Every parent worries about their child. Most of the time, reassurance and a little time are enough. But sometimes the worry does not lift, and the parent is left questioning whether this is something they can help with, or if it is something the child needs professional support for. This guide is written for parents and carers who are asking that question.

Key Takeaways

  • Knowing when a child or young person would benefit from professional therapy is not always obvious; the signs can be subtle, and the decision feels significant, but early professional support consistently produces better outcomes than waiting.
  • 1 in 2 young people aged 16–25 experienced worse mental health since the pandemic (The Prince’s Trust NatWest Youth Index, 2021), and young people’s mental health needs have increased significantly in recent years.
  • Therapy for children and young people differs substantially from adult therapy; skilled practitioners adapt their approach to the developmental stage, using play, creative activities, and age-appropriate talking therapy.
  • Confidentiality in therapy for young people is maintained unless there is a risk of harm; understanding how this works helps parents feel confident rather than uncertain about the process.
  • NHS CAMHS waiting times currently extend to months in many areas; private therapy provides access within days, without a GP referral or severity threshold.
  • The Summit Clinic offers specialist therapy for children, adolescents, and young people, with experienced registered practitioners.

When Reassurance May No Longer Be Enough

Reassurance is a parent’s first and most natural response to a child in distress and for most difficulties, it is enough. The question is not whether a child is struggling. Most children do at some point. The question is whether what they are experiencing will pass with the support available, or whether it is persisting, worsening, or affecting functioning in ways that call for professional expertise.

Parents often know before they can articulate it a quality of worry that feels different, a sense that what is happening is outside the ordinary range of childhood difficulty. That instinct deserves to be taken seriously. Seeking therapy for a young person is not a sign that parenting has been inadequate. It is a recognition that some difficulties benefit from professional expertise, in the same way that a physical health problem is referred to a doctor.

If a young person is experiencing thoughts of self-harm or expressing a wish to harm themselves, this requires urgent professional attention. Contact a GP, call 111, or in a crisis, go to A&E. The Samaritans are available on 116 123 at any time.

Signs a Young Person May Need Professional Support

There is no single threshold at which therapy becomes necessary, but there are patterns that consistently indicate a young person would benefit from more than family support alone.

  • Persistent low mood or depression: Sadness or low mood that has lasted more than a few weeks without lifting, that feels qualitatively different from ordinary sadness, or that is significantly affecting daily life.
  • Anxiety interfering with daily life: Worry or fear preventing school attendance, friendships, sleep, or previously enjoyed activities; anxiety being managed through avoidance rather than engagement.
  • Significant behavioural changes: Withdrawal from family and friends, marked change in behaviour at school, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, or notable changes in sleep or eating that persist over several weeks.
  • Recurring physical symptoms without medical explanation: Stomach aches, headaches, or other physical complaints occurring consistently before school or social situations with no identified physical cause.
  • Difficulty with emotional regulation: Outbursts of anger, distress, or tearfulness that feel disproportionate to the situation and that the young person struggles to recover from.
  • Adverse childhood experiences or significant life changes: Bereavement, parental separation, bullying, or traumatic experiences that appear to have affected the young person’s wellbeing in a lasting way.
  • Self-harm or expressions of hopelessness: Any disclosure or evidence of self-harm, or expressions of worthlessness or a wish not to be here, requires immediate professional attention, not reassurance alone.
  • Persistent parental concern: If a parent has been worried for some time and that concern has not been resolved by the support provided, that persistent worry is itself a reason to seek professional guidance.

The Summit Clinic welcomes initial enquiries from parents who are uncertain whether professional support is needed. The initial conversation is pressure-free and informative.

How Therapy Differs for Children, Teenagers, and Adults

A young boy attentively listening during a therapy session, as the therapist takes notes.

One of the most common sources of uncertainty for parents is not knowing how therapy for a child or young person differs from adult therapy. Skilled child and adolescent therapists adapt every element of their approach to the developmental stage of the young person; vocabulary, pacing, use of creative activities, and degree of parental involvement all change significantly depending on whether the client is six, thirteen, or seventeen.

Younger Children and Play-Based Approaches

Children under ten or eleven typically engage with therapy through play, drawing, storytelling, art therapy, and sand tray work creative activities that allow them to express and explore their inner world without requiring verbal articulation. Play therapy works in a child’s natural language. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, adapted for younger children, is effective for processing traumatic experiences. Talking therapy for younger children is woven into these creative modalities rather than conducted as a face-to-face conversation in the adult sense.

Adolescents and Parental Involvement

Therapy for teenagers is more verbal and resembles adult therapy more closely in structure, though skilled adolescent therapists understand the specific developmental context of adolescence: the primacy of peer relationships, identity formation, and the particular sensitivities around autonomy and control. Young people at this age are often grappling with questions of identity, belonging, and who they are becoming, and a skilled therapist creates a safe space to explore this without judgement.

