Meet the Moorfields children’s counsellor 

Esi Noonoo is a counsellor for children and young people. She joined Moorfields in 2016.

Esi provides therapeutic services to children and adolescents being treated at Moorfields – and sometimes the whole family – to help them come to terms with their condition.

Much of Esi’s work involves supporting young people with building confidence and making connections following their diagnosis.

Working closely with parents is key, and each child is very much shaped by the way their family communicates and copes with their diagnosis.

Through her work, Esi has learned that sight loss is not always the main focus of children’s anxieties. Instead, the focus tends to be on how they see themselves and how they think they are perceived by those around them.

Esi offers up to 24 sessions for each child, to allow time to build a therapeutic alliance. These sessions can be face-to-face, online video consultations and even over the phone. 

She approaches counselling differently depending on the child’s age.

For younger children, she uses play therapy, stories and creative activities.

This allows young children to express themselves without relying on words, which can be difficult at a very young age. 

During virtual appointments, she ensures that the children have play materials and art supplies. They love to share their creations with her.

Many of the teenagers that access these counselling services experience anxiety around exams. Some also struggle with their identities.

These young people often feel isolated and disconnected from peers. It’s also common for them to feel self-conscious about needing extra help in school.

To support them with these difficult emotions, Esi helps them carve out steps to deal with their anxieties. She focuses on what their hopes are and supports them with building self-esteem and making connections with others. 

Esi also works with schools and other institutions to shift discourses around disability and support. She wants to encourage positive conversations that can lead to more inclusive environments.

Esi has received excellent feedback from patients, their families, colleagues and professionals outside of the trust who also work with the children she sees. 

Awareness of her work is growing: she is now receiving referrals for Moorfields’ patients across the UK

We would like to thank the Masonic Charitable Foundation for generously funding the expansion of this service.