Lumos Counselling is a specialized child & adolescent mental health service. We take a neuroscientific, trauma-informed, evidence-based, and ethical approach to advocating for & addressing the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and families.
The therapist is just the wand, the magic is within YOU
Let us help you find your magic
Who We Are
“We vouch for Areej's ethical conduct, experience, and expertise.”
Saaya Health
Embark on your healing journey today
Play Therapy uses children’s natural form of communication, i.e., play, to help them work through life’s challenges and build their strengths. The Play Therapist uses objects (such as toys, art material, stories, and puppets) to create a psychological distance, a distance from the difficult events and feelings making them easier to confront, so that children can explore their inner worlds in a safe way in the presence of a caring, secure, and qualified adult.
‘Toys are children’s words, and play is their language’ – Gary Landreth
Some teens prefer to use creative methods to express themselves while others prefer to talk about their difficulties. For them, we provide talk therapy informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Client-Centered Therapy. The therapist may offer Sandplay or use other playful therapeutic techniques in conjunction with talk therapy.
Jungian Sandplay Therapy is a non-directive, non-verbal therapeutic technique that believes every individual’s psyche has an inherent capacity for healing under the correct conditions. Sandplay Therapy provides clients a ‘free and protected space’ in the presence of a safe and non-judgmental therapist to work through inner and unconscious conflicts. Clients are provided and encouraged to use miniature objects, water, and sand to create a symbolic picture of whatever they choose in the sandtray. Sandplay provides clients an opportunity to express their difficulties in symbolic ways and makes unconscious material visible so that integration and healing can take place. The client may or may not choose to talk about what they have produced. The therapist does not analyse or interpret the sandtrays to the client. Sandplay can be helpful when words fail to accurately describe what a client may be experiencing. Sandplay therapy helps aid both children and adults express their feelings and difficulties and can be especially beneficial in working through past traumas.
Parent coaching benefits new or experienced parents who are having a difficult time communicating and/or connecting with their child(ren). Lumos Counselling uses a neuroscience based, conscious parenting approach to help caregivers break unhealthy cycles of being and build better relationships with their children.
Parent Coaching helps parents:
- Become confident in their parenting
- Set and enforce healthy boundaries with their children
- Communicate effectively with their kids
- Identify patterns that have them feeling stuck
- Reflect on their past and identify triggers
- Identify their children’s unmet needs and how to meet them effectively
- Identify and build their family’s strengths
We offer a wide variety of trainings and workshops to empower / mobilize and empower the systems around children and young people. We tailor our trainings to meet the specific goals of organizations and offer in-person and virtual workshops. We ensure trainings are experiential and interactive to achieve maximum learning. Topics covered in the past include:
- Child Mental Health: Myth or Fact?
- Understanding and Addressing Childhood Anxiety
- Respectful Parenting & Fostering Healthy Minds
- Well-Being in The Time of a Pandemic
- Child Protection & Safeguarding within the School Context
Schools and Organizations who have benefitted from our trainings in the past:
- Bay View High School
- Engro Fertilizers Limited
- Saaya Health
- HBL
- Scada Industries
- Sygenta
- Orange Tree Foundation
To request a workshop, please get in touch on [email protected]
Our founder has 4 years of experience working in a school setting in Pakistan where she founded and led a one of its kind mental health & well-being department. Therefore, she has unique knowledge of and hands-on experience in implementing mental health related interventions in schools.
Services offered include:
- Case consultations for specific cases that require additional expertise
- Consulting services to institutes wishing to develop their in-house capacity for addressing their organization’s mental health needs
- Consulting services to schools wishing to develop a holistic mental health framework with in-house policies and protocols
- Consulting services to institutions wishing to develop a holistic Child Protection and Student Safeguarding Framework
- Tailored workshops and trainings for students, parents, and/or teachers
- Consulting services to develop a school’s Social Emotional Learning (Well-Being) Curriculum
To request our services, please get in touch on [email protected]
Our Philosophy
The word ‘Lumos’ means light. Lumos Counselling believes that all individuals, families, and communities have the capacity for healing. The therapist is the guiding light on their path to insight, self-discovery, and ultimately well-being. Here at Lumos, we believe that the therapist is just the wand, but the magic is within YOU.
Our Vision
To see all children and young people grow in a safe and secure environment, including their homes, schools and communities with access to ethical therapeutic care and mental well-being at the core.
Our Mission
To create a society where everyone can discuss mental health and seek care without fearing stigma. We aim to ethically connect children & families with high quality care for their mental health needs and educate all stakeholders in children’s lives (parents, teachers and professionals) to meet their emotional needs for a healthy and happy society.
