An Evidence-Based Approach to Emotional and Mental Health
Our specialist training is rooted in psychoanalysis and is an evidence-based form of therapy which can effectively treat emotional problems and a wide range of mental health conditions such as depression, trauma, eating disorders, and anxiety in young people.
This approach provides a deep understanding of child and adolescent development and focuses on addressing the underlying causes of emotional distress rather than just the surface symptoms. By exploring a young person’s thoughts, feelings, and relationships in a safe and consistent space, psychoanalytic psychotherapy supports lasting emotional growth, improved self-awareness, and long-term wellbeing.
Understanding the Unconscious Mind
Psychoanalysis began over a century ago with the work of Sigmund Freud and has since developed through extensive clinical research and modern psychological understanding. Today, it remains one of the most established and evidence-based talking therapies for emotional and mental health difficulties in children, adolescents, and young adults.
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy works with the unconscious - the feelings, impulses, and memories that lie outside of conscious awareness but often influence emotions and behaviour. These unconscious processes can contribute to challenges such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and repeated patterns of self-destructive behaviour. By helping young people understand what’s happening beneath the surface, this therapeutic approach supports lasting emotional growth and improved mental wellbeing.
How Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Works
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy works with the unconscious - the thoughts, urges, and memories that sit outside of awareness but can drive problems that make no clear or ‘rational’ sense. This might include depression without an obvious cause, traumatic memories that replay over and over, or self-destructive behaviours that feel impossible to stop.
Through child and adolescent psychotherapy, we explore patterns in behaviour, relationships, families, dreams, and significant experiences to help young people understand what, how, and why a problem came to be, and how it may serve a hidden function in their life. This process is experiential, using the therapeutic relationship, the unconscious, and the skills of the psychotherapist to support the young person in developing new perspectives, reframing difficulties, and opening up space for lasting emotional change.
With teenagers and young adults, this process often involves thoughtful conversation and reflection. For younger children or those who find speaking difficult, psychoanalytic therapy may include toys, play, or creative materials to express feelings in a safe and accessible way.
Unlike short-term therapies that rely on surface-level advice or coping techniques, psychoanalytic psychotherapy recognises that each person is unique. It seeks deep, long-term change, helping children, adolescents, and young adults move towards greater stability, self-understanding, and emotional wellbeing.
Considering Therapy?
Every young person’s experience is unique. If you would like to learn more about whether psychoanalytic psychotherapy might be suitable for your child, teenager, or family, please feel free to get in touch. All enquiries are treated with care and confidentiality, and initial conversations are always welcome.
Please get in touch by email, phone, or by completing the contact form below. Where possible, include the age of the young person and a brief summary of the difficulties you would like support with.
My Approach
A Specialist Form of Psychotherapy for Children and Young People
Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy is a core NHS profession with rigorously regulated standards and training, approved by the Department of Health. This means we are trained over a number of years in clinical and university settings to specialise in treating a full range of moderate to severe mental health problems in 2 to 25 year olds. We often work in the NHS as specialists as well as in private clinics supporting young people with complex emotional, developmental, and behavioural needs.