Frequently asked questions
Some of the most common questions asked about our services – take a look before getting in touch to see if your query is already answered.
On this page
At Changing Faces we provide support for children and young people at any stage in their journey, along with support & information sessions for parents and carers who are supporting a child with a visible difference.
Appointments are carried out over the phone or via video call, which means anyone from across the UK can access the service.
Social and emotional support for children and young people
Our online support sessions are for children and young people aged 5-14 years old.
Your practitioner will aim to build a trusting and compassionate relationship with you as a young person with a visible difference. We offer up to 12 sessions and you can attend by yourself or with a family member.
Depending on the age of the child, we may recommend that a parent or carer is present to support with accessing the online video sessions.
REquest online support sessions
Counselling and support for young people
Our counselling and support sessions are for children and young people with a visible difference aged 12 years +
We offer up to 12 online video sessions to give you an in-depth chance to reflect on the emotions, difficulties and challenges you might have around your visible difference.
Counselling and support sessions with your practitioner can enable you to:
- Gain a different perspective and gain greater insight into your situation.
- Explore your life challenges in relation to the impact of your visible difference and generate your own meanings and understandings of it.
- Consider ways you can engage with life more fully, with greater ease and with less struggle, and meet your goals and aims to live the life you want.
How does it work?
Sessions give the opportunity to:
- Talk though worries and concerns and explore options.
- Gain greater understanding of the situation and see things from a different perspective.
- Cope better with difficult feelings.
- Build self-esteem and confidence and feel more positive.
- Cope with other people’s reactions and learn techniques to handle everyday situations like staring, questions and comments.
- Work through specific challenges, such as attending school, joining in with activities, or developing friendships.
There are three steps to beginning support sessions:
- You’ll start by having a call with our Support and Information Line to explore the best options of support for you at this time.
- If counselling and support sessions feel like the right option, we will arrange an assessment to explore your needs with a practitioner. We will ask about your visible difference and the impact of this on your mental health and wellbeing, as well as explore any other issues you may have. The wait for an assessment is typically between one to three months.
- Once agreed, your sessions will take place at the same time each week (or fortnightly). You might have up to 12 sessions depending on what it right for you – this will be agreed between you and your practitioner before you start.
All sessions are confidential.
Request counselling sessions
Counselling and support for parents and carers
If you are the parent or carer of a child with a visible difference, you may feel that you would benefit from a space to talk through any worries and concerns you have, or to learn techniques to handle everyday situations like staring, questions and comments.
Our online support for parents and carers can be individual or joint sessions – so that you can attend by yourself or with a partner / co-parent. We offer up to 12 sessions over the phone or via video call.
Request counselling sessions
Workshops for parents and carers
Our free Supporting Your Child workshops are a great opportunity for parents and carers of a child with a scar, mark or condition that affects their appearance –a visible difference. Our workshops provide valuable tips and techniques to help with a range of issues including social anxiety, self-confidence, teasing and bullying.
Our workshops take place three times per year (once a term) and are aimed at adult family members of a child or young person with a visible difference aged 0-17 years.
Note – our workshops and support sessions are only available for UK residents.
Next workshop – Supporting your child
Our Supporting Your Child online workshop will take places on Tuesday 17th June and is full of advice and top practical tips to support parents and carers of children and young people, who have a scar, mark or condition on their face or body that makes them look different.
Read on for more details about the workshop and to find out how to register.
Key details
- Date: Tuesday 17th June 2025
- Time: 7.15pm – 9:00pm
- Location: Zoom
- Who is it aimed at? Parents and carers
About the day
The workshop will include:
- How to handle staring and awkward social situations
- Building confidence for you and your child
- The opportunity to listen to guest speakers talking about their own experiences of living with a visible difference
To make sure everyone feels comfortable, we will be capping attendance at around 22 parents or carers. Partners and co-parents are also welcome to attend together.
Once a participant has registered for the workshop, a member of our Wellbeing Team will get in touch to arrange a short, informal pre-workshop call on Zoom to meet you.
Register for workshop
Request support
Please fill in the form below or call us on 0300 012 0275. If you are under 16, we will need to speak to a parent or guardian first – please ask them to call us or complete the form below for you.
If you are a health or social care professional interested in referring a patient, please use our dedicated patient referral form.