If you or your child are in immediate danger, or your child has hurt themselves or talked about it, get help now. Visit a nearby emergency service, hospital, or mental health clinic. Child helplines and crisis lines:
Crisis numbers in India
- Child Helpline 1098: Tel: 1098. 24 hours.
- Yuva Helpline, for young people: Tel: +91 9880 396 331. 9am to 6pm.
- Tele-MANAS: Tel: 14416 | Tel: 1-800 891 4416. 24 hours.
- Vandrevala Foundation Helpline: Tel: +91 9999 666 555 | WhatsApp: +91 9999 666 555. 24 hours.
- All crisis lines in India
This page lists Child Psychologists in Chennai. 11 in all.
How therapy with children works
Therapy with children follows how children communicate. That is more often through play than through explaining.
Parents bring children about worry, low mood, or behaviour at home or school. Other children come after a family change, or after something frightening.
It is not a school assessment, and it is not a report on parenting.
What a psychologist does, and where assessment fits in
Everyone on this page is listed under the professional title psychologist. Psychologists apply the study of the mind and behaviour to assist people through difficulty. Clinical psychologists work with people of all ages, with families, carers, teams and communities.
Assessment belongs to a psychologist's training, and sits alongside therapy. Clinical, counselling and educational psychology are different training routes. Each route emphasises different work.
Which titles are registered varies by country. Where the title is registered, the register says what it covers. Ask a psychologist which route they trained through, and what they work with most.
What this page filters on
These are the only filters: the specialism recorded as Child and the professional title psychologist.
The Chennai page answers more questions about therapy there.
What therapy costs here
What does therapy cost in Chennai?
Our Chennai fee guide puts a session at ₹500 to ₹2,500. Those are advertised prices.
Do affordable options exist in Chennai?
Government Kilpauk Medical College Department of Psychiatry. Phone +91 44 28364951. Section 18 of the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 makes government-funded mental health treatment free for people living below the poverty line, and for people who are destitute or homeless. Essential psychotropic medicines are free to all patients at government-funded establishments. The psychiatry outpatient clinic sees new and review patients from Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 12:00. The free care under the statute is only for those protected groups.
Lower-fee services in Chennai
- Institute of Mental Health, Chennai in Chennai offers a child guidance clinic for children under 12 and an adolescence clinic for ages 13 to 18.1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my child old enough for therapy?
Practitioners see very young children too, in a different form. Play is a natural way for children to communicate their thoughts, feelings, experiences and trauma. The practitioner picks the method to fit the child, not the other way round. Say your child's age at first contact and ask what a practitioner would do.
Will I be told what my child says?
Not all of it, and the arrangement is set before the work starts. Parents are treated as partners in the work rather than kept outside it2. What is shared and what is held differs with the child's age and with local law. Ask a practitioner to set out their arrangement at the first meeting.
What happens in a first session with a child?
Often a practitioner meets the parents first, or the parents and child together. Play, drawing and games are the way in rather than a break from the work. Ask how parents or carers will be involved in the work. Ask before you book.
Is this an assessment for school?
No. This filter lists practitioners who work with children therapeutically. Educational assessments, reports for schools and reports for courts are separate pieces of work, and not every practitioner does them. If a school has asked for a report, say so at first contact and ask whether a practitioner provides one.
Who registers therapists in India?
Titles you will see include Clinical Psychologist, Rehabilitation Psychologist and Psychologist.
In India registration goes by category: a clinical psychologist is enrolled on a statutory register. Counsellors come under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act 2021, which provides for their registration.
What these practitioners record
Sessions here are offered in English, Tamil, Hindi/Urdu and Malayalam.
Nearby places and related listings
- Female Child Psychologists in Chennai
- ADHD Psychologists in Chennai
- Addiction Psychologists in Chennai
- Anxiety Psychologists in Chennai
- Couples Psychologists in Chennai
- Depression Psychologists in Chennai
- Eating Disorders Psychologists in Chennai
- Psychologists in Chennai
- All therapists listed in Chennai (79)
- Couples therapy in Chennai
References
[1] Institute of Mental Health, Chennai.
[2] Landreth, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (2012), chapter 9. Parents as partners in play therapy.
Real choice. Authentic, independent, clinician-led care.
TherapyRoute is a clinician-led directory that champions independent practitioners who answer to you and their professional ethics. We don't take commissions, sell your data, or assign therapists by algorithm. You browse, compare, and choose.
Vincenzo (Enzo) Sinisi, Clinical Psychologist (HPCSA), Psychoanalyst (IPA/SAPA), Group Analyst (IGA)


