How old are the people you see?

We specialise in seeing young people and their families. We recognise young adulthood as a stage of life than a strict age range. Typically this includes people from early adolescence through to late twenties.

Why do young people living with illness or difference need a specialist service?

The challenges of being a young person, plus the challenges of living with an illness, are unique to each person. And there are also commonalities.

Our extensive experience in having conversations with young people and families about illness and treatment, and how they interact with the rest of their lives, hopefully means that there is less need for you to educate us on this. So we can get on with talking about the stuff that really matters.

It also means that we have expertise in applying psychology specifically for young people living with illness and difference, which makes us more effective at what we do.

Who do you not see?

We do not see young people who are experiencing acute mental health problems, including young people who are in a crisis. We are only available part-time and are unable to keep people who need this level of care safe.

If you feel that you (or your friend/family member) are at risk of harming or killing yourself then please request an urgent GP referral to your local mental health, or if the risk is imminent then please call 111 or go to A&E.

What happens in the first session?

At our first meeting we talk about what is causing difficulties in your life, as well as what is going well, and how you would like things to be different. We come up with a shared understanding of this, integrating your expertise of your life with our expertise in a range of psychological approaches. We then agree on a plan for how to get there.

There is no obligation to meet us again if you don’t want to. It’s really important that you like your psychologist, and if we aren’t for you then that is ok!

How many sessions will I need?

The number of sessions we meet for depends on various factors, including your preferences, practicalities, and our shared understanding of what is going on and our agreed plan for what will make the biggest positive difference in your life.

Some young people feel that an agreed number of weekly or fortnightly sessions would be useful.

Some young people only want one or two sessions to help make sense of their current circumstances and their best next steps in life.

We will never tell you what to do, and you can stop seeing us at any time if it is not helpful.

What do you do with my information?

Prior to booking our first appointment we will send you our data policy, so that you are clear about exactly how we do and do not use information we hold about you.

As a rule of thumb all of the information you tell us remains confidential (private). The only exception to this is if you tell us something that makes us feel worried about your safety, or about the safety of someone else. In this situation we would talk to you about who we should share this information with and how, to ensure everyone’s safety.

How do I book an appointment?

Fill in our contact form and we will be in touch!