Therapy for Children (12+) at Compass Therapy Australia
Supporting Your Child’s Emotional Well-Being
At Compass Therapy, we are dedicated to helping children aged 12 and older navigate their mental health challenges. Our experienced clinical psychologist offers a warm, child-centered approach tailored to each individual's unique needs.
We understand that every child is different, and collaboratively, we work with both the young person and their caregivers to establish personalised goals that foster growth, resilience, and well-being.
Our Philosophy
At Compass Therapy, our aim is to help your child develop the strength and resilience to withstand life's challenges, not to make difficulties disappear.
We believe in empowering young people with the skills and confidence they need to face adversity and grow stronger through their experiences. Our focus is on fostering long-term emotional well-being, setting your child up for a healthier, more adaptable future.
Qualifications and Experience
Our psychologist, Michael, has over nine years of experience in child mental health, including work with CAMHS and developmental disability psychology services.
Prior to this, he spent 11 years working as a youth residential worker across NSW, Canberra, and WA, supporting children in various low and high-risk care settings.
His background also includes youth mentoring roles, volunteer leadership in community programs, junior snorkelling and motocross groups, reflecting a lifelong commitment to youth support.
“What do we do when we are afraid? We walk towards it, we don’t walk away.”
– Sophia, 8 years old
Our Therapeutic Approaches
We provide a range of evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, EMDR, Client-Centered Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Behavioural Psychology techniques.
We also offer psychoeducation on ADHD, neurodiversity, and parenting strategies to support families comprehensively. Our approach is flexible, allowing us to adapt to each child’s circumstances, preferences, and stage of development.
The Therapy Process
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The Initial session will involve both parents/caregivers without the child, to gain a understanding of the child’s behaviour, home environment, school setting, hobbies and interests, and to enable a free-flowing discussion of the child’s presentation, without them feeling that they are being spoken about, rather than to.
The second session will then be a 1:1 session with the child to help gain a better understanding of their perspective away from their caregivers, to develop an understanding of what therapy is and what a therapist does, and to build rapport.
Either at the end of the second session of in the third, the full family unit will be presented with the clinician’s initial thoughts and case formulation (what they feel is contributing to the difficulties being experienced). Based off of that case formulation a series of therapy models will be presented as potential pathways forward. Each will have specific strengths and challenges.
Depending on what the family feels is the best therapeutic model that matches their systems needs will dictate the session frequency from there. Treatment frequency can also vary depending on the presenting concern, risk level, and stage of therapy. For example, trauma work requires weekly sessions, while maintenance sessions can be spaced much further apart. Sessions are available both in person and via telehealth. Consequently, it is very difficult to state how a session itself will be structured as sometimes it is best to have split sessions between the parents and child, sometimes it’s best to have sessions predominantly with the child or the parents. We find it is best to ensure that sessions are highly tailored to the needs of each family system to deliver the best results.
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Parental involvement is encouraged and facilitated, with sessions tailored to ensure the child's safety and progress. In cases of serious risk, the clinician will promptly inform parents and collaborate on the best course of action.
When appropriate, we may support children in speaking directly with their parents about therapy progress/identified issues. Please note that Medicaid-rebated support person sessions are available, allowing the involvement of caregivers without the child present, for up to three of the ten Medicare Rebated sessions per calendar year.
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Referrals can be emailed to reception@suite306.com.au, faxed to (08) 9389 7789, or submitted through our contact form link.
We welcome referrals from GPs, psychiatrists, or other healthcare professionals. Please note that we do not offer therapy for children under 12, nor do we provide forensic, medicolegal, or active psychosis services.
Additionally, children experiencing acute suicidal or homicidal thoughts are best supported through crisis services.