Our Values
Our founder has a unique blend of education and experience in child mental health
Meet The Founder
Hi and Welcome to Lumos Counselling!
My name is Areej Jaffrani and I am one of the few Child & Adolescent Psychologists in Pakistan, and have a unique blend of experience and education. I am passionate about ensuring mental health & well-being is at the heart of Pakistani society. I specialize in working with children, young people, parents, and families; helping them find the light within them. I strive to help my clients explore, discover, and embrace insight, resilience, and strengths they already possess to overcome life’s challenges, while healing and growing. I bring my individuality to my therapeutic work, and often use humor, silliness, fun and the power of ‘presence’ in the therapy room, allowing clients to feel safe and welcome to embrace their own true selves. I firmly believe that no one approach suits all clients and continuously work toward evolving techniques and tools to meet clients ‘where they are at’.
My qualifications include a BA in Psychology from McGill University Canada, and an MSc in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice from University College London (UCL) and Anna Freud National Centre, UK. I have also trained in Play Therapy from the Canadian Association of Play Therapy and Sandplay Therapy from the Association of Sandplay Therapy, USA. I have 6 years of overall experience working with children and families, and 4 years of experience working in a school setting where I co-founded and led the mental health department.
Contact Us.
Take the first step towards your healing journey and book an appointment today.
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel/WhatsApp: +92-317-524-4499
Email: [email protected]
About Our Services
Who is play therapy for?
Play Therapy can benefit children of all ages. Different types of play therapy techniques are used with children of different ages depending on their interests and developmental age.
My child is experiencing anxiety, can you help?
YES, we can! Play therapy, Sandplay Therapy, and Talk Therapy not only address anxiety but also other social, emotional difficulties including:
- Low mood & depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Attachment Difficulties
- Low Self-Esteem
- Trauma
- Grief & Loss
- Familial Conflicts
- Adjustment Difficulties such as Relocation, School Change, Family Changes (separation or divorce, new baby)
- Self-Harm and/or Suicidal Ideation
How long does therapy take?
The number of sessions depends on the type and severity of the client’s difficulties. Some children benefit from short – term therapy lasting between 12 – 18 sessions, while others may require longer term therapy. Sessions are usually conducted once a week lasting 50 minutes each.
What is the role of the parents and family in therapy?
It is expected that parents will be part of the therapy process and may need to learn strategies or make changes at home to support the child. Some parents may be asked to join therapy sessions and sometimes family sessions help too!
What to expect in the first session?
The first session is usually conducted with both parents, where possible, without the child to gather information that will inform the treatment plan. This includes information on current difficulties, family history, developmental history, school history, and past medical or mental health history. The therapist will also walk you through the next steps and the therapy process.
How do I talk to my child about therapy?
Preparing children for therapy can seem daunting but is an important step in ensuring the therapeutic process begins on the right foot. Parents should talk to their children about what therapy is, what a psychologist or therapist is, what their rights to confidentiality are, and what they can expect in the first session. Parents should never lie to their children before bringing them to therapy or tell them they need to be ‘fixed’. A full guide on how to prepare your child for therapy is provided after the first parent consultation and when parents have decided to enroll their child in therapy with us.
What support do you offer to organizations and/or schools?
We offer tailored workshops to meet the specific goals of your organization. As more and more corporates begin to introduce well-being programs in the workplace, we offer parenting workshops and consultations to augment these programs.
For schools, customised teacher, parent, or student trainings/workshops can be provided based on identified specific needs. We also have expertise in developing school mental health and well-being programs and are available to equip you with making your schools mentally healthy!
About Our Policies
How will my data be kept private and confidential?
Client’s information is kept strictly confidential, and all information disclosed to the therapist stays between them and the parents/family. No information is released to third parties without the prior consent of the parents, for example, in the case where therapist must coordinate with a psychiatrist or school. Even then, only necessary and need to know information is released that will help support the child.
What are the child’s rights and parent’s rights in therapy?
Children are afforded confidentiality rights as well. While the parents have a right to be informed of the goals of therapy, the themes that arise, and their child’s progress, they may not be informed of the exact content of the therapy sessions. The older the child, the greater control they have over what information the parent receives. However, there are certain limits to confidentiality. Confidentiality is broken & parents informed when the therapist believes:
- the child may be at risk of harm from themselves or from someone else
- another minor (under the age of 18) may be at risk of harm from themselves or from someone else
- elderly abuse is on-going
- there is a risk of damage to someone’s property
What is your supervision policy?
Therapists are expected to seek at least one hour of supervision for every 8-10 hours of direct client work.