Christabel and Rebecca, two of our incredible Youth Counsellors from our Youth Focus Metro team, recently joined Ethan Murray from Radio Fremantle on his show, Saturday Afternoon Roundup, to chat about youth mental health, seeking support and counselling.
The three had an insightful conversation covering topics from how counselling can support young people, to how mental health may present in a young person, and how our counsellors support young people in their sessions.
As Christabel and Rebecca explained during the interview, our counsellors offer young people a safe space to explore experiences, situations and challenges that arise through a young person’s life. They work with young people to help them develop tools and strategies, validating experiences and emotions that may arise, so they can increase their capacity to cope when things feel hard.
A key theme throughout the conversation with Ethan was Christabel and Rebecca’s shared belief that it is never too early to seek support, and that no reason is too small.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that you come to counselling when everything is at its absolute worst – but that’s actually not the case. As soon as you start noticing that something’s going on, or even if things are going well and you just want to come in and talk, counselling is a space for you to explore your life. It offers a checkpoint and a safe place to open up and talk through the experiences you are having,” shared Christabel.
“Working with young people is unique because seeking support early – as challenges are starting, or before things get too difficult – is an opportunity to set them up for the rest of their life,” reflected Rebecca.
“Just like all aspects of your health, it very normal for everyone’s mental health to fluctuate throughout their lives. Even if a young person is not personally experiencing any challenges in the present moment, they are often supporting their friends and peers through confusing or difficult times, which can be a tough role. It can be helpful to have tools and strategies to help manage this, or a space that feels safe and reliable where you can open up and offload.”
Counselling looks different for each person, which is an aspect of their work that both Youth Counsellors really love. The strategies, tools and approaches used differ from young person to young person.
“Coming from an art therapy background helps me explore a range of different approaches. It leans into non-verbal communication and creativity to explore or communicate things that a young person may otherwise find difficult to put into words,” shared Rebecca.
Young people can see Youth Counsellors at Youth Focus on an ongoing basis, or as a one-off visit.
“The whole point of Youth Focus, and the way that we work, is being open for young people to access support when they need it – knowing that it is okay to step in and out as their life happens, because we recognise that mental health is so fluid,” shared Christabel.
Our Youth Counsellors work primarily in one-on-one sessions with young people but are also communicating with family and support networks and connecting young people with other organisations to ensure they have the support they need beyond the counselling room.
At Youth Focus, we are proud to have a team of experienced, skilled, and caring Youth Counsellors who meet young people where they are at and support them through their mental health journey in a way that works best for them. Thanks to the generous support of Mineral Resources Limited, young people in Perth Metro can see our Youth Counsellors – including Christabel and Rebecca – at no cost to themselves, their parents or carers.
A huge thank you to Ethan and Radio Fremantle for providing the platform for such an important conversation. If you’d like to listen to the full interview, you can do so here.
