The Parent Book
Topic · Sleep in children and young people
Sleep is one of the most common things parents bring to us, often arriving in the form of something else. The child whose stomach aches on Sunday evenings. The Year 6 girl whose worries arrive the moment the bedroom light goes off. The fifteen-year-old who cannot get to sleep before two and cannot get up before nine. This page is a short overview of how Kensington Square Therapy works with sleep in childhood and adolescence, and what is in The Parent Book for parents to read alongside the clinical work.
Parents arrive having tried what they have tried, and read what they have read. The patterns below are the ones we see most often in independent school children. None of them, on their own, is a diagnosis. All of them, in our experience, are workable.
The thoughts that arrive the moment the bedroom light goes off. Worries about tomorrow, about friendships, about a teacher's look. Not insomnia in the medical sense, but a child who has lost trust in the moment between awake and asleep.
The child who wakes at 3am and cannot return to sleep. Often a body-led pattern, less about what woke them and more about a nervous system that has not learned how to settle itself back.
The slow ache that arrives at supper, the stomach-aches at bedtime, the long delay before sleep. The body knowing Monday is coming before the mind has named it.
The teenager whose sleep has slid an hour later every few months. Partly biological (real teenage chronotype shift), partly avoidance, partly screens. Worth distinguishing which is which before any rules go on.
Children whose worries come out only at bedtime because bedtime is the only quiet the day has. Often a sign that the worry is bigger than sleep itself, and that the day is too full.
The clinical work and the editorial sit alongside each other. For families who need both, both are available. For families who only need one, we will tell you so honestly during the initial conversation.
One-to-one sessions for the child or young person, parent consultations alongside if helpful. We do not start with sleep hygiene. We start with what the body is doing, what the mind is doing, and what the family has tried. Where specialist sleep assessment is the right step, we will say so.
How we work →Two chapters in The Parent Book on sleep, alongside quick tips, six activities, fifteen books, and five podcast recommendations. Through your school as a partner, or by individual subscription at £99 a year.
Open the library on The Parent Book →There is no threshold a child has to cross before therapy is appropriate. There are, however, a few signals that suggest a short clinical conversation is likely to be useful.
If you are not sure whether the pattern warrants therapy, the simplest thing is to write a short email. Every enquiry is read by Sam personally, and we respond within one working day.
If you or your child are in immediate danger, please call 999 or take them to your nearest A&E. If you need to talk to someone right now: Samaritans 116 123 (24/7), NHS 111, or Shout (text SHOUT to 85258). For under-25s in distress, Papyrus HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 4141.
If you are weighing therapy and not sure where to start, a short call costs nothing. If you would rather begin with reading, a subscription to The Parent Book is £99 a year and you can cancel anytime.
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