Hi – I'm Eleanor Patrick. These are my qualifications and my reasons for writing this website

Eleanor Patrick photo to accompany her qualifications

It’s important you know upfront something about me and my qualifications – specifically that I’m a qualified, experienced child therapist and counsellor of children and young people in the UK. I’m also a qualified young people’s coach. My professional experience is what lies behind this site.

My aim is to share things I think parents would like to know about, so that they can help their anxious child before things get worse.

So I'll list my credentials to give you some certainty about what you're reading:

I hold these qualifications:

  • a Diploma in Counselling, 
  • a Diploma in Play Therapy 
  • a Post-qualifying Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People 
  • Level 1 training in EMDR and EMDR Child Training (Eye Movement  Desensitising and Reprocessing)
  • EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner level 3 
  • a Diploma in Child Psychology 
  • a Diploma in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
  • a Youth Coaching Academy Certificate in Youth Coaching.

As a counselling member of BACP, I worked in schools and private practice for 15 years.

I  was also a telephone counsellor at a Rape Crisis Centre for a year. 

I worked with Place2Be on their M-PACT intervention (Moving Parents and Children Together) for a few years, working with families where alcohol or drug abuse was an issue.

These qualifications, along with years of experience, have made me passionate about children and young people and helping them to thrive at home.

Qualifications as a counselling journal editor, published writer and registered teacher

A few other things that are relevant about me and count as qualifications here...

For 12 years, until recently, I was commissioning editor of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s journal BACP Children, Young People and Families. 

Earlier, I was a qualified teacher and private tutor before home-educating my three children through their exam years. 

I’m also a freelance writer of many years’ experience. I started that particular career when my children were “3 under 3”. I think I needed to regain some sanity away from nappies and toys!

But I do love communicating in words, and I’ve been published in many national magazines and newspapers.

I've also talked on Radio Newcastle – I was called upon as a local therapist to discuss two different news bulletins that affected children.

These combined careers are why I’m now so passionate about writing this site for parents who have an anxious child and want help sooner rather than later.

I tend to call this pre-therapy. And it often sorts things out.

But if you feel that counselling has become your only option for your child, please head straight to the Asking for Help page where I offer advice and links.

Some fun facts

  • I used to keep budgerigars and fancy rats – but these days only look after model dragons! 
  • I love the music of the late Baroque period – it's orderly and inspiring.
  • I love a crime drama or book – Lewis, Vera, Shetland, LJ Ross’s Inspector Ryan series etc.