''I don't need you to understand me, I just need you to accept me'' anonymous

Why did I choose this quote?

My full time job is working at a secondary school as a counsellor, I work therapeutically with students from year 7 to year 13 (11-18 yrs) with a range of different mental health needs.

This week one of my clients in session said the above comment in relation to an ongoing issue they have with their parent. Whilst I appreciate for some people feeling understood is really important, it can often be hard for young people to name and say why they feel the way they do and in some cases many adults could relate to this. In this case the young person had self harmed but they were unable to name and give a reason as to why they had done so and this then caused an argument and resulted in them then feeling worse because they could not explain why they had done it. They said they simply wanted and needed their parent to accept that they were not ok and needed help. As as a counsellor my hope is to try and help clients understand themselves and why they may be feeling the way they do or do the things they do but most importantly accept the client with no judgements. My hope is when you are reading this and if you too can relate to it you will reach out and ask for help too.