychologists and therapists offer a range of professional counselling services that provide for the evolving needs of children, parents, families, and schools.
Family counselling can be a resource for helping families face and solve problems together. It often takes the form of group therapy sessions with the whole family. Family counselling can also involve sessions between a parent and child, or relationship counselling between parents.
Parent Training
Our child therapists can help parents who are struggling to connect with their children, and/or would like to know how they can better support their child's needs. Parenting skills training can be especially useful for the parents of children who have developmental challenges.
School Support
Our team can work directly with other professionals at local and international schools to support the needs of at-risk students. If you have a student who is experiencing learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties, please contact us to discuss how we can help.
About Our Specialist Psychology Clinic
Established in 2014, Counseling Perspective offers counselling and intervention services for children from pre-school age to teens.
As well as child and adolescent psychologists providing counselling for children, our multidisciplinary team includes therapists with a wide range of specialties and experiences.
We are a multilingual clinic and work with children and adults from all cultural backgrounds on a daily basis.
