Any child can attend the service. However, once a referral has been received, it is screened to see if the needs of the child are best met within the services provided. Inside Out is an ethically minded service and does not work with clients in cases where the presenting issues fall outside of the professional expertise or competency of the team.

The most common referrals currently are young people with ASD, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, depression, trauma, bereavement, low confidence, and self-esteem difficulties. The service also work with children who do not present with any difficulties currently, but whose parents would like them to have a positive experience in learning how to be emotionally resilient in preparation for life’s challenges as they grow.

Referrals are accepted from GPs, HSE, TUSLA, schools, occupational therapists, speech & language therapists, and other professionals. Referrals are also accepted from parents directly. Irrespective of who contacts the service in making a referral, a signature from the parent or guardian of the child is required before the referral and be fully processed.

The initial parent-only consultation is 60 minutes, and each therapy session after that is 45 minutes long.

There is no fixed number of sessions in therapy. Some children attend for very specific issues and can benefit greatly from 6-8 sessions. Other children prefer to continue therapy or intervention for longer periods or take breaks and return when they feel the need for additional support.

The process begins where an individual contacts the service through the website. Individuals can make an enquiry or submit a referral form through the portal. Once the enquiry or referral form has been submitted, it is screened by a member of the team. A member of Inside Out will then contact the person through email to organise the initial meeting, which is a parent only consultation. After the parent consultation, a weekly appointment may be offered to the child attending therapy.

With children under the age of 12, the therapy targets, session themes, along with suggested session follow-ups are emailed to the parents after the child’s session. This helps parents to understand the type of work their child is engaging in and explains the best ways to support their therapy goals by implementing practical strategies in the home. For children between 12-18, their privacy is often more important to them. Adolescents work in collaboration with therapists to share important information relating to their therapeutic intervention, but this age category are given more autonomy around information-sharing due to their stage of development. Where there are any concerns of risk or potential harm, the therapist shares that information with the parent irrespective of the young person’s age. All professionals working in the service are trained in Children’s First and Mandated Reporting. Inside Out Therapy have a comprehensive set of policies and procedures to ensure the safeguarding and protection of children.

Inside Out Therapy operate a strict cancellation policy. Clients are offered weekly appointments and these times are protected for them. A session can be cancelled free of charge up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time. If a session is cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, the full session rate is charged. Only in exceptional cases will this fee be waived. Inside Out Therapy operate long waiting lists, and this is to ensure that the service can offer appointments to children in need of support at every opportunity.