What I see most

The young people I work with are usually between sixteen and the end of university, and they are dealing with one or more of:

  • Anxiety that has built up over months — generalised worry, social anxiety, panic attacks.
  • Low mood, often tied to comparison, isolation, or the end of one structured phase of life.
  • Exam stress that has stopped being seasonal and become an underlying state.
  • OCD and intrusive thoughts, which often first show up clearly in adolescence.
  • Perfectionism — high performance on the outside, unsustainable pressure underneath.
  • The disorientation of starting university, first jobs, or living away from home.

Why CBT for this age group

CBT works for young people for the same reason it works for adults: it is structured, skill-based, and oriented toward something concrete to do — not abstract introspection. Most teenagers and young adults I see prefer this. The work is collaborative, never delivered “at” the young person, and they have full control over pace.

The pattern is recognisable across the people I see in this age group. Something has built up — a worry that became constant, a low mood that settled in, a mental loop that took over. The young person knows something is off but does not always have language for it. The first one or two sessions are often about putting that language together, looking at what is keeping the difficulty going, and seeing it clearly enough to do something about it.

What this is not

This is not crisis support, ongoing risk monitoring, or therapy for under-16s. If you or your child are in immediate distress, please contact Samaritans (116 123), Shout (text 85258), or your GP. I can recommend other services if what you are looking for sits outside what I do.

How parents fit in

Therapy is between the young person and me — confidentiality matters, and the working relationship is theirs. Parents are often involved in practical things (booking, billing, logistics) and sometimes invited into a session to check in or coordinate, but only with the young person’s consent.

For most under-18s, a parent or guardian will need to be aware that the work is happening and consent to it being paid for. The conversations within sessions, though, remain private — with the standard exceptions for safeguarding, which I will explain at the start.

Fees and the next step

Free 15-minute consultation, which the young person or a parent can book. £80 per 50-minute session, online over secure video. Five sessions £350. Full fees and booking information.