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Empowering Youth

Advice for Professionals

Supporting young people in the Lancaster District to overcome emotional challenges and thrive.

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Empowering Young Minds: ACE's Commitment to Youth

Discover how ACE supports young people in overcoming challenges and building a brighter future.
More about ACE

Holistic Support

Comprehensive care tailored to individual needs.

Community Collaboration

Partnering with families and organizations for effective outcomes.

ACE is dedicated to transforming the lives of young people affected by adverse childhood experiences. Our aim is to provide compassionate support and effective interventions that foster mental health and resilience. We believe in empowering youth by placing their voices at the center of our efforts, ensuring they have the tools and support needed to thrive. Our team is committed to creating a safe and nurturing environment where young individuals can heal and grow.

ACE currently offers the following interventions

Early intervention

Emotional Health Practitioners (EHP) support 10-25 year olds who have experienced a lower number of or less impactful ACE’s such as parental separation, short-term bullying, and relationship challenges. These challenges can, for example, result in low confidence and mood, anxiety, panic attacks, and school avoidance. Our EHP’s can help build the children or young person’s confidence, self-worth and resilience through talking and engaging in creative solution-focused activities and supporting the development of coping strategies

Trainee Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Practitioner (CYWP)

Trainee Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Practitioner (CYWP): assess and support children and young people between the ages of 10 and 18 years of age with low level mental health problems. They specialize in mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety, depression and behavioural difficulties. They offer a range of low intensity interventions that are based on cognitive behavioural therapy and guided self-help.  They aim to help CYP and their parent/carers in self-management of recovery.

Senior Emotional Health Practitioners

Senior Emotional Health Practitioners: Offer a range of methods to support the young person to improve their mental health and better manage their symptoms.  They work with low to medium levels of anxiety and depression, self-harming behaviours, sleep disturbances, poor self-image and relationships

1:1 Counselling

Counselling offers a non-judgemental holding space for 18-25 year olds, where challenges and issues can be explored. This is a ‘non-directive’ therapy meaning the client has full autonomy in what they talk about. Counselling can help people release and soothe their distress whether this be related to the past, present or the future. Note: We have both qualified and student counsellors at ACE.

Interventions at a higher level

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Our CBT therapists support children and young people aged 12-25 years. This talking therapy focuses on the connection of thoughts, feelings and behaviours resulting in unhelpful thinking styles, or fear-based avoidance. CBT can help with anxiety, depression, OCD, panic disorders and insomnia along with a variety of other mental health disorders and challenges. CBT is an ‘active’ therapy meaning there will often be additional work to do outside of the sessions. Note: Our student CBT therapists can only work with clients over 18s.

Trauma-Focused Counselling

The 3-phased trauma model of safety and stabilization (working on coping strategies), processing the trauma memory (telling the story in a safe way), and consolidation and integration (bringing it all together to live a healthier, happier life) supports 10-18 year olds to work through traumatic experiences in a safe, collaborative space. Types of ACE’s which could relate to trauma work may include witnessing or experiencing abuse and/or neglect, being involved in an accident, familial incarceration, or substance/alcohol abuse.

Early intervention:

Emotional Health Practitioners (EHP) support 10-25 year olds who have experienced a lower number of or less impactful ACE’s such as parental separation, short-term bullying, and relationship challenges. These challenges can, for example, result in low confidence and mood, anxiety, panic attacks, and school avoidance.

Early intervention:

Our EHP’s can help build the children or young person’s confidence, self-worth and resilience through talking and engaging in creative solution-focused activities and supporting the development of coping strategies .

Trainee Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Practitioner (CYWP)

Our Trainee Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Practitioners assess and support children and young people between the ages of 10 and 18 years of age with low level mental health problems.

Trainee Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Practitioner (CYWP)

They specialize in mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety, depression and behavioural difficulties. They offer a range of low intensity interventions that are based on cognitive behavioural therapy and guided self-help. They aim to help CYP and their parent/carers in self-management of recovery.

Senior Emotional Health Practitioners

Offer a range of methods to support the young person to improve their mental health and better manage their symptoms. They work with low to medium levels of anxiety and depression, self-harming behaviours, sleep disturbances, poor self-image and relationships

Counselling

Counselling offers a non-judgemental holding space for 18-25 year olds, where challenges and issues can be explored. This is a ‘non-directive’ therapy meaning the client has full autonomy in what they talk about. Counselling can help people release and soothe their distress whether this be related to the past, present or the future. Note: We have both qualified and student counsellors at ACE.

Interventions at a higher level

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Our CBT therapists support children and young people aged 12-25 years. This talking therapy focuses on the connection of thoughts, feelings and behaviours resulting in unhelpful thinking styles, or fear-based avoidance.

Interventions at a higher level

CBT can help with anxiety, depression, OCD, panic disorders and insomnia along with a variety of other mental health disorders and challenges. CBT is an ‘active’ therapy meaning there will often be additional work to do outside of the sessions. Note: Our student CBT therapists can only work with clients over 18s.

Trauma-Focused Counselling

The 3-phased trauma model of safety and stabilization (working on coping strategies), processing the trauma memory (telling the story in a safe way), and consolidation and integration (bringing it all together to live a healthier, happier life) supports 10-18 year olds to work through traumatic experiences in a safe, collaborative space.

Trauma-Focused Counselling

Types of ACE’s which could relate to trauma work may include witnessing or experiencing abuse and/or neglect, being involved in an accident, familial incarceration, or substance/alcohol abuse.

Empowering Young Minds

Holistic Approach

Our programs integrate various therapeutic methods to address the unique needs of young individuals, ensuring comprehensive mental health support.

Youth-Centric Programs

We prioritise the voices and choices of young people, tailoring our services to align with their personal goals and aspirations.

Collaborative Care

Working alongside families and other professionals, we create a supportive network that fosters resilience and recovery.

Impact of Our Work

Our programs have shown significant positive outcomes for the young people we support. By focusing on emotional health and wellbeing, we have helped them achieve remarkable improvements in various aspects of their lives.

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Improved Emotional Health

Increased
Self-Esteem

Better Relationships

Higher School Attendance

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore common inquiries about our services and how we support young people’s mental health.
What age group does ACE support?
We work with children and young people aged 10 to 25, focusing on those affected by adverse childhood experiences.
How can I refer someone to ACE?
Referrals can be made by professionals, parents, carers, or the young people themselves through our referral forms available online.
What types of therapy does ACE offer?
We provide person-centred counselling, trauma therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tailored to individual needs.
Does ACE involve families in the process?
Yes, we work collaboratively with families to ensure a supportive environment for the young person’s recovery.
Are ACE's services free of charge?
Our services are funded by charitable donations, allowing us to offer support at no cost to the families we serve.
How does ACE measure success?
Success is measured through the achievement of personal goals set by the young people, reflecting their growth and resilience.

Empower Young Lives with Your Referral

Join us in making a significant impact on the mental health of young people. By referring individuals to ACE, you can help them access essential support and resources tailored to their needs. Click below to access our referral forms and start the journey towards positive change.

 

Refer a Young Person Today

Information Sheet

Under 18's Referral FormOver 18's Referral Form