Psychological therapy as part of your child's EOTAS and EHCP support package
Specialist child and adolescent psychotherapy for families exploring or receiving Education Otherwise Than at School.
Psychotherapy within EOTAS or an EHCP
I am an ACP-registered Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with doctoral clinical training from the Tavistock and Portman. I am qualified to provide specialist psychological therapy for children and young people, including those whose emotional, developmental or physical health needs have made school attendance difficult.
I welcome enquiries from families who would like psychotherapy with me to be considered as part of an Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) package or support specified in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Any publicly funded arrangement is subject to clinical suitability, availability, the agreed provision and separate written confirmation of funding.
Specialist support when school and everyday life have become difficult
My practice focuses on the relationship between emotional wellbeing, neurodivergence, physical health and education. I work with school anxiety and emotionally based school avoidance or non-attendance (EBSA/EBSNA), autistic masking and burnout, social withdrawal, chronic illness, fatigue and persistent physical symptoms. I also work with young people who have found previous therapy difficult to engage with.
The starting point is understanding your child’s experience: what has become overwhelming, how their difficulties affect everyday life, and what kind of therapeutic relationship they may be able to use.
Depending on their needs, support may include individual psychotherapy, parent meetings and agreed liaison with education or healthcare professionals. Appointments are available in Highgate, North London, and online where clinically appropriate. Parent consultations take place online.
How to request psychotherapy with me
1. Enquire before booking
Please explain whether your child has an EHCP, whether EOTAS is agreed or being explored, and whether psychotherapy is already specified or recommended. If a local authority or another organisation is expected to pay, contact me before booking a paid appointment so we can clarify the proposed route and responsibility for fees.
2. Consider the clinical starting point
Depending on what is already known, the next step may be a parent consultation or psychotherapy assessment. Assessment considers your child’s needs and their willingness and ability to engage. It does not guarantee ongoing treatment, EOTAS approval or funding.
3. Agree the proposal and any reports
Where treatment is recommended, the proposed support, frequency, review arrangements and costs need to be clear. Please mention any requested report, funding-panel deadline or professional meeting at the outset. The scope and cost of additional work must be agreed before it begins.
4. Confirm funding in writing
Before publicly funded work begins, written agreement is needed about the approved provision, provider, funding period, fees and payment arrangements, including any assessment or reporting costs. A commissioner, authorised direct payment or third party may be involved; acceptance of any arrangement must be agreed with my practice separately.
Self-funded therapy for families exploring EOTAS
I welcome enquiries from families seeking self-funded psychological therapy while exploring EOTAS, awaiting decisions about their child’s education, or arranging additional private support alongside an existing package. You do not need an agreed EOTAS package or an EHCP to enquire about private psychotherapy.
An initial parent consultation provides space to discuss your child’s circumstances, the support already in place and whether a psychotherapy assessment would be an appropriate next step.
Self-funded appointments remain a private financial commitment unless another payer has expressly agreed to cover them. Please do not assume that a local authority will reimburse fees retrospectively.
Questions families often ask
Psychotherapy may form part of a package where it is appropriate to the young person’s assessed needs and the provision and funding have been agreed. Having EOTAS does not automatically mean a particular therapy or private practitioner will be funded. The relevant authority or commissioner needs to consider the proposed support.
You can ask your local authority to consider psychotherapy with me. It will need to consider the assessed needs, proposed provision and commissioning arrangements. A request is not the same as funding approval.
No. Families can enquire while exploring their options. Clinical suitability and any proposed public funding are considered separately. You can also enquire about self-funded psychotherapy without an agreed EOTAS package or EHCP.
Relevant clinical information may contribute to the process. Please discuss any report or additional professional liaison before booking so its scope and cost can be agreed. A psychotherapy assessment is not an educational psychology assessment or a complete EHC needs assessment, and I cannot promise a particular funding decision.
Online work may be possible where clinically appropriate. We consider the young person’s needs, privacy, ability to use the setting and practical circumstances before agreeing how to work. Parent consultations take place online.
Please include your child’s age, a brief description of the difficulties, your local authority, the current EHCP/EOTAS position and whether a funder is already involved. We can then agree how any relevant documents should be shared securely.
Make an enquiry
For EOTAS or EHCP-funded psychotherapy, please enquire before booking. If you are paying privately, you can book a parent consultation to consider the next step.
The funding information on this page relates to England and provides general guidance only. It is not individual legal advice. Psychotherapy recommendations and funding arrangements are considered separately.
Read GOV.UK guidance on EHC plans and personal budgets. For individual advice about funding decisions, contact your local SENDIASS service or IPSEA.