Counsellor Empowering Young People to Overcome Challenges
Counselling sessions for Young People Aged
4 - 25.
Welcome to Creative Healing
About Me
My name is Michelle Duffy, I am an integrative Children and young people counsellor and qualified social worker with over 8 years of specialist experience in working with young people who have experienced sexual trauma. I have experience working as a counsellor in schools and the community supporting children and young people from ages 4-25 with a wide range of issues.
As a survivor of trauma, I know first-hand the pain and challenges that can arise from life's darkest moments. However, I also know the power of healing, resilience, and finding light amid the darkness. That's why I am committed to supporting young people to navigate their own journeys through therapy.
I offer a safe, empathetic space in which young people feel heard, respected and supported.
My credentials:
- MSc in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy,
- BSc in Social Work
- Certificate in Sandplay Therapy.
- EMDR Part 1, and Part 2
- Certified Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional.
- Cert: Advanced Trauma Treatment for Children and Adolescents
- Cert: Advanced Treatment of Dissociation in Children and Adolescents
- MBACP & MBASW Registered.
My Mission
At Creative Healing, my mission as a child counsellor is to provide a safe and inclusive space where children and young people can explore their emotions, develop coping skills, and foster personal growth through the transformative power of creative expression. I believe each young person’s journey is unique, and I aim to inspire and support them in harnessing their creativity as a tool for self-discovery, healing, and empowerment.
I am dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of young people. Therefore, I am committed to:
- Providing a Safe Space: I offer a judgment-free zone where young people can express themselves openly, honestly, and confidentially.
- Respecting Individuality: I recognize and value each young person's unique experiences, perspectives, and identities.
- Empowering through Collaboration: I work collaboratively with young people to set goals, identify strengths, and develop strategies for growth.
- Promoting Well-being: I focus on nurturing emotional well-being and providing tools to manage stress, anxiety, and other life challenges.
- Supporting Families: I believe in involving families as vital partners in a young person's journey toward healing and growth.
- Guiding Lifelong Skills: I empower young people with coping skills that will serve them well into adulthood.
Together, we can navigate challenges, celebrate successes, and pave the way for a brighter future.
How Can Counselling Help?
Are you or a young person you know feeling:
- Stressed or anxious
- Feeling down
- Having panic attacks
- Being bullied
- Coping with the death of someone or a pet
- Dealing with family problems or relationship/friendship issues
- Low self-esteem/self-confidence
- Self-harm
- Problems with food or eating
- Feelings of being different
- Isolation
- Exam stress
- Coping with a traumatic experience
Providing a safe therapeutic space for young people where they are supported to connect to, and express their emotions. Gives them the opportunity to talk about how they are feeling and helps them make sense of this without fear of judgement. Together we will develop ways of coping with their difficulties so that they can enjoy life more fully. Depending on the age and needs of the young person, I can offer talk therapy or creative mediums to help them express their feelings through play, art, sand etc.
About Some of the Different Approaches
Sandplay Therapy
Creative and Expressive Art
Creative and Expressive Art
This is a powerful non-verbal therapeutic approach that makes use of a sand tray, toys, figures and water to make miniature worlds. The sandtray provides a protected and contained space where young people can express their feelings and challenges without needing to talk or explain their experiences.
Often the scenes created reflect the you
This is a powerful non-verbal therapeutic approach that makes use of a sand tray, toys, figures and water to make miniature worlds. The sandtray provides a protected and contained space where young people can express their feelings and challenges without needing to talk or explain their experiences.
Often the scenes created reflect the young person's life and allow them the opportunity to resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and gain acceptance of self.
Creative and Expressive Art
Creative and Expressive Art
Creative and Expressive Art
This approach blends drawing, painting, collages, music, movement and play. These methods allow for the non-verbal expression of a young person's thoughts, feelings and internal experiences to be visually externalised through images and metaphors. This can allow young people to process their difficulties in a gentle and safe way.
EMDR Therapy
Creative and Expressive Art
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are a result of disturbing life experiences. After these disturbing experiences the images, thoughts and emotions can remain and can become triggered, causing overwhelm and the feeling
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are a result of disturbing life experiences. After these disturbing experiences the images, thoughts and emotions can remain and can become triggered, causing overwhelm and the feeling of being back in that moment or frozen in time.
EMDR can help to process these memories through bilateral stimulation using eye movements, vibrations or sound, to help the brain join the dots and recognise an event in the past, therefore allowing natural healing to take place.
