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 the United Kingdom
- Childline: Tel: 0800 1111. 24 hours. For under-19s.
- Samaritans: Tel: 116 123 (Free from any phone) | Tel: 0808 164 0123 (Welsh Language Line) | Tel: 18001 44 116 123 (Relay UK). 24 hours. The Welsh Language Line is open every day, 7pm to 11pm.
- Shout, text 85258: Text: 85258. 24 hours.
- NHS 111, the urgent mental health route (England, Scotland and Wales): Tel: 111 (then choose the mental health option). In Wales, 24 hours a day.
- Family Lives parenting helpline (England and Wales): Tel: 0808 800 2222 | WhatsApp: 07441 444125 (weekdays 9am to 9pm). Weekdays 9am to 9pm; weekends 10am to 3pm.
- NSPCC helpline for adults worried about a child: Tel: 0808 800 5000. Weekdays, 10am to 4pm.
- YoungMinds Parents Helpline: Tel: 0808 802 5544. For parents and main carers of young people aged 25 or under. Monday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 4pm; Tuesday and Wednesday 9.30am to 6pm. Not a crisis service.
- All crisis lines in the United Kingdom
This page lists Child Psychotherapists in London. 10 in all.
How therapy with children works
Therapy with children follows how children communicate. That is more often through play than through explaining 1.
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 psychotherapy works on, and how long it usually runs
Everyone on this page describes their work as psychotherapy. A psychotherapist works through talking with you about your thoughts, feelings and behaviours 2.
Psychotherapy usually runs longer than counselling and aims for clinical change. It works on patterns that repeat rather than on one current problem.
A psychotherapist trains in psychological treatment rather than in medicine. What that training covers, and which approach a practitioner uses, differ between practitioners. Ask which approach a psychotherapist trained in, and how long they usually work.
What this page filters on
These are the only filters: the specialism recorded as Child and the professional title psychotherapist.
The London page answers more questions about therapy there.
Paying for therapy in London
Do affordable options exist in London?
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Lambeth Talking Therapies. Phone +44 20 3228 6747. Talking Therapies care is free under the NHS. Adults aged 18 and older can refer themselves. You must live in Lambeth or have a Lambeth GP.
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 trauma1. 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 it3. 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 the United Kingdom?
In the United Kingdom the practitioner psychologist titles are protected and held on a statutory register; counsellor and psychotherapist are not.
What these practitioners record
Nearby places and related listings
- Female Child Psychotherapists in London
- Child Psychologists in London
- ADHD Psychotherapists in London
- Addiction Psychotherapists in London
- Anxiety Psychotherapists in London
- Autism Psychotherapists in London
- Psychologists in London
- Psychotherapists in London
- Every therapist listed in London (370)
- Relationship counselling, London
References
[1] British Association of Play Therapists. Play therapy.
[2] National Health Service (United Kingdom). Talking therapies.
[3] 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)
