Therapy for children and young people
When your child or teenager is struggling, finding the right help shouldn't be a maze. UK therapists with specific training to work with under-18s — CBT, family therapy, play therapy, EMDR. Online or in-person. Free 15-minute discovery call before you commit.
When does a child or young person need therapy?
Children and young people experience the same range of mental-health difficulties as adults — anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, eating difficulties, self-harm — though they often show up differently. A child who can’t name a feeling may show it through stomach aches, refusing school, sudden anger, or clinging more tightly than usual. A teenager may withdraw, sleep all day, lose interest in friends, or struggle with overwhelm they can’t put into words.
Therapy for under-18s isn't just adult therapy in a smaller chair. The training is different. Therapists working with children and young people (CYP) need specific qualifications and supervision — UKCP Child Psychotherapist registration, BACP Children & Young People register, or BPS Clinical Psychologist registration with CYP supervision. Pretending otherwise risks doing harm.
On the NHS side, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is the specialist NHS service for under-18s. CAMHS does excellent work, but waits in many parts of the UK run from 6 months to 2+ years for assessment, and the threshold to be accepted can be high — many young people are turned away as 'not severe enough' at the front door. Private therapy is what many families turn to in the gap.
Common signs and symptoms:
- Persistent anxiety, panic, or excessive worry
- Low mood, withdrawal, loss of interest in friends or activities
- Refusal to attend school; physical symptoms before school
- Self-harm or talk of self-harm
- Eating difficulties — restriction, binging, secrecy around food
- Sleep problems — insomnia, nightmares, sleeping excessively
- Sudden behavioural changes: anger, aggression, secrecy
- After a traumatic event (bereavement, accident, separation, bullying)
Evidence-based approaches for children and young people
CBT for children and adolescents
NICE recommends CBT for child and adolescent anxiety, depression, OCD, and PTSD. It's adapted for the developmental age — more concrete, more practical, often involving the parent or carer in early sessions. Typically 12-20 weekly sessions. Strong evidence base.
Family therapy / systemic therapy
Particularly important when a child's difficulty is bound up with family dynamics, separation, blended-family transitions, or eating disorders (where family-based treatment — Maudsley FBT — is the NICE first-line for adolescent anorexia). The whole family is part of the work.
Play therapy (under 11)
For younger children — typically under 11 — play is the language. Trained play therapists (registered with BAPT, the British Association of Play Therapists) use play to help children process feelings and experiences they can’t yet put into words.
EMDR for adolescents
EMDR for under-18s after trauma — bereavement, accident, abuse, bullying, medical trauma. Specifically adapted protocols for children and adolescents; evidence base for adolescent PTSD is strong.
DBT-A (DBT for adolescents)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy adapted for adolescents. NICE-recognised for self-harm and emotional regulation difficulties. Combines individual therapy with skills training and parent involvement.
Integrative / relational therapy
For longer-term work, particularly with adolescents whose difficulties have developmental or relational roots, integrative and psychodynamic approaches address the patterns underneath the surface symptoms.
Why work with a MatchyMatch therapist?
Properly trained for under-18s
Working with children and young people requires specific training — not every adult therapist is qualified. We list therapists with CYP-specific training: UKCP Child Psychotherapist register, BACP CYP register, BPS Clinical Psychologists with CYP supervision, BAPT play therapists, or international equivalents.
Faster than CAMHS
CAMHS waits in many parts of the UK are 6-24 months for assessment, with high acceptance thresholds. Private therapy on MatchyMatch can usually start within days. CAMHS is still the right call when difficulties are severe — but the gap is real, and private fills it.
Free discovery call
Either you or your young person can book the first 15-minute call. For older adolescents, many therapists prefer the discovery call to be with the young person themselves — their decision matters.
Online or in-person
Online therapy is well-evidenced for adolescents and many prefer it (privacy, no commute, easier to fit around school). Younger children often do better in-person. Both options exist on MatchyMatch.
Therapy in your family’s language
Doing therapy in your first language matters — particularly for younger children, and for families where parents and child speak different first languages. We have CYP therapists working in English and several other languages.
