Children & Young Peoples Service and Teenager & Adolescent Counselling

Empathy has been delivering practical parenting and family support work ,and continues to be a key contributor at the strategic level.

Issues for Teenage Therapy

• Academic difficulties
• Peer pressure
• Parental divorce
• Bereavement
• Depression
• Low Self-Confidence
• Social withdrawal
• Addictions
• Eating problems

Teenagers today face a number of challenges. Typical problems range from ever-rising exam pressures to the lure of the internet. We see growing numbers of teenagers suffering from depression, stress-related conditions, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and relational difficulties.  

What is Teeange Counselling & Psychotherapy?

Counselling for teenagers incorporates principles of adult therapy but is underpinned by developmental psychology. Adolescent counsellors need a specific training in order to work with teenagers, and must have undergone a CRB check.

It takes a particular skill to engage with adolescents and to guide them in overcoming their difficulties without interrupting the course of natural development.
At Empathy Therapy, London, we have specialist who are trained to work with adolescents and teenagers.

What are the benefits of Teenage Counselling?

• Talk about all issues in a safe environment.
• Gain confidence in self-expression as a teenager.
• Improve communication levels through practice and with therapist feedback.
• Learn to recognise strengths and weaknesses.
• Discover ways of overcoming worries, pressures and negative beavhiours

Empathy's Consultation with Young People and Parents

Empathy consulted with young people to identify the issues that concerned them most.

Parenting Service - Development and Service Delivery

The project identified some major issues for parenting and family support for families in the Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot Turkish communities, and highlighted that parenting issues are far more difficult and complex for refugee parents. Issues identified and addressed included: Key findings from the projects include:

1.   Parenting issues are for more difficult and complex for refugee parents.

2. Separation of children from their parents during the migration period and eventual reunion is a key problem. Reunion can sometimes take years.

3.  Children and parents have difficulty adapting to the new situation - leading to considerable anger from children, and guilt from parents.

4.  Cultural identity and parenting issues:

-Children learn the language more quickly and often are required to interpret for the parent.

-Power relationships within the family shift causing disruption to parental authority that sometimes leads to violence and family break-up.
-Children are often confused about belonging - they struggle to live in two different cultures.

5. Many parents suffer mental stress including depression, and are unable to support their children needs adequately. Sometimes children become the career for their parents.

6. The effect of transitional family structures - moving from traditionally male-dominated to position where women may the wage earner, or independent single parent. The role of fathers in the new community is a crucial issue.

7. Turkish and Kurdish children are known to be underachieving at school, and The Learning Trust (formerly Hackney LEA) has, in its Annual Plan, specifically stated its concern about the underachievement of children in this community.

This work was developed further through support from Hackney Children's Fund. In addition to building on the parent support work that had been established under the Home Officer grant, the work now extended to providing leisure activities for families and young people. The overall aim of the project was to provide parenting support for Kurdish and Turkish speaking parents in Hackney to ensure their children grow up adequately cared for, to promote the children's health and development and help them achieve their full potential, and to empower the parents and children. Leisure activities for children and their parents were an integral part of the work to enable families to have good quality time together. The project provided:

1. individual support,
2. workshops for children and parents,
3. leisure activities for children and parents,
4. liaison with other agencies including Social services, Education and Health Department and attend Hackney Domestic Violence Forum.

Activities with Children, Young People and their Families

'Leisure' is not a common concept among Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot Turkish communities, and leisure activities are not necessarily sought out. In addition, parents are deterred from going out with their children and having pleasurable time together because of language barriers and not knowing the area and what is available. Parents don't know how to access facilities or what requirements there may be to attend any activities. Leisure activities gave the families opportunities to try things out. Our guiding principle was to provide activities in a safe and supportive environment. Children and parents had fun and spent good quality time together.

We targeted the parents and children who are receiving support from Empathys  Parenting Support Project, Education Advocacy Project and Mental Health Support Project.

These included:

1. Parents with depression or other mental health problems.
2. Children with disabilities.
3. Isolated parents and children.
4. Children with behavioral problems.
5. Children who live with domestic violence

The positive benefits were many:

1. Parents and children had an enjoyable time outside their homes together, and parents pointed out that it was the first time they had joined in an activity with their children and found it very beneficial for them and their children.
2. Children were exposed to completely new experiences in a safe and supervised environment - including a boat trip, boat riding and canoeing under instruction. Children and parents built up new friendships and acquired new skills in a safe and supportive environment.
3. Parents encouraged and supported their children, built up self-esteem and gained confidence through opportunities to see their own abilities.
4. Everyone had fun and enjoyed working as part of a team.
5. Parents also discovered a new place to take their children in their free time.

Research into Teenage Pregnancy

In 2003-04 Derman was commissioned by the City and Hackney Teaching Primary Care Trust to conduct research on teenage pregnancy, sex and relationships education within the Kurdish, Turkish and Cypriot Turkish communities in Hackney. This report and consultation was funded through the City and Hackney Teenage Pregnancy Service to find out about teenage pregnancy in the Kurdish, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot communities. The aim of the project was to consult with young people and parents in Hackney to identify teenage pregnancy and explore sex and relationships education (SRE) issues within cultural context. The project focused on two main areas;

1. Teenage pregnancy, which may be within marriage
2. Background cultural information on issues including marriage, sex and contraception, sexual health and services, sexuality and relationship, young people and pregnancy.

The focus of the report was initially on "Teenage Pregnancy". However the findings of the report have confirmed the earlier belief that; Teenage Pregnancy is a whole different concept in the Kurdish, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Communities. Pregnancy amongst teenagers is very rare or hidden. Teenage Pregnancy mostly occurs within marriage. Either the families intervene at early stages of pregnancy and force the sides into a marriage or many young women get married at early ages to protect themselves against pregnancies out of wedlock. Also newly married young couples are encouraged to have a baby as soon as possible.

However the signs are there that if nothing is done in terms of SRE immediately in Kurdish, Turkish and Cypriot Turkish communities, the parents are concerned that the number of Teenage Pregnancies might increase in the near future.

Education Advocacy

The need for closer work with parents and schools was identified in the course of running the  service. This Service ran between 2003 & 2005 and investigated the needs, issues and the particular difficulties faced by pupils from the Turkish, Kurdish, and Cypriot Turkish communities, and to provide advice and tackle the serious educational underachievement among children and young people in these communities. The project worked with schools, parents and pupils to devise strategies to raise confidence and achievement levels. The project worked with parents to help them understand the British education system, and their role in their children's education, and provided advice on further education opportunities and education rights.

Empathy Medical Consultancy & Psychosocial Counselling (EMCPC) is a professional services firm which will be run by Dr Zafer Kaynar MD, freelance consultant who plans to provide counselling and consultancy services in order to promote capacity and wellness/resiliency to members of the Turkish Community, health agencies, charities and non-profit, public, and private sector organisations based in London.

In particular, Dr Kaynar will focus on integration problems faced by members of the Turkish community in Britain that lead to parental difficulties in raising, educating and motivating children, drugs and alcohol.

According to Dr Kaynar, lack of education, improper child rearing and dysfunctional family environments lead create the need for psychosocial counsellors and consultants like Dr Zafer Kaynar who will support parents, children and the wider community though the delivery of seminars, hosting of events and provision of counselling and consultancy services.