Child Psychotherapists

Who we are

Child and adolescent psychotherapists (also known as Child Psychotherapists) are based within CAMHS teams and work alongside multi-disciplinary colleagues with children and young people who are referred with serious emotional and behavioural or mental health difficulties. Child and adolescent psychotherapists (also known as Child Psychotherapists) are based within CAMHS teams and work alongside multi-disciplinary colleagues with children and young people who are referred with serious emotional and behavioural or mental health difficulties.

Qualified child and adolescent psychotherapists are registered with the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) – the professional body to which they are accountable

What we do

Child and Adolescent psychotherapists specialise in offering individual work to children and young people.  With younger children they work mostly through understanding the child’s play and what this can tell us about the child’s worries.  Older children and young people may be more likely to want to talk about their feelings and concerns and the therapist will help them to manage these feelings and understand themselves better.

When a child is being seen individually parents will usually have regular contact with another member of the CAMHS team although some older young people would have the option of being seen without their parents being involved if this was thought to be most helpful.  Unless there are worries about safety the content of the sessions is confidential although the child’s therapist will meet regularly with parents to review how the work is going. Children offered this kind of help will usually be seen weekly at a regular time for one to two years and sometimes it may be helpful to offer more intensive sessions (two to three times a week).

We also contribute in other ways to the work of the team and the ACP website can tell you more about this.

How do you get to see us

As child psychotherapists are members of the CAMHS team you may be seen by one of us for either Choice or Partnership appointments when we will work with you in whatever way seems most helpful.

When we are working as specialist child psychotherapists offering individual work to a child or young person, you will usually have been referred by your Partnership clinician, after some work has been done with the family and when it has been agreed that the child seems to need some extra help beyond this.

Where you will be seen

Most appointments take place at the CAMHS clinic in the locality where the young person lives, or in the main base of the specialist service. However meetings may be held elsewhere where this is indicated.