Relateen - Young People's Counselling Service
Relateen is a counselling service offered by Relate for young people aged 10-25 who are affected by difficult relationships or the past or current breakdown of their parents' relationship.
If things are getting you down at home, you may think it's your fault. You may feel angry and confused and possibly torn between your parents.
You may have concerns about the future and how things will turn out. It can be quite difficult to discuss the way you feel with your parents, without worrying about making things worse.
When things at home aren't right, it can have an impact on other aspects of your life such as friendships, school or your overall happiness and ability to cope with life.
At times like this, it sometimes helps to talk to someone outside the family, who has some understanding of the difficulty you may be having.
What happens during counselling?
First, a counsellor will talk with you about your situation and help you to think about how best to handle it. The counsellor is trained to help people understand themselves better, relate to others better, work things out for themselves and make decisions about their lives.
How long will it take?
Your counsellor will deal with your situation individually, and together you'll decide how long it continues to be helpful to have counselling. You will never be obliged to continue with the counselling against your wishes.
Here are some of the things young people have said after using the Relateen service:
"I feel better talking about it because you have time to listen to me."
"The counsellor helped me understand my situation."
"It has helped me and my Mum to talk without shouting."
"Counselling stops me from exploding and lets it fizz out slowly."
"I don't feel so upset when they argue and I can't do anything to stop it."
"I would recommend the counsellor to a friend".
Who else needs to know?
What you tell the counsellor in the session is private and confidential. The only time the counsellor may need to tell someone else is if he/she is concerned about your safety or wellbeing, or that of someone else. In a case like this, the counsellor would always try to involve you in decisions about any action to be taken.
Where can I see a Relateen Counsellor?
Many secondary schools across the boroughs have a Relateen counsellor in school once a week - check with your school to see if the service is available for you, or you can contact us to see us in one of our centres.
If your parent brings you to the centre, they will be able to wait for you in the waiting room. They will not be invited into the session without your agreement.
How long will it take?
The counsellor will meet with you for between 20 minutes and an hour depending how long you find it useful. The counsellor will agree the length and the number of sessions with you.
How much does it cost?
This is negotiable depending upon your circumstances.
In 2009-10 we delivered 3,081 appointments to young people - 559 clients