I am sometimes asked, why can't just any psychotherapist or counsellor work with children?

Why do I need to look for somebody with specialist training? My answer would be, whilst any fully qualified adult psychotherapist or counsellor may choose to work with children and young people, there are particular differences in therapeutic work with children and adults that require different skills and experience.

Some differences between adults, children and adolescents are obvious, but the needs and expressions of these age groups are distinctly different. As well as child psychotherapy and child counselling trainings, there are specific trainings to work with adolescents as this is a time of great developmental change. A considerable body of recent research outlines the significant brain development that takes place during the teenage years.

Our knowledge and understanding of human development has moved well beyond the early ideas of a child being a "mini adult", not least in the significant advances in developmental neuroscience.

As we gain increasing insights into the differences between an adult and a child, we also need to acknowledge the rights of children to access mental health support appropriate to their unique needs. Here are just some of the things any therapist working with children should have:

• An understanding of child development
• Training in assessment and diagnosis of childhood disorders these can present in a quite different way to the way they present in adults
• An understanding of theories of neuroscience and how early trauma can affect the developing brain, even prenatally
• An appreciation of the complexity of ethical issues and boundaries when working with children. For example, managing the limits of confidentiality when sharing information - with parents or carers, with social workers or teachers. Also, how to manage a disclosure, together with knowledge of safeguarding and child protection procedures
• An enhanced DBS check formerly CRB check