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When difficulties run deeper

Child Psychotherapy Across The North East

Specialist therapy for children and young people with complex or long-standing difficulties, using play, drawing, and conversation to help them make sense of their inner world.

  • 44 Practitioners
  • 6 North East clinics
  • Free First Pathway call

How it works

For the difficulties that need more than a structured programme.

Child psychotherapy is a specialist approach for young people whose difficulties are more complex, have been present for a long time, or where it is not yet clear what is at the root of their distress. Unlike shorter-term, skills-based approaches, it creates space for a young person to explore their inner world at their own pace.

Sessions draw on a range of specialist techniques including play, drawing, storytelling, and open conversation. These methods allow children and young people to express what they may not yet have words for, helping the therapist understand what is happening beneath the surface and how past experiences may be shaping present difficulties.

Work may involve the young person alone or alongside family members, depending on age and circumstances. Parents are supported throughout in a way that is appropriate to the young person's needs, and the work is aimed at lasting change rather than short-term relief.

Young person in a child psychotherapy session

What child psychotherapy can help with

When the usual approaches have not been enough.

  • Depression and persistent low mood

  • Anxiety and excessive worrying

  • Self-harm and emotional dysregulation

  • Trauma, abuse, and neglect

  • Autism spectrum conditions

  • ADHD and behaviours that challenge

  • Low self-esteem and loss of confidence

  • Withdrawal and social isolation

How Select routes the work

The right child psychotherapist, matched with care

Our Pathway Team takes the time to understand your child's needs before matching your family with a practitioner who has the right child psychotherapy expertise, experience, and availability. Good fit helps create the best foundation for effective support.

  1. A confidential first discussion

    The Pathway Team listens to your concerns, gathers context, and matches your child to a specialist child psychotherapist with the right experience for their needs.

  2. Matched to a child psychotherapist

    Select routes you to a specialist child psychotherapist with experience relevant to your child's presenting difficulties, available at your preferred clinic or online where appropriate.

  3. Exploratory, paced sessions

    Work begins at a pace that feels safe for your child, creating space to understand and express what is happening at a deeper level, with parents supported throughout.

Practitioner fit

The right child psychotherapist for your child.

Child psychotherapy is a specialist approach best suited to more complex or long-standing difficulties. The first conversation is about understanding what your child is going through and finding the practitioner best placed to help.

What the first conversation explores

  • Your child's age and the nature and duration of their difficulties
  • What has already been tried and how it has helped, or not
  • Whether the causes of distress are clear or still emerging
  • The right level of family involvement in the sessions
  • Which practitioner's experience and approach is the best match

A simple first move

Not sure where to start? Talk it through with the Pathway Team.

Request a callback

Who you might work with

Practitioners who offer this

Browse the full team, or let the Pathway Team match you.

Where we offer this

Child Psychotherapy across the North East

Select Psychology Tynemouth clinic, coastal view

Tynemouth

1 Tynemouth Road, NE30 4AY

Experienced therapists and counsellors in Tynemouth, supporting adults, couples and families across North Shields, Whitley Bay and the North Tyneside coast.

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Select Psychology Newcastle Gosforth clinic

Newcastle

The Grainger Suite, Dobson House, Regent Centre, NE3 3PF

Accredited psychologists and counsellors in Newcastle Upon Tyne. CBT, EMDR and talking therapy for adults, couples and children - based at our Gosforth clinic.

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Also available all locations.

Explore related care

Conditions, clinics and related therapies

Conditions this helps with

Related therapies

Fees and insurance

Clear fees, and most major insurers accepted

No GP referral is needed. If you are using private medical insurance, tell the Pathway Team when you get in touch and they will help with authorisation.

Session fees

  • Relationship therapy£95
  • Specialist psychological therapy£110
  • Clinical & counselling psychology£140
  • Psychological assessmentsfrom £350
Insurers accepted

Bupa · Aviva · AXA · Allianz · Simply Health · Vita Health Group

Questions before you start

What people usually ask

1 What is child psychotherapy?

Child psychotherapy is a specialist form of support for children and young people, typically up to the age of 25, who are experiencing more complex or long-standing psychological difficulties. A child psychotherapist uses play, drawing, and conversation to help young people understand their feelings, process difficult past experiences, and express emotions more freely. It is particularly suited to presentations where the causes of distress are unclear, or where previous support has not been enough.

2 How is child psychotherapy different from child psychology?

Child psychology focuses primarily on assessment and structured, skills-based interventions adapted to a child's developmental stage. Child psychotherapy is more exploratory and longer-term, often drawing on psychoanalytic and psychodynamic thinking to understand how past experiences and underlying patterns are contributing to current difficulties. The Pathway Team can help decide which is the better starting point for your child.

3 How involved will I be in my child's therapy?

This depends on your child's age and the nature of the work. For younger children, parents are closely involved, particularly at the assessment stage. For older young people, individual sessions may be confidential, but the therapist will work with you to ensure you understand how to support your child outside sessions. The balance is always discussed openly.

4 What if my child does not want to come to therapy?

It is natural for a young person to have reservations about starting therapy. Involving them in choosing a therapist and thinking about what they would like to change can help. If a young person is firmly opposed, it can still be valuable for parents to attend sessions and work with the therapist on how best to support them at home.

From the blog

Read more before you decide

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Select Psychology Team · 2 Apr 2026

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