This research explored the way that young people experience counselling services. Interviews were conducted with 63 young people aged 13–18 who had used a variety of services.
A thematic analysis identified that there were common priorities for participants across the different services including their need to keep control; not to have their parents involved; to have a relationship with a counsellor which was more like a friendship than a professional relationship; to talk freely and be listened to; and to have the service be accessible and flexible enough to fit around their lives.