The Parent Book
A guide for parents and young people
An honest account of what happens between writing to us and sitting down for a first session. Most of the worry about therapy lives in the unknown, so we set out the steps plainly. There is no script you have to follow, and nothing you need to prepare.
One or two sentences is enough. Whatever is prompting the question. Sam reads every enquiry personally, and replies within one working day. If your enquiry needs more time than that, we will say so honestly.
Free, no commitment. Usually fifteen to twenty minutes. Either with Sam, or with the senior clinician most likely to be a fit, depending on availability. We listen first, then suggest what might help. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and, where we can, suggest where to look instead.
If we proceed, we match your child (or you) with the clinician we believe fits best. For children under sixteen, a written parental consent form is sent over. For sixteen and seventeen year olds, the young person’s own capacity to consent is assessed alongside parental involvement. Fees are confirmed in writing. Sessions are arranged at a time that works for the family.
The clinician greets the family, settles the child or young person in, and starts where they are. There is no checklist of questions, no pressure to disclose, and no expectation that the child arrives ready to talk about anything in particular. Early sessions focus on comfort and the relationship. Nothing more is asked of a child in the first session than would be asked of a child meeting a careful adult for the first time.
At our centre at 23 Kensington Square, London W8 (a quiet professional setting separate from the school environment), in school where KST has an existing partnership, or online where clinically appropriate. We discuss which setting fits best during the initial call.
Considered, calm, and clinical. Two comfortable chairs, soft light, a low table. Materials for younger children (paper, pens, sometimes simple play objects) are available but not pressed. Nothing in the room suggests a checklist or a script. The space is set up so the child can simply arrive and be.
During the initial call: what is prompting the question, what you have noticed, what the school has noticed, what has helped or not helped before, what your hopes are. Nothing more clinical than that. We will not ask for medical history in the first conversation. If a referral or specialist assessment becomes the right step, we will explain why.
Therapy with children and young people is held carefully. The detail of what is said in the room is private to the young person, in line with their developmental capacity to understand what privacy is for. Parents are kept informed about the work in broad terms (themes, progress, how the work is going) without breaching the young person’s confidence. The exceptions are safeguarding concerns or risks of harm, which we discuss openly with both the young person and the parent. The detail is set out in our Safeguarding Policy and Privacy Policy.
Ideally, yes. Therapy is a collaboration. For very young children, parental consent carries the weight; for older children and adolescents, their own willingness matters considerably. We talk openly with the young person about what therapy is, what it is not, and whether they feel ready. Their voice matters from the first session.
There is no homework in the academic sense. Sometimes the young person and the clinician agree something small to try between sessions; sometimes the parent and the clinician do. Nothing is imposed. The work is done in the room.
There is no fixed length. Some children come for a term and find that enough. Some come for a year or longer. We review with you regularly, and discuss openly when the work has reached a natural conclusion. There is no model that says a certain number of sessions is required for the cost or the outcome to be valid.
Fees are discussed during the initial call so we can shape the right arrangement for your family’s situation. We work in both school-funded and parent-funded contexts, and reduced-rate slots are reserved each term for families where cost is the obstacle. There is no pricing list because the right arrangement depends on the setting, the cadence, and the family.
“Most of the families who reach us spent longer than they meant to thinking about whether to write the email. If you are in that place, you are not alone, and you do not need to know what to ask for. The first conversation is exactly for that.”
Every enquiry is read by Sam personally. We respond within one working day, and the first call commits you to nothing.
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