Parental involvement is typically more limited for adolescents than for younger children, to protect the young person’s privacy and the integrity of the therapeutic relationship. The Summit Clinic’s practitioners match their approach to each young client’s developmental stage, with specialist training across the full age range.

Confidentiality and Parental Involvement

Confidentiality in therapy for young people is one of the aspects parents most frequently have questions about. Understanding how it works helps parents feel confident about the process rather than uncertain or excluded.

What a young person shares with their therapist is confidential and essential to the therapeutic relationship. If a young person believes sessions will be reported back to parents, they will not speak honestly, and the therapy will not work. There are limits: if a therapist has reason to believe the young person or someone else is at risk of significant harm, they have a legal and professional obligation to share that information. This limit is explained clearly to both the young person and parent at the outset.

Parental involvement varies with age. With younger children, parents are more directly involved and receive more frequent updates. With adolescents, parents typically receive general progress feedback rather than session content, protecting the young person’s therapeutic space in a way that makes the therapy effective. It is common for parents to find this difficult, and acknowledging that is part of how good child and adolescent practitioners work with families. The Summit Clinic’s practitioners are transparent about confidentiality from the first conversation.

How to Talk to Your Child About Starting Therapy

For many parents, one of the most anxiety-provoking aspects of seeking therapy for a child is the conversation with the child themselves. How do you explain therapy without alarming them or making them feel labelled?

The Honesty and Normalisation Principles

Children and teenagers are perceptive; vague explanations create more anxiety than honest ones. A simple, age-appropriate framing (“there’s someone I’d like you to meet who helps children talk about feelings and things that feel hard”) is more reassuring than an elaborate story. Framing therapy as a normal response to life feeling difficult a sign of courage, not weakness addresses the stigma many young people carry around mental health support.

Handling Reluctance and Giving Young People Agency

Give the young person as much agency as possible: let them know what to expect, answer their questions honestly, and acknowledge the first session might feel strange. With teenagers, genuine invitation of the young person’s perspective matters; imposing therapy on a resistant adolescent rarely produces the engagement that makes it effective. Involving them in the choice of therapist or attending an initial meeting together both help. The Summit Clinic is experienced in supporting parents through this conversation.

How to Choose the Right Therapist for a Young Person

A young girl and her therapist working together on a colorful drawing during a therapy session, with bookshelves in the background.

The quality of therapy for young people varies significantly depending on the practitioner’s specific training and experience. Several criteria reliably distinguish strong child and adolescent therapists from generalists.

  • Specialist training in child and adolescent therapy: Working with young people requires specific training beyond a general therapy qualification. Ask about the therapist’s training, the age range they work with, and the presentations they have clinical experience treating.
  • Relevant professional registration: Clinical psychologists should be HCPC registered. Psychotherapists working with children may be registered with the BACP, UKCP, or BPC. Always verify registration before booking.
  • Warmth and accessibility: Young people need to feel genuinely at ease with their therapist. How the practitioner communicates in first contact is a meaningful early indicator of the therapeutic environment they create.
  • A clear approach to parental involvement: Ask how the therapist involves parents, how they communicate progress, and how they navigate confidentiality. A professional practitioner has a clear and considered answer.
  • NHS vs private therapy: CAMHS provides NHS therapy for young people under 18, but waiting times in most areas currently extend to months for non-urgent referrals. Private therapy provides access within days, with greater choice of therapist and therapeutic approach. Parents can self-refer directly to private clinics; no GP referral or severity threshold is required.

Why Choose The Summit Clinic for Therapy for Young People

The Summit Clinic offers specialist therapy for children, adolescents, and young people with experienced, registered practitioners across the full age range. Our team covers CBT for anxiety and depression, play therapy, art therapy, psychodynamic approaches, and family therapy, all adapted to the individual child’s developmental stage and presenting difficulty. New clients can be seen without the delays of NHS CAMHS and without a GP referral.

A Caring Step, Not a Difficult One

Seeking therapy for a young person is not a sign that parenting has failed; it is a recognition that some difficulties need professional expertise, and that providing that expertise is one of the most caring things a parent can do. If you have been worried about a young person and are uncertain what to do next, the first step is simply a conversation. It does not commit to anything, and it may provide clarity, reassurance, or a clear path forward.

If a young person is experiencing thoughts of self-harm or expressing a wish to harm themselves, please seek help immediately. Contact a GP, call 111, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, or in an emergency go to A&E.

Contact The Summit Clinic to discuss your child or young person’s needs and book an initial consultation without delay.