Sarah Baird

My hours are flexible.  I generally work after school and in the evenings, but if daytime is more convenient then please ask.

Hello! My name is Sarah (she/her) and I am a qualified child and adolescent psychotherapist.

I trained with the children’s mental health charity, Place2Be and have a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools. I have worked as a counsellor in both primary and secondary schools and also privately.  I love working with children, young people and their families and I am passionate about young people’s mental health and well-being.

I take into account your child/young person’s developmental stage and their interests and abilities when we work together and I try to ensure that this is reflected in our sessions. My training is integrative which means I can draw on a variety of theoretical approaches to counselling to ensure that my sessions are tailored to suit each individual.

It can be hard for children and young people to find the right words to describe feelings, and verbal responses can be tricky.  I offer creative activities, play and games to facilitate the expression and exploration of feelings and thoughts that your child or young person may not yet be able to articulate.

I believe that building a good relationship with a child or young person is key to bringing about positive change. I am passionate about the well-being of young people and feel privileged to help support a young person in developing the resilience and confidence to be themselves and fulfil their potential.

I also work with parents and caregivers to help them support their child. Parenting can be challenging, particularly when our children are going through tough times.  I am a parent myself.

I adhere to Â鶹ԭ´´ ethical frameworks, am insured and hold an enhanced DBS certificate.

Counselling sessions are 50 minutes long and usually take place at the same time each week. We will discuss how many sessions might be appropriate in our initial intake meeting (although this can change). I have use of comfortable rooms in Wheathampstead and Harpenden.

I offer child-centred sessions which means that I work with what the child brings to the session and at a pace led by the child. It is important that your child or young person feels comfortable and engaged so I offer a variety of creative activities such as drawing, painting, clay and a sand tray as well as talking to help explore their feelings. I may also offer guided meditation, visualisation and discuss relaxation techniques if appropriate. Sessions are child/young person-led: they will always have the choice of what they do.

Counselling sessions are confidential which means they are a private conversation. It can feel daunting to bring your child/young person to a counselling session and not know what is being discussed, your child/young person may not wish to share the content of the sessions with you and it is important to respect this. Whether they share what they talk about with you or not is their choice. The exception is if there is a serious risk of harm to your child or someone close to them. If this is the case, concerns will be shared with you, my supervisor and/or any other authority, as appropriate.

If you are seeking counselling for your child or young person, please get in touch. Each child/young person is unique and so I offer an initial free short discussion by phone or on zoom of about 20 minutes to find out what you are looking for.

If the young person looking for counselling is under 18, the first session will always be an intake session with the parent(s) or caregiver(s) only and lasts about an hour. It is an opportunity for me to explain more about counselling and to take a history of your child/young person and family and to discuss what has brought them to counselling now. During this session we will also discuss how many sessions might be appropriate, as well as how we communicate and monitor progress. The cost of this session is £70.

In your child/young person’s first counselling session we will explore what counselling is and how we will work together. We can get to know each other a little and your child can see what it is like to attend a session. We can then discuss how it went and what the next steps are.

Regular sessions last 50 minutes and cost £65 per session. It is important to have a final session at the end of counselling so I would ask you to give me notice if you no longer wish to have sessions. 

I usually work after school and in the evenings, but I have some flexibility, so if daytime would suit you better please ask.

Hello! My name is Sarah (she/her) and I am a qualified child and adolescent psychotherapist.

I trained with the children’s mental health charity, Place2Be and have a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools. I have worked as a counsellor in both primary and secondary schools and also privately. I love working with children, young people and their families and I am passionate about young people’s mental health and well-being.

I think about your child/young person’s developmental stage and their interests and abilities when we work together and I try to ensure that this is reflected in our sessions. My training is integrative which means I can draw on a variety of theoretical approaches to counselling to ensure that my sessions are tailored to suit each individual.

It can be hard for children and young people to find the right words to describe feelings, and verbal responses can be tricky. I offer creative activities, play and games to facilitate the expression and exploration of feelings and thoughts that your child or young person may not yet be able to articulate.

I believe that building a good relationship with a child or young person is key to bringing about positive change. I am passionate about the well-being of young people and feel privileged to be instrumental in helping a young person develop the resilience and confidence to be themselves and fulfil their potential.

I also work with parents and caregivers to help them support their child. Parenting can be challenging, particularly when our children are going through tough times, and I am a parent myself.

I adhere to Â鶹ԭ´´ ethical frameworks, am insured and hold an enhanced DBS certificate.

Counselling sessions are 50 minutes long and usually take place at the same time each week. We will discuss how many sessions might be appropriate in our initial intake meeting (although this can change). I have use of comfortable rooms in Wheathampstead and Harpenden.

I offer child-centred sessions which means that I work with what the child brings to the session and at a pace led by the child. It is important that your child or young person feels comfortable and engaged so I offer a variety of creative activities such as drawing, painting, clay and a sand tray as well as talking to help explore their feelings. I may also offer guided meditation, visualisation and discuss relaxation techniques if appropriate. Sessions are child/young person-led: they will always have the choice of what they do.

Counselling sessions are confidential which means they are a private conversation. Although It can feel daunting to bring your child/young person to a counselling session and not know what is being discussed, your child/young person may not wish to share the content of the sessions with you and it is important to respect this. Whether they share what they talk about with you or not is their choice. The exception is if there is a serious risk of harm to your child or someone close to them. If this is the case, concerns will be shared with you, my supervisor and/or any other authority, as appropriate.

If you are seeking counselling for your child or young person, please get in touch. Each child/young person is unique and so I offer an initial free short discussion by phone or on zoom of about 20 minutes to find out what you are looking for.

If the young person looking for counselling is under 18, the first session will always be an intake session with the parent(s) or caregiver(s) only and lasts about an hour. It is an opportunity for me to explain more about counselling and to take a history of your child/young person and family and to discuss what has brought them to counselling now. During this session we will also discuss how many sessions might be appropriate, as well as how we communicate and monitor progress. The cost of this session is £70.

In your child/young person’s first counselling session we will explore what counselling is and how we will work together. We can get to know each other a little and your child can see what it is like to attend a session. We can then discuss how it went and what the next steps are.

Regular sessions last 50 minutes and cost £65 per session. It is important to have a final session at the end of counselling so I would ask you to give me notice if you no longer wish to have sessions.