The Charter of Children’s Rights in Therapy

Believe in me

“Hold me!” “Reassure me!” “Believe in me!”

“Give me hope!”

“Don’t judge me!”

Don’t ask me anything

“Don’t ask me questions (directly)!”

“Don’t ask me anything, don’t tell me what to do!”

“Be warm!”

Respect me

“Respect me, the whole of who I am, including the hidden and dark side – my intense emotions, my harsh behaviour – the jumbled mix and the lies I’ve learnt!”

“Respect my pace!”

“Wait until I open up within myself and towards you, towards the other materials and objects in the workshop!”

Listen with your whole being

“Wait until I open up within myself and towards you, to the other materials and objects in the workshop!”

“Listen with your whole being, including your body!”

“Feel the emotion I’m placing within you!”

“Look closely at my coded messages, in images, in the game and in my writing!”

Help me understand

“Don’t break down my defences too quickly!”

“Help me understand the damage caused by lies lived in secrecy and silence!”

“Don’t get too angry at the false and furious side of my exterior, but clearly restate the guidelines and boundaries!”

Be there for me

“Take care of the little self within me, of my fragile being!”

“Be there for me, simply be there, responding to my expressed needs or my indirect requests!”

“Help me to find the lost parts of my being!”

Take care of my wounds

“Take care of my wounds, my cuts, my fears and my terrors, my confusion and my rigidities,

through talking, playing, dialogue, drawings and words

by creating nurturing situations, a relationship of trust and a mysterious ‘journey’ for the two of us!”