Parents involved at the right level
For younger children, parents are part of the work. For adolescents, the therapist will be clear about confidentiality with you and your young person — usually the young person's individual sessions are confidential, and the therapist will keep you informed at the level you've all agreed. Good CYP therapists are very clear about this from session one.
Why choose MatchyMatch for children and adolescents therapy?
MatchyMatch is a UK platform for children and adolescents therapy. Every therapist holds professional registration — with a UK body (BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BPS) or a recognised international body — so you have verified credentials before you ever pick up the phone. Your first 15-minute discovery call with any therapist is free.
- Free 15-minute discovery call before you commit to children and adolescents therapy
- Verified UK & international credentials (BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BPS, COPSI and others)
- Online or in-person sessions, whichever suits you
- Therapy in English and other languages — including ones the NHS rarely offers
Frequently asked questions
Should we go to CAMHS first?
If your child or young person is at significant risk — actively self-harming, suicidal, severely restricting food, in psychosis — yes, CAMHS or A&E is the right call, urgently. For lower-acuity but real difficulties, the calculation changes. CAMHS waits in many areas are 6-24 months for assessment, and the threshold to be accepted can be high. If your young person needs help now and CAMHS is going to be a long wait or a 'not severe enough' rejection, private therapy fills the gap.
How does therapy for a child differ from therapy for an adult?
Several ways. Younger children process through play and creative work as much as talking — a play therapist might use sand trays, art, puppets. Adolescents often resist talking-only therapy at first; good adolescent therapists meet them where they are, sometimes online, sometimes around an activity. CYP therapists also work with parents and schools, not just the young person — anxiety, school refusal, and self-harm rarely improve when only one part of the system is in the room.
My child is refusing therapy. What can I do?
Don't force it — therapy with a young person who isn't there willingly rarely works. Things that often help: let them choose between two therapists rather than imposing one; let them know the first 15 minutes are free and they can walk away; be honest about why you're worried instead of pretending it's a chat about 'how school's going'; consider parent work for yourself first (some therapists work specifically with parents to help them support an adolescent through difficulty). Sometimes parent therapy alone shifts the family dynamic enough that the young person engages later.
Will the therapist tell me what my teenager says in sessions?
A good CYP therapist will be very clear about confidentiality from session one. The standard rule: what your young person says in their individual sessions stays between them and the therapist, except where there's a serious risk to them or to someone else. The therapist will keep you informed about themes at a level you've all agreed in advance. If you have questions about confidentiality, ask in the discovery call before you book.
How long does therapy for a young person take?
Depends on what you're working on. CBT for adolescent anxiety or OCD is typically 12-20 weekly sessions. Family-based treatment for an eating disorder runs 6-12 months. Trauma work (EMDR or trauma-focused CBT) is often 8-16 sessions for single-incident PTSD. Longer-term integrative work for complex difficulties can run 1-3 years. Your therapist will give you their honest estimate after assessment.
What does private CYP therapy cost in the UK?
CYP-trained therapists in the UK typically charge £80-£150 per session, often at the higher end of UK adult therapy rates because the training requirement is higher. Specialist work (eating disorders, complex trauma, autism-aware) often £100-£180. Discovery calls on MatchyMatch are always free.
My young person is autistic / has ADHD. Will the therapist be able to work with them?
Most generic CYP therapists will not have neurodivergence-specific training. We can match you specifically to therapists with experience working with autistic young people or young people with ADHD — and increasingly, neurodivergent therapists themselves. The fit is significantly better; please ask explicitly when you book.
What if we’re in crisis — my child is at risk now?
Call 999 immediately if you believe your child is in immediate danger, or take them to A&E. For urgent NHS help, NHS 111 (option 2 for mental health). YoungMinds runs a free Parents Helpline (0808 802 5544). The Samaritans (116 123) are free, 24/7, and accept callers under 18; SHOUT (text 85258) is also free and 24/7. Therapy is for the longer-term work; in a crisis, please use the services built for crisis. You don't have to manage this alone.