A clear pathway into psychotherapy
Support around the pathway
Parent and family work — how parent appointments, parent-focused guidance and occasional parent-child work support psychotherapy without replacing the child’s private therapeutic space.
Professional liaison — focused communication with schools, SENCOs, GPs, paediatricians and other professionals when clinically useful and agreed.
When another service should lead — clear limits for urgent help, risk support, diagnosis, safeguarding and medical care.
Services FAQs
Families usually begin with either a Parent Consultation or a Psychotherapy Assessment, depending on what is needed. If you are unsure what kind of support your child needs, a Parent Consultation is usually the best first step. If psychotherapy is already being considered, a Psychotherapy Assessment may be more appropriate.
A Parent Consultation is a one-off appointment for parents who want clear clinical guidance before committing their child to assessment or treatment. It may be helpful if you feel unsure what is happening, overwhelmed by decisions, or unsupported by school, healthcare or other professionals. You leave with clinically informed guidance, recommendations and next steps.
Not at all. A parent consultation is dedicated time with a qualified mental health professional to discuss any concerns you may have about your child. This can be a one-off appointment for advisory purposes. There is no obligation for your child to begin treatment. I do not have to meet your child to offer this appointment.
A Psychotherapy Assessment comprises three 50-minute appointments. Parent(s) take part in the first appointment; any parent-only time is included within its 50 minutes. It allows your child to experience psychotherapy while I begin developing a psychotherapeutic, developmental and biopsychosocial understanding of their difficulties and whether ongoing work is likely to help. A 20-minute parent feedback call after assessment, an initial formulation and recommendations are included; a report summary is available on request. Extended reports and longer feedback can be agreed separately and charged according to the time involved. The assessment can contribute to an EHCP or diagnostic process, but it is not a stand-alone autism, ADHD, psychiatric or educational-psychology diagnosis. Court and medico-legal work are outside this service. Assessment does not commit your family to ongoing treatment.
An ongoing weekly programme place is available when assessment is booked. The assessment helps us decide whether psychotherapy with me is the right support for your child; you are not obliged to continue. The recommendation may instead be parent guidance, school or healthcare liaison, onward referral, further assessment, practical changes at home or school, or monitoring without beginning treatment. The assessment also helps us consider whether I am the right fit for your child’s needs.
Yes. A Parent Consultation does not reserve a weekly place. When an assessment is booked, a weekly programme place is available; the assessment may still show that a different kind of support would better meet your child’s needs. This is part of working ethically and carefully as an ACP-registered Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. My responsibility is to work within the scope of my competence, and to think honestly about what kind of support your child needs. Although my training and experience allow me to work with high levels of complexity, some situations require a more multi-disciplinary approach. After meeting you and your child, I may recommend a different first step, such as psychiatric consultation, autism assessment, medical review, school liaison, parent guidance, or another form of specialist support. This does not mean leaving your family without direction. If I do not think psychotherapy with me is the right next step, I will explain my reasoning clearly and help you think about appropriate alternatives. Where helpful, I can signpost or refer to trusted colleagues, including psychiatrists and clinicians within my wider professional network, such as The Soke. Risk does not automatically rule out psychotherapy. Where needs overlap, joint work with medical, school or mental health colleagues may be helpful, depending on the circumstances. We consider suitability and the support needed together. This practice does not provide emergency or crisis care.
The ongoing psychotherapy programme combines a regular weekly appointment with required parent meetings and focused professional liaison. See the Fees page for the full programme inclusions.
Yes, where appropriate. Some appointments can take place online, depending on the child’s age, needs and the type of work.
In-person appointments take place at 62A Highgate High Street, N6 5HX. The location and appointment time are agreed before booking. Parent Consultations take place online.
Intensive psychotherapy involves more than one appointment a week. Whether it is suitable, and whether I can offer it, is considered after assessment, taking account of your child’s needs, the family context and the commitment involved. Any intensive arrangement and its fees would need to be agreed separately; the published ongoing arrangement describes weekly psychotherapy.
I currently accept self-pay clients only.
See the appointment fees table for a simple overview. Full payment arrangements and service inclusions are explained on the Fees page.
For Parent Consultations, please give at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel or request a change of time, and contact me directly about cancellation. Assessment and the ongoing psychotherapy programme have their own arrangements, explained in the Billing, Attendance and Ending Policy.
Yes. Some families receive enough guidance to make changes, use existing support differently or monitor the situation without further work.
A weekly programme place is available when assessment is booked. The assessment helps us decide whether psychotherapy is right for your child, or whether another service or changes around the child would be more helpful.
It sits outside this private pathway. CAMHS, NHS urgent services, emergency services or statutory safeguarding services must lead when risk management is the primary task.
Why this pathway is structured this way
A child should not have to accept open-ended treatment before anyone knows whether the setting is suitable. Parents should also be able to receive specialist thinking without using their child as the price of entry. Separating consultation, assessment and ongoing treatment protects those choices.
The structure reflects five principles:
proportionality: the least intensive useful response can be enough;
shared decision-making: parents and young people participate in choices about care;
readiness: engagement is understood rather than demanded;
review: goals, fit and the value of continuing are considered openly;
clear limits: psychotherapy is distinguished from diagnosis, crisis response and risk management.
1. Parent Consultation
i-THRIVE fit: Getting Advice and Signposting.
2. Psychotherapy Assessment
i-THRIVE fit: shared decision-making and clarification of current need; not a separate needs grouping.
3. Ongoing Psychotherapy Programme
i-THRIVE fit: Getting Help or Getting More Help, according to the duration, resource and coordination required—not according to diagnosis or a severity ladder.
4. A planned Ending
i-THRIVE fit: outcome-informed review, explicit consideration of the limits of intervention and movement towards wider supports or greater independence.
Evidence and framework references
• Wolpert M et al. THRIVE Framework for system change. CAMHS Press, 2019.
• i-THRIVE: Principles of the THRIVE Framework.
• i-THRIVE: Building confidence in letting go and managing difficult endings.
Written and clinically reviewed by Sagal Hassan, ACP-registered Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. Last reviewed 31 August 2026.
Parent Consultation
A 40-minute online appointment for parents, offering specialist guidance without an obligation to continue.