Couple Counselling Lothian

Young Person’s Services

Play Therapy

For younger children, Couple Counselling Lothian offers play therapy. Trained therapists specialising in work with small children help them to explore their feelings creatively.  It helps the child to process extreme experiences which he or she may find difficult to process.  Dolls and toy figures, modelling clay, a sand box and paints are all used in therapeutic play to help the child.

Young children upset because of their parents separating can benefit from this service. Specialist practitioners also work with children traumatised because of domestic abuse.

Young Person’s Counselling

The 4-18@CCL counselling service is for young people who are worried about their parents’ divorce, separation or conflict and/or maybe having difficulties with a step-parent.

Young people are particularly at risk when their parents are on the point of separating. In addition to feeling very unhappy, many children blame themselves for the break-up, and strong feelings can

be stirred up within the family. CCL believes that coping with parental conflict in adolescent years will help these young people to deal with their own relationship issues as adults.

The 4-18@CCL counselling sessions give young people the opportunity to talk to someone in confidence:

• about the breakdown in their parents’ relationship, and how the young people feel
• about being unhappy or confused about a family relationship
• about any problems they may have living in a new stepfamily
• about issues out with the family
• about issues around domestic abuse (supported by the Volant Trust)

Domestic Abuse

Where children are exposed to domestic abuse a specialist service (run by CCL) is available in certain Edinburgh schools  and also at the centre in Dundas Street. This service specialises in promoting the young person’s safety and resilience in abusive contexts. Please note that where children are deemed to be at risk, normal protocols around confidentiality cannot apply and the agency is bound to report disclosures to social services or the police. Please be aware that GIRFEC protocols are routinely applied.

Service users

Young people between the ages of 4 and 18 – can be referred by parents, teachers, health professionals, social workers or family lawyers, or may self-refer.

Please contact us on