Specialist therapeutic support for children, young people and the people who care for them.
Children and young people don’t always have the words to explain what they are feeling or why things have become difficult.
Anxiety, trauma, loss, relationships, family changes, school experiences, neurodiversity and difficult early experiences can all affect how a child or young person feels, behaves and connects with the people around them.
At Lotus Therapy, we have extensive experience of working therapeutically with children, young people, parents and families. We take time to understand the individual child and their experiences, rather than simply focusing on the behaviour that others can see.
How We Can Help
Children, young people and families come to us for many different reasons, including:
- Anxiety, low mood and low self-esteem
- Trauma, loss and difficult early experiences
- Attachment and relationship difficulties
- Emotional regulation and behaviours that can be difficult to understand
- Autism, ADHD and neurodiversity
- School difficulties and transitions
- Family conflict, separation and changes within the family
- Difficulties with friendships and relationships
- Adoption, special guardianship and kinship care
Our approach is flexible and shaped around the individual child or young person, taking account of their age, development, communication style and particular needs.
Sometimes therapy involves working individually with a child or young person. At other times, working alongside parents or caregivers — or with the family together — can be an important part of the therapeutic process.
Trauma, Attachment & Relationships
We have particular experience of working with children and young people affected by trauma, disrupted attachment, loss and difficult early relationships.
We recognise that behaviour can communicate something a child or young person cannot yet explain in words. Our work therefore seeks to understand what may be happening underneath the behaviour, rather than simply trying to change it.
Through a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship, we can help children and young people begin to make sense of their experiences, understand their emotions and develop safer and more secure ways of relating to others.
Where appropriate, parents and caregivers are an important part of this work.
Adoption, Special Guardianship & Kinship Care
Lotus Therapy has extensive experience of providing specialist therapeutic support to adopted children and young people and their families, as well as children and young people living within eligible special guardianship and kinship arrangements.
There is a specific pathway for accessing therapeutic support relating to adoption and for families eligible for funded post-order support.
Families should initially contact their local authority or Regional Adoption Agency, who will assess the child or family’s support needs and consider whether therapeutic intervention is required. Where appropriate and where the child or young person meets the eligibility criteria, the local authority or Regional Adoption Agency can apply for funding through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) and commission the agreed therapeutic support.
Lotus Therapy does not privately undertake adoption-related counselling or therapeutic work with children under 18 where adoption is the presenting focus. In accordance with Ofsted requirements, this work is undertaken under the appropriate commissioning arrangements with a local authority, registered adoption agency or registered adoption support agency.
If you are an adoptive parent, special guardian or kinship carer and are unsure how to access support, you are welcome to contact us. We can explain the appropriate referral route, although the assessment of need and application for ASGSF funding must be undertaken by the relevant local authority or Regional Adoption Agency.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
Our therapeutic work with children who have experienced developmental trauma and difficulties within their early relationships can be informed by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).
DDP is an attachment-focused and trauma-informed approach which places the relationship between the child and their parent or caregiver at the heart of the therapeutic process.
The approach helps adults understand the experiences that may lie beneath a child’s behaviour and supports children to feel safer within their relationships.
Where appropriate, DDP-informed therapeutic work may form part of the support offered to a child and their family.
Therapeutic Life Story Work
For some children and young people, understanding their past is an important part of understanding themselves.
Therapeutic Life Story Work can be particularly valuable for children who have experienced separation, loss, changes of caregiver, adoption or care.
Rather than simply creating a record of events, Therapeutic Life Story Work provides a carefully supported opportunity for a child or young person to explore and make sense of their experiences, relationships and identity.
The work is paced around the individual child and undertaken within a safe therapeutic relationship, with parents or caregivers involved where appropriate.
Dance Movement & Creative Arts Psychotherapy
Not every child or young person finds it easy to express their experiences through words.
Dance Movement & Creative Arts Psychotherapy offers alternative ways of exploring and communicating thoughts, feelings and experiences through movement, body awareness, creativity and the therapeutic relationship, alongside verbal communication where appropriate.
Creative approaches may include art, music, movement, play, imagery, storytelling and other forms of creative expression, depending on the individual child or young person and what feels most comfortable and meaningful to them.
This way of working can be particularly valuable for children and young people for whom traditional talking therapy may not feel like the most natural or accessible way to communicate. It provides opportunities to explore emotions, relationships and experiences without relying solely on words, within a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship.
Neurodiversity
We have considerable experience of working with autistic children and young people, those with ADHD and other neurodivergent presentations.
We recognise that every young person experiences and communicates with the world differently. Therapy is therefore adapted to the individual rather than expecting the child or young person to adapt to therapy.
Our work considers their strengths as well as the things they find difficult, seeking to understand what may overwhelm them, what helps them feel safe and how the important adults around them can better understand and support them.
Working With Parents & Families
Sometimes the most effective way to help a child is to work with the people around them.
We can support parents and caregivers to develop a greater understanding of their child’s emotional needs, behaviour and ways of communicating, while also recognising the impact that caring for a child who is struggling can have on the whole family.
Family work can provide a space to explore relationships and patterns of communication and help family members begin to understand one another differently.
Finding the Right Support
There is no single therapeutic approach that suits every child, young person or family.
When you contact Lotus Therapy, we’ll talk with you about what is happening and consider which therapist and way of working may best meet your family’s needs.
For adopted children and young people, or those living within eligible special guardianship or kinship arrangements, we will also help you understand whether you need to begin by contacting your local authority or Regional Adoption Agency for an assessment of support needs.