I began working with this young person at the start of 2026. By the time we met, he had already slipped out of education and away from most of the systems around him. He lives with ADHD, a neurological condition, and partial hearing loss, alongside a level of anxiety that shapes how he moves through the world. His relationships at home was strained, and his trust in professionals was low. Much of his life was happening outside, within peer groups where risk and exploitation were part of the landscape.
We didn’t begin in a clinic or an office. We began by walking.
Each week, we meet in the community, often getting food and moving side by side rather than sitting opposite one another. There is something in the rhythm of walking, the shared direction and lack of pressure, that seemed to open space for him. What had been resistance elsewhere seemed to become willingness here. Over time, our meetings have become something he relies on; he now says he looks forward to them. In a network of shifting professionals, this consistency has come to matter.
As the work has developed, the pace has begun to change. Where we once kept moving, we have started to pause, sitting in outdoor spaces, noticing what is around us, allowing moments of stillness. He shared that this is something he rarely experiences, describing a life that feels constantly in motion. These small shifts have supported him to slow down enough to reflect, to notice what is happening internally as well as around him, and to begin putting words to experiences that might otherwise pass unprocessed.
Within this space, he has started to bring more of himself. He speaks about his friendships, the situations he finds himself in, and the risks he navigates. There is no demand placed on him to change; instead, we stay with his experiences, exploring them together in a way that feels safe and non-judgemental. At times, this has meant he is able to reach out when he feels unsafe, or return to process events that might otherwise remain unspoken.
There have been subtle but meaningful shifts beyond our sessions. His relationship with his mother has begun to soften, with small changes in communication and understanding. He is starting to recognise patterns in his choices, what draws him towards certain situations, and what those choices hold for him.
He continues to move within environments where risk, violence, and exploitation are present - that has not disappeared. But within that reality, the relationship we have built offers something protective; a place where he is not alone with what he is carrying, where he can think, feel, and be met as he is. Week after week, in the quiet process of walking alongside, consistency has created trust, and within that trust, the possibility for something to shift.