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About Jeff Bedells

Child, adolescent and adult counsellor, Parent Practitioner, Social Skills Practitioner

My approach to working with children is to create a warm, non-judgmental environment where children feel free to explore their issues and begin to make more sense of their world.

I believe that child therapy hinges on the child's rapport with the therapist. Embley House achieves results because children look forward to their therapy sessions and don't view themselves as being faulty or needing to be fixed. Children don't think of the therapy sessions as 'therapy', but instead as a time to play, explore and express themselves. I believe that when a therapist draws upon a variety of modalities to create a treatment specific to the child's personality, needs and issues, therapeutic change can occur more organically.

During my six years as a primary school teacher around Perth and in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, I gained valuable experience working with a diverse range of children of all ages and backgrounds. During my time teaching, I decided to focus my attention on behavioural management and co-operative learning. Realising I had a propensity for engaging troubled children, I expanded my skill set by attending numerous professional development seminars and workshops in these fields.

Whilst teaching, my preconceived opinion of the importance of an emotionally secure child was consolidated on a daily basis. I believe that if a child is not emotionally happy, has low self-esteem and/or lacks the ability to self-regulate, other aspects of a child's life such as academics, social well-being and relationships all consequently suffer. Simply put, a child cannot flourish holding feelings of confusion, anxiety, anger, uncertainty or self-doubt.

Following this realisation, I completed an Advanced Diploma in Counselling and studied Expressive Therapy and Play Therapy. To complement this, it was important to gain knowledge and experience in parenting skills, so that I would be better equipped to pass on advice for struggling parents. Thus I completed numerous parenting practitioner courses such as "1-2-3 Magic & Emotion Coaching", "Engaging Adolescents", "Social Skills for Children" and "Protective Behaviours". These courses, along with my training and experience have given me valuable insight into prescribing the best course of action for parents with children presenting specific symptoms.

I aim to supply the child with an environment that gives them a feeling of security, unconditional positive regard, empathy and value. It is within this environment; and with my facilitation that children are able to explore their emotions and begin to gain a sense of mastery over their world. Only then, can the child gain skills and empowerment that give them the confidence to tackle the outside world with resilience, self-assurance and positivity.

Qualifications

Graduate Diploma in Family Therapy
Diploma of Counselling (ACA registration No: 5208)
Bachelor of Education (Edith Cowan University)
Three year curriculum of Interpersonal Neurobiology - The Mindsight Institute - by Dr Daniel J. Siegel, M.D
Psychological Approaches for Obesity - The Australian Centre for Eating Disorders (Bronze Level)
EMDR Therapist


 
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