I see young people from twelve upwards. Here is exactly how it works, so you can decide whether it is right for your family.
What I do and do not do
Havening Techniques® is offered for young people experiencing anxiety, stress, low self-esteem or a shaken sense of self-belief.
I am not a registered psychologist or psychotherapist, and Havening is not counselling. If your child is under a doctor, a school counsellor or a mental health service, stay with them. What I do sits alongside that.
If what your child brings belongs with a registered professional, I will tell you honestly and help you find the right person. I would rather send you elsewhere than take a booking I should not.
The touch, and how we handle it
Havening involves light stroking on the arms, hands and forehead.
With young people, the default is that they apply the touch themselves while I guide them. It works just as well, and it means your child is in charge of their own body throughout. If you and your child would both prefer that I apply it, we discuss that first and you give consent in writing before we start.
You are in the room
A parent or caregiver stays in the room for the whole session with an under 18. That is not a preference or a nervousness on my part, it is simply how this should be done.
It also means I am never alone with your child. There is no part of a session where you are out of the room, and you do not need to ask for that or arrange it. It is just how I work.
I am aware some young people talk more freely without a parent listening. If that becomes the issue, we will talk about it together rather than quietly changing the arrangement.
Consent
You sign consent as the parent or guardian.
Your child also gives their own agreement, in their own words, and they can withdraw it at any point. If they say they want to stop, we stop, and that decision is theirs rather than yours. That matters. A session where a young person feels they cannot say no is not a session worth having.
What a session looks like
Much the same as an adult session. We talk first, I explain what I am doing before I do it, your child stays awake and aware throughout, and we sit together for a few minutes at the end.
About an hour. $75. If that is out of reach, koha is welcome, and that goes for families as much as anyone.
Things worth knowing
Havening is not suitable for everyone, and it can bring up uncomfortable feelings. We talk about that before we start, with both of you.
I will not promise you an outcome. Nobody honest can. What I can tell you is what happens in the room and that your child controls what happens to them.
