Anthony White
I’m Anthony, and I have spent over 17 years working with children and young people across education, specialist provision and therapeutic settings.
My interest in understanding children’s emotional needs developed early in my career and has continued to grow through working directly with children and young people in very different environments and with very different needs.
Over the years, I have learned that there isn’t one way of working that suits every child. Some children are comfortable talking, while others communicate more naturally through drawing, making, play, sandtray or other creative activities.
My approach adapts around the child, rather than expecting the child to adapt to therapy.
Qualifications
IATE Diploma in Child Counselling using the Arts – Level 6
IATE Counselling Skills Certificate using the Arts
NVQ Level 3 Children and Young People’s Workforce, including Child Development and Challenging Behaviour
Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead
Professional Standards
Enhanced DBS certificate
Professional indemnity / liability insured
Regular professional supervision
Ongoing professional development
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and work in line with their professional and ethical standards.
My Professional Experience
I have spent over 17 years working with children and young people across specialist and SEND provisions, pupil referral units, mainstream primary and secondary schools, private schools and therapeutic practice.
Alongside my direct therapeutic work, I have held senior pastoral, therapeutic and safeguarding responsibilities within schools. This has included establishing and leading therapeutic provision and SEMH support, working alongside Senior Leadership Teams, supporting staff and developing a therapy placement service for trainee counsellors and psychotherapists.
Throughout these roles, I have worked closely with parents, carers, teachers, SENCOs, safeguarding teams and external professionals, including social workers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and CAMHS. My work has included individual and group therapeutic interventions, parent consultation, professional meetings, reports, referrals and contributing to safeguarding and wider support around children.
This breadth of experience has shaped how I work today. I look beyond a child’s presenting difficulties and consider their relationships, family, school, development and wider experiences. It is this wider perspective that informs my child-led and holistic approach to therapy.
How I Work
Therapy is not the same for every child.
I combine talking therapy with creative and play-based approaches, including *art, drawing, making, sandtray and imaginative play*.
Some children may want to talk about what is happening for them. Others may find it easier to communicate through play, drawing or making. Sometimes a child simply needs time to become comfortable with the space and develop a relationship before they are ready to explore more difficult experiences.
I adapt the way we work according to the child’s *age, personality, development, needs and what they are comfortable with*.
The aim is to create a therapeutic space where children can feel understood, develop greater emotional awareness and find ways of making sense of and managing what they are experiencing.
A Child-Led & Holistic Approach
A child-led approach means starting with the child rather than starting with a fixed idea of what therapy should look like.
I pay attention to how a child communicates, what they are comfortable with and what helps them feel safe enough to engage. Sometimes that may mean talking; sometimes it may involve art, play, sandtray or simply taking time to build a relationship before exploring more difficult things.
I also take a wider view of the child. A child does not exist in isolation. Home, school, friendships, family relationships and significant changes in their life can all affect how they feel and behave.
Where appropriate, I work with parents and carers and, with the necessary consent, communicate with schools and other professionals so that the child’s wider circumstances can be understood alongside what happens in therapy.
The aim is not simply to focus on a particular behaviour or difficulty, but to understand the child as a whole and consider what may be happening around them.
Working With Parents & Professionals
Parents and carers remain an important part of the therapeutic process.
Where appropriate, I can help parents make sense of what may be happening for their child and think about how they can support them outside of sessions.
With the necessary consent, I can also liaise with schools and other professionals involved in a child’s life. This can help build a more joined-up understanding of the child and support greater consistency between home, school and therapy.
Send An Enquiry
The first step is a free initial telephone consultation with me. There is no obligation – you can tell me a little about what has been happening, ask questions and find out more about how I work.
You do not need to know exactly what your child needs before getting in touch.