Therapy
Therapy that fits your child, and helps them move forward.
Children and teenagers come to us for all sorts of reasons, including:
• anxiety, low mood, or difficulty managing emotions
• trauma, grief, or family change and separation
• obsessive-compulsive difficulties, or eating concerns
• friendships, relationships, and school stress
• the strain of navigating environments that don't meet their needs
We use approaches with strong evidence behind them, adapted to each young person's age, interests and way of communicating. From the first session we're working towards goals that matter to you and your child, whether that's easing anxiety, getting through the school day, repairing a friendship, or simply feeling more themselves again.
When a young person is better understood and better supported, the benefits are often felt by the whole family: calmer days, less conflict, and more of the connection that can get lost when things are hard.
Getting started with therapy
Starting therapy can feel like a big step. Here's how it usually works, so you know what to expect.
01/
Complete our enquiry form
The best place to start is our enquiry form. Tell us a little about your young person and what's bringing you to us, and we'll take it from there.
02/
Finding the right fit
When a place opens up, we think about who's the right fit for your child, and match based on their needs, the support they're looking for, and when everyone's available. Because we keep our books open rather than turn families away, this can mean a wait, but it also means we don't rush the match or squeeze you into a time that doesn't work. We'll be in touch as soon as the right spot opens up.
03/
Appointment offer
We offer each family a set spot in their psychologist's diary, at the same day and time, which makes appointments easier to plan around. Therapy usually begins fortnightly, and we can adjust the frequency and pattern to suit your child and how things are going. If that time doesn't suit your schedule, you stay at the top of the list for the next one.
04/
First appointment
Depending on your child's age, the first appointment looks a little different. For primary-school-aged children, we often meet with parents first, without your child. For high-school-aged young people, we usually meet together. Either way, this is where we learn what's happening and start working out a plan.
05/
Regular sessions
How often and how many sessions depends on what your child is working towards, and you'll shape this together with your psychologist. Sessions are a mix of building trust, working on goals, and adjusting as things change, with check-ins along the way about how it's going.
06/
Finishing up
This might come after a few sessions, or after a longer period working together. We'll make sure you have what you need, and talk through what to do if you'd like support again in the future.
How we work
Our psychologists are trained across a broad range of evidence-based approaches, and keep learning so they can offer young people and families the most effective support available. Our work is neurodivergent-affirming and trauma-informed. Just as importantly, we work as a team, sharing knowledge, training and experience, so the support your child receives is backed by the whole practice, not just one person.
When a young person begins with us, we match them with the psychologist best placed to help, taking account of their age, needs, communication style and goals. Together, our team holds the training and experience to support a wide range of needs, and we draw on all of it for each young person we work with.
Approaches used across the team include:
Individual therapies
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy-informed work with adolescents
• Play Therapy
Working with parents and families
• Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
• Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS)
• Circle of Security
• Child Inclusive Mediation and Counselling
Eating disorder treatment
• Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders (FBT)
• Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E)
Sessions for children
Therapy with children needs to take into account your child's age and development. Kids often can't sit in a chair for fifty minutes and talk about what they're thinking and feeling. Their growing brains and bodies just aren't wired for it.
Therapy with children works best as a partnership. Alongside the work we do in sessions, you might help us by sharing how things have been going at home, keeping in mind what we've been working on, and gently encouraging your child to try things out between visits. With your consent, we may also work alongside teachers and others in your child's life, so the support is consistent across the places they spend their time.
The first couple of sessions might go slowly while your child gets to know us. There may be lots of playing, drawing, games or building. For young children, that's often how they tell us what words can't, and how they work through what's on their mind.
Sessions for teenagers
The teenage years bring enormous change. Teenagers are working out who they are, finding their way through friendships and school, and coping with big changes in their bodies and brains. Many also start to pull away from family, which can strain even the closest relationships.
Sessions give your teenager space that feels like their own: somewhere they can be honest, work things out, and be taken seriously, without worrying about getting it wrong. That sense of ownership is often what helps them engage and make progress. You may not sit in on many sessions, but you won't be shut out. We'll agree from the start how sessions will run, balancing your involvement with your teenager's privacy.
Like all psychologists, we also work within some limits to privacy. If we were ever worried about your teenager's safety, or someone else's, their safety comes first, and we would act on it in line with our professional and ethical obligations, involving you wherever it's appropriate to do so.
We give your teenager room to lead, and we stay alongside them, whatever they're working through. Your relationship with them is one of their most important supports, and we work in ways that respect and protect it.