Therapy for children and young people
Specialist support for 3 to 17 year olds, and for the parents and carers who hold it all together.
Our approach
Children and young people don't always have the words to explain what they're experiencing. Distress often shows up in other ways — through behaviour, withdrawal, physical symptoms, changes at school, or difficulties with family and friends.
We begin with curiosity rather than assumption. Every child has a unique story, and every behaviour has meaning. A child is not defined by the difficulties they're facing today — given the right support, and the experience of feeling genuinely understood, children have an extraordinary capacity to grow and change.
A dedicated therapy space for children and young people
Specialist, registered therapists all enhanced DBS checked
We meet with you first, before we meet your child
We respond within 48hrs of your booking
No GP referral or diagnosis needed
After-school and school-holiday appointments
You might be here because…
Change and emotional ups and downs are a natural part of growing up. But sometimes a child or young person's difficulties begin to affect their wellbeing, relationships, confidence or ability to get on with everyday life. You may have noticed them becoming more anxious or withdrawn, struggling with friendships or school, or changing in mood or behaviour. Perhaps something specific has happened — a bereavement, a family separation, another significant event. Or perhaps there's been no obvious trigger at all. Sometimes it's a teacher, GP or SENDCO who first raises it.
You don't need to have all the answers before seeking support.
Many families tell us they wish they'd come sooner. Therapy isn't only valuable in crisis — early support can help a child make sense of difficult experiences and stop smaller difficulties becoming more established.
How we understand children's difficulties
There's rarely a single explanation for a child's difficulties, and no two children experience the world in the same way. Working alongside parents and carers, we take time to understand each child within the context of their own life — their relationships, development, experiences and strengths.
Rather than asking only what is happening, we're equally interested in why this particular child is responding in this particular way, at this point in their life. That understanding guides the therapy and supports meaningful, lasting change.
What to expect
1. A conversation
A 50-minute consultation with you, without your child present, so you can tell us what you're seeing and what's worrying you. One of our team will be in touch within two working days of your booking to arrange it.
2. Meeting your child, in person
A 50-minute first session in our therapy room, with you present at the start. It’s normal for your child to feel unsure and there’s no expectation they engage immediately. You may join their play or activity. After 15–20 minutes, the therapist will ask if your child is comfortable for you to wait outside; if not, staying is fine. We never pressure a child to separate before they’re ready.
3. Regular weekly sessions
Same time each week, in person, 50 minutes, in a room set up for this work. Therapy is ongoing and reviewed regularly.
4. Six-weekly reviews
A meeting to talk about how the work is going and what would help at home — included in the session fee, in person or over Zoom.
Book a parent consultation
A 50 minute consultation without your child, over Zoom for £75
Once you’ve booked your consultation, one of our assessing clinicians will contact you within 48hrs
Our therapists
Working therapeutically with children and young people is a distinct discipline, with its own training and its own registration. It is not adult psychotherapy applied to smaller people. Everyone who works with under-18s here is qualified specifically to do so.
Ben Perry
BA (Hons), PG Dip, MA, PGCert
CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPIST, PLAY THERAPIST
Ben co-founded The Good Mental Health Company in 2019, establishing it as a mental health training organisation and later supporting its development into becoming a low-fee, and then specialist counselling and psychotherapy service.
Elena Adams
BA (Hons), PG Dip, MA, PGCert
CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPIST, PLAY THERAPIST
Elena Adams is a UKCP-registered psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and educator with extensive experience working with adults, children, young people and families. Alongside her clinical practice, she teaches psychotherapy at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, supporting the development of future practitioners and helping students connect theory with lived experience and clinical practice.
All our therapists are registered with a recognised professional body and hold enhanced DBS checks. Safeguarding training is delivered across the organisation, and Ben Perry is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Support for parents and carers
Therapy isn't only about supporting your child. We'll spend time with you too, thinking together about what's happening at home, what you're noticing, and how best to support your child — so that everyone in the family feels a little more understood, and better able to understand one another.
Children grow within relationships, and sometimes, without anyone realising, patterns in family life can leave a young person feeling stuck. Taking time to understand these together can open up new ways of relating, and let change happen naturally over time.
And sometimes the person who most needs somewhere to put it all down is you. Parenting a child who's struggling can be exhausting and, at times, isolating. Because this service is part of The Good Therapy Centre, if you'd value support in your own right, that's something we can offer too.
Fees
We keep the fee structure simple, deliberately. There are no assessment surcharges and no packages to commit to. Therapy continues for as long as it's needed.
Parent consultation, over Zoom, 50 minutes — £75
Sessions, in person, 50 minutes — £120
Six-weekly parent reviews — included in the session fee
Additional reviews, reports or professional consultation — £120 per hour, pro rata
Seven-day cancellation policy — charged if less notice is given
Every child has a story worth understanding
If you're wondering whether therapy is the right next step, we'd be glad to meet you. Our first conversation is a chance to get to know your child, understand what's been happening, answer your questions, and think together about the best way forward for your family.
50 minute consultation without your child, over Zoom for £75
Once you’ve booked your consultation, one of our assessing clinicians will contact you within 48hrs
FAQ’s
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No. You don't need a referral or a diagnosis to come to us — you can book a parent consultation directly, and that's the first step for everyone.
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We work with children and young people aged 3 to 17. Support for anyone 18 or over is offered through our adult therapy service.
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The consultation is a 50-minute conversation with you, over Zoom, without your child present. It's a chance to tell us what you're seeing and what's worrying you, ask anything you'd like to, and think together about whether therapy is the right next step. One of our team will be in touch within two working days of your booking to arrange it.
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A child needs to trust that what they say stays in the room, and you need to know your child is safe — both matter, and we hold them together rather than choosing between them. We don't report back on the content of sessions. We meet with you every six weeks to think about how the work is going, and we agree with you and your child from the start what will and won't be shared. The one exception is if we're concerned about your child's safety, or someone else's, in which case we'd always talk to your child about it first.
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Very few children or young people arrive keen, and reluctance isn't a sign that therapy won't help. We never pressure a child to take part before they're ready — the first session is theirs to get comfortable at their own pace. If they decide it isn't for them, that's a conversation worth having with you too.
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No. We're a therapeutic service, not an assessment or diagnostic one. We can work alongside a diagnosis your child already has, or support them while you're seeking one elsewhere, and if what your child needs is a formal assessment we'll say so and help you think about where to go.
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That depends on the child and what's brought them to therapy — there's no set number of sessions and nothing to commit to up front. Therapy continues for as long as it's useful, and we review how things are going with you every six weeks.
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The initial parent consultation is held over Zoom, but sessions with children and young people are always in person, in a room set up for this work. We find the relationship and the space matter too much to move online.
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The parent consultation is £75. Sessions are £120 and last 50 minutes, and that fee includes the review meetings we hold with you every six weeks. We keep it simple — no assessment surcharges and no packages to sign up to.
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We ask for seven days' notice to change or cancel a session; sessions cancelled with less notice are charged.
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Everyone working with under-18s is trained specifically in therapeutic work with children and young people, registered with a recognised professional body, and holds an enhanced DBS check.