YWCA Canberra

Community Services

Circles of Support

Circles of Support is a counselling service providing individual therapeutic support for families with children and young people aged five to 15 years. This service offers long-term support to parents, children and young people and aims to strengthen family relationships and improve wellbeing.

The service is:


Circles of Support provides support to parents, children and young people who are experiencing social and emotional difficulties that are affecting their wellbeing and relationships with others around them. In all our work, even when working with parents, we will be considering the impact on the young people in the family.


Circles of Support recognises the importance of family and attachment relationships in shaping the lives of children and young people. We understand that what is happening for one family member can affect others. Circles of Support can provide individual therapeutic support to some or all family members, as appropriate, or can help families connect with other support services if counselling is not the most appropriate service.

Circles of Support helps individuals and families draw on their individual and collective strengths to work towards positive changes. The service acknowledges that past experiences affect the present and staff are trained in and experienced with working with people within the context of their family that who have experienced trauma.

Some of the issues that Circles of Support can help address include:

  • Trauma, including those associated with family violence or abuse
  • challenges around parenting (including step parenting/new partnerships)
  • family communication challenges
  • social and emotional challenges leading to difficulties at home or school
  • feelings of anxiety or depression.

However, you might need help through a different program for:

  • group or family work with the whole family together, including time-limited skills training
  • couples counselling
  • serious mental health conditions
  • diagnosing learning difficulties or other neurological difficulties
  • social, communication and behavioural learning for children diagnosed with or suspected of having autism spectrum disorder
  • mediating family conflict and family situations where child safety is an ongoing concern
  • managing ongoing family violence or abuse where safety continues to be at risk
  • school academic challenges or difficulties.

Where your needs would be better met by another service, we can provide information and suggestions on an alternative specialist service designed to meet those needs and may offer a short session to explore options.

Circles of Support is delivered through counselling rooms in Tuggeranong, Civic and locations across Canberra and can see a child/young person at their school.

COVID-19 update: due to lack of access to many outreach locations and school restrictions we are currently only able to offer face-to-face sessions in Lanyon and Civic. We can offer video conferencing or telephone sessions with parents and young people where these locations are not convenient. We are unable to offer remote sessions to children due to our play therapy approach not being effective online. We will update our website with any changes to this situation.

Circles of Support is a free service funded through the ACT Government, Community Services Directorate, Child, Youth and Family Services Program.

Find out more in our Circles of Support Information Pack.

Contact our team

To refer parents/carers, children or young people, please contact Circles of Support on:

Useful resources

Separated or separating families looking for support services can visit the Family Law Pathways Network for more information on other services available in the ACT and region.

To provide feedback on our services, please fill out our feedback form.