If you’re experiencing significant and repeated distress, emptiness, numbness and irritability or find that you’re unable to do the things that you want or need to do, then you might like to consider seeking some mental health support.

I only have to tell parents/carers if there is any concern about safety. Whether that is a safety concern to yourself, from others or to others, in the past, present or future. 

I do give parents/carers a brief overview of the topics that I have brought to session e.g. “We talked about why people feel anxious”, this is so that they have some idea about what we’re doing in sessions, without knowing the details. 

In my experience, the most amount of change happens for young people when they and I have more open conversations with parents/carers. I also know how difficult this can feel for young people and will never make you do something that you don’t want, unless I am concerned about safety.

In your first session we will get to know each other. It is always your choice what you talk about and what you don’t talk about. You can always let me know that you don’t want to talk about something. I’ll ask you about:

• Your interests/hobbies

• Your culture and religion

• Your sexual orientation and gender 

• School life

• Friends

• Home life

• The main difficulty you’re experiencing

• Your goals for therapy

• Safety 

Following sessions will usually follow this sort of structure:

• Check in

• Questionnaires and goals

• Home practice review

• Main topic or practice

• Home practice planning

• Summary and feedback

• Plan for next appointment

You can always tell me about what you would like to talk about or focus on. We will continually review how you are finding therapy and progressing and whether you would like to continue, pause or stop.

Session charges are hourly, but if you need shorter or longer sessions we can discuss this.

Everyone and their situation is different, there is no strict time frame. The evidence base is mixed and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations of the number of sessions varies based on presentation and severity. We can use the NICE guidelines to estimate a number of sessions for you if you prefer. My average number of sessions within an NHS setting is about 12 sessions because this is the standard offer from my team, but often work can be 20 sessions or more. I tend to suggest:

• 3 sessions to see how you feel about our connection, 

• 6 sessions to see how your progressing towards your goals 

• a minimum of 12 sessions to allow for meaningful progress to begin

• We will review your progress every session and review whether you would like to continue, pause or stop every 6 sessions as a minimum. 

You can pause or stop sessions at any time.

If you would like them to, they can be. But we will think together about how this works. For children under 12, I recommend either working with parents/carers, or parents/carers join some or all of our session. This is because parents tend to be better able to remember the strategies in the long run and they can help you put strategies into practice.

I encourage parents and carers to introduce CBT to their child in a warm, reassuring, and age-appropriate way. You might begin by explaining that CBT is simply a way of understanding how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected. For example, you could say, “Sometimes the way we think about things can make us feel worried or upset, and CBT helps us notice those thoughts and find kinder, more helpful ones.”

It’s important to emphasise that there is nothing “wrong” with them, CBT is not about fixing a broken child, but about building skills. You can frame this as learning how to be a good friend to yourself, especially when things feel difficult. You might introduce the idea that everyone has a “tricky brain” at times, and CBT helps us manage it.

Encourage curiosity rather than pressure. Invite your child to share their thoughts and feelings, and model self-compassion in your own language. Most importantly, reassure them that they are not alone, and that you and the therapist are there to support them every step of the way.

I prioritize the privacy and confidentiality of the client- your child. It can be hard to not be in the loop of what your child is going through, so I ask that you trust in the therapeutic process and put the needs of your child’s privacy and autonomy first.  Rest assured, I am a mandated reporter and will share more detailed information with you if there is a safety concern. 

I want to facilitate open conversations with your child about their experiences in therapy.  I will encourage this in therapy with your child, and also encourage these conversations to happen with you and your family outside of therapy.

If your child would like me to keep you updated, I will do. I’m also happy to share brief details of what we cover in sessions, for example “Today we talked about what anxiety is, why we experience anxiety and what keeps it going.”

I offer a free 30 minute initial consultation to see if we feel like a good fit for each other. I then charge £60 per session, a session is either a session with your child, a session with you and includes any parent feedback sessions. I recommend a parent session at the start of sessions, approximately every 6th session. Feedback regarding any safety concerns will not incur a charge.