Therapy for children and young people

A space to be heard, at their own pace.

Independent school brings opportunity and expectation in equal measure. Therapy offers a confidential place apart from both, where a young person can be properly heard and think without pressure.

From age four
Adolescents
Young adults to 25

Ask about therapy What to expect

How we work

Relational, unhurried, shaped around the child

We work relationally and at the pace of the young person. There is no fixed script and no imposed agenda; the relationship develops according to age, readiness and need. With the youngest children, much of the work happens through play.

Children are not hurried towards solutions or asked to push their feelings aside. They are helped to understand what they feel, why it makes sense, and how they might respond differently. Over time this can bring steadier regulation, a wider perspective and more trust in themselves, so that school, friendships and opportunity feel less like something to brace against.

We do not begin from diagnosis. Where a specialist assessment would help, we will say so and help you find the right person. Where it would not, we begin from careful understanding.

Where sessions happen

In school, or online

Most of our work with children happens in school. Online sessions suit older young people, particularly through exams, terms away and the years after school.

In school

During the school day

Sessions take place in a private room set aside for the work, at schools where KST works. They run weekly in term time and last 30 to 50 minutes, depending on age. Our therapists know the culture of independent schools and their safeguarding frameworks, and they liaise with pastoral teams in a way that protects the young person’s trust.

If your child’s school is not one we work with yet, tell us which school it is, and we can talk with you about whether sessions there could be arranged.

Online

For adolescents and young adults

Secure video sessions for adolescents, university students and young adults, where that is clinically appropriate. They offer continuity through examination periods, university terms and travel, and are held to the same professional standard as work in person.

Online therapy for students and young adults

Before therapy begins

Therapy only works with the young person’s own engagement, so we talk openly with children about what therapy is, what it is not, and whether they feel ready. Their voice matters from the first session.

Under 16: A parent with parental responsibility gives written consent before sessions begin. A first conversation with you helps us understand what is prompting support, the wider family picture, and whether one-to-one therapy is the right step now.
16 and 17: Young people of 16 and 17 can consent for themselves, and their capacity to do so is considered in line with professional guidance; their confidentiality is respected accordingly. Where parents pay for the therapy, we ask for their agreement as well. Parents are welcome to be involved where that is appropriate and the young person agrees.
18 and over: Young adults arrange therapy for themselves. Nothing is shared with a parent or anyone else without their agreement, within the same limits of confidentiality.
Confidentiality: What a young person says in sessions stays private, unless there is a concern about their safety or someone else’s. For children and younger teenagers, parents hear about the work in broad terms, such as themes, focus and progress, without the detail. We explain all of this at the start, in words that suit the child’s age.

What brings families to us

What therapy can help with

Families come to us with all sorts of worries, and the work takes in the whole young person, not only the difficulty that brought them. These are some of the most common.

Anxiety and worry, including perfectionism and social anxiety
Perfectionism and performance pressure, where outward capability hides inner strain
Friendships and belonging in selective school environments
Sleep: difficulty falling asleep, waking in the night, dreading the morning
The 11+ year: the assessment, the waiting, the comparison
Transitions between schools, into sixth form, university or early adult life
Family relationships and change
Identity, and questions of self and difference
Screens and devices: where to hold a line, and where it has become something else
Low mood, withdrawal, and the sense that something has dimmed

Getting started

How it begins

One
Write to us
A sentence or two about what is prompting the question is enough. Every enquiry is read personally, and we aim to reply within one working day.
Two
A short call
Free and without obligation, usually 15 to 20 minutes. We listen first, then suggest what might help, and say so if we are not the right fit.
Three
Consent and practical details
We match your child with the therapist we believe fits best, send the consent form, and confirm fees in writing.
Four
The first session
Unhurried. Early sessions are about comfort and the relationship; nothing is asked of a child that they are not ready to give.

What to expect, step by step

Therapy may begin through

A parent or carer
A school pastoral lead, SENCO or head of year
A young person aged 18 or over
A GP, paediatrician or educational psychologist

Fees

Fees depend on the setting and the cadence, so we discuss them in the first conversation and confirm them in writing before anything begins. We work in both school-funded and parent-funded settings, and keep reduced-rate places each term for families where cost is the obstacle.

If this is urgent

Kensington Square Therapy is not a crisis service. If you or your child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Show helplinesHide helplines

If you need help right now

If you or your child is in immediate danger
999Call 999
Go to your nearest A&E24/7
If either you or your child is in a mental health crisis
NHS 111England, Scotland and Wales: call 111 and choose the mental-health option. Northern Ireland: call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000
24/7
Routes to your local NHS mental health crisis line. Northern Ireland has no 111 mental-health route; Lifeline is the crisis line there.
If your child is under 19 and needs to talk to someone themselves
Childline0800 1111
24/7
childline.org.uk
If you are worried that a child is being harmed or is at risk
NSPCC Helpline0808 800 5000
help@nspcc.org.ukMon-Fri 10am-4pm by phone; email 11am-4pm, seven days a week. An email sent when the service is closed is not received.
If the NSPCC service is closed and the concern cannot wait, call the police on 101. You can also contact the child’s local out-of-hours children’s social care, social work or social services team. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
nspcc.org.uk
If you would prefer to text rather than speak
ShoutText SHOUT to 85258
24/7
giveusashout.org
If you or someone you are worried about needs someone to talk to
Samaritans116 123
24/7
samaritans.org

Begin

Wondering whether therapy could help?

A brief first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We are glad to help you think it through.