If you are trying to find counselling for a young person in London, there are four main routes: free sessions through school or university, the NHS through CAMHS or NHS Talking Therapies, a network of free youth charities such as The Mix, Kooth and the Brandon Centre, and private practice. Which route fits depends on the young person’s age, your borough, how urgent things feel and what kind of difficulty you are dealing with. This guide walks through all four routes, what each one costs, how consent and confidentiality work at different ages, and how to choose well if you go private.
Before I moved into private practice, I spent over a decade working in NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), with young people across the full clinical spectrum, from mild anxiety to acute crisis, and from confident self-referrals to teenagers who arrived furious about being there. That experience shapes what I think parents and young people most need to know, and it is why this guide spends as much time on the free routes as on the paid ones.
My name is Sabbir, and I am a UKCP-registered psychotherapist. Many families land on this page after searching for London young counselling options and finding a wall of service names with no map. Consider this the map.
What is counselling for young people?
Counselling for young people is structured talking therapy for clients aged broadly 11 to 25, delivered by a trained and registered practitioner. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) describes it as therapeutic support that helps a young person process emotional difficulties, develop healthy coping mechanisms and build self-understanding through structured conversation.
In practice it differs from adult therapy in three ways. Confidentiality is explained upfront and taken seriously, with clear safeguarding limits. The pace is youth led, which means the young person decides what to share and when, and a trained counsellor will not pressure them into uncomfortable topics. And counsellors often use creative methods, such as art, narrative work or activity-based conversation, alongside talking, particularly with younger teenagers who find emotions difficult to put into words.
The clinical work itself can draw on CBT, humanistic, integrative, psychodynamic or solution-focused approaches, depending on what the young person needs.
How can a young person get counselling in London?
Most families end up combining two routes, for example school counselling while a CAMHS referral is processed, or NHS Talking Therapies as a first try with private practice afterwards if more specialised work is needed. Here is how each route actually works.
School and university counselling
Many London schools, sixth forms, colleges and universities have in-house counsellors offering free sessions during the week. Referral usually goes through a school nurse, a pastoral lead or student services. This is the easiest route to access and a sensible first step if the young person is still in education.
NHS routes: CAMHS and Talking Therapies
CAMHS provides free psychological therapies for under-18s, with referral through a GP, school or social worker, and some London boroughs accept self-referral. For 18 to 25 year olds, NHS Talking Therapies is the adult equivalent, with self-referral available in every borough. Both are free at the point of use. Waiting times vary by borough, and it is worth knowing that the wait for assessment and the wait for treatment are two different queues.
From over a decade in CAMHS myself, I would like to add a practical note. The service is genuinely good once you’re in, but it works best when families know what to expect from the assessment process and what to push for at referral. Be specific about what’s been happening, ask about waiting times for both assessment AND treatment (these are different), and don’t be afraid to follow up if a referral seems to have stalled.
Free young people’s charities, borough by borough
London also has a strong network of charities offering free counselling, some national and online, some tied to a single borough. AI search summaries and directories frequently disagree about exact age ranges and catchment areas, so treat the table below as a verified starting point and check each service’s own site before relying on it.
| Service | Ages | Where | How to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mix | Under 25 | UK wide, phone and online | Self-refer online |
| Kooth | About 10 to 25, varies by borough | Most London boroughs, online | No referral needed |
| Childline | Up to 19 | UK wide, phone and online | Call 0800 1111 or web chat |
| Brandon Centre | 16 to 24 | Camden and Islington | Self-refer by phone or email |
| Open Door | 12 to 25 | Haringey | Self-refer |
| Step Forward | 11 to 25 | Tower Hamlets and nearby | Self-refer |
| Off the Record | Young people up to 25 | Croydon, Merton and Sutton | Self-refer |
| Hounslow Youth Counselling Service | 11 to 25 | Hounslow (live, work or study) | Self-refer |
| The Nest | 11 to 25 | Southwark | Self-refer via the Southwark Local Offer |
If your borough is not listed, your council’s Local Offer page for children and young people’s mental health is usually the fastest way to find what is funded locally. YoungMinds also runs a free parents’ helpline (0808 802 5544) if you are not sure where to start.
If the young person is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent support, NHS 111 (option 2) is available around the clock, Shout offers free 24/7 crisis text support (text SHOUT to 85258), Childline is free on 0800 1111 for under-19s, and Papyrus HOPELINEUK (0800 068 4141, 9am to midnight) specialises in preventing young suicide.
Private practice
When waiting lists are long, or the young person needs longer-term work, a particular modality or a specific therapist match, private practice is the alternative. The BACP Find a Therapist and Counselling Directory listings let you filter by location, specialism and age range, and most London counsellors offer a free 15 to 30 minute introductory call.
How much does counselling for a young person cost in London?
Often nothing. School and university counselling, CAMHS, NHS Talking Therapies and the borough charities above are all free at the point of use, which makes the free routes the sensible first port of call for most families. The paid route is private practice, and there is no single London rate, because fees vary with the counsellor’s experience, location and session format.
The practical way to compare is to check directory profiles, which list each counsellor’s fee openly, and to use the free introductory call before committing to anything. My own fees are published on my therapy fees page, because you should not have to send an email to find out what something costs.
Which therapy approaches are used with young people?
CBT is the most evidence-based approach for adolescent anxiety and depression, and is the NICE-recommended first-line treatment for many presentations; my complete guide to cognitive behavioural therapy covers it in detail. Person-centred counselling suits young people who do not yet know what they want from therapy, because it prioritises their own pace over a fixed agenda. Solution-focused work is brief, typically 6 to 12 sessions, and useful when there is a specific challenge with a clear timeframe, such as exams, a transition or a big decision.
Many experienced practitioners, including me, work integratively rather than strictly within one model, and psychodynamic work can be valuable where early experiences are still shaping current relationships. For 16-plus young people whose central difficulty is emotional dysregulation, DBT-informed work may also be relevant; my guide to dialectical behaviour therapy explains how it works. A counsellor experienced with young people will adjust the approach based on how the young person engages in early sessions, rather than prescribing a single method from the start.
What happens in a counselling session?
A typical first session with a young person is mostly the counsellor listening. There is no expectation that the young person arrives with a fully formed problem statement, and most don’t. Many open with “I don’t really know why I’m here, my mum just thought it might help”; that is a normal starting point, and counsellors expect it.
Sessions are usually 50 minutes, weekly, and may be in person or online. Over time they tend to move between three modes: talking about whatever is currently prominent, exploring patterns by noticing what tends to happen in particular situations, and skills work that builds tools for specific moments, including exam anxiety, panic, sleep and low mood. Different counsellors weight these differently depending on their training and the young person’s needs.
Can a teenager see a counsellor without their parents?
From 16, almost always yes. Sixteen and seventeen year olds can normally consent to counselling themselves. Under 16, the legal principle of Gillick competence means a young person who sufficiently understands what they are agreeing to may also consent, though in practice most counsellors set 16 as their working threshold and involve a parent or carer below that age. Under 13, a parent or carer is almost always involved in the booking, even though the sessions themselves remain confidential.
What stays confidential?
Once therapy begins, what the young person shares is private. The standard limits are immediate risk of serious harm to themselves, risk of serious harm to others, disclosures involving abuse of a child, and court-ordered disclosure. These limits apply at every age, and a competent counsellor explains them in plain language at the start of the first session so the young person knows exactly what is and is not kept private.
In practice, this means that with under-16s, parents are typically informed that sessions are happening and pay for them, but are not told what was discussed. From 16 upwards, the confidentiality framework is the same as it would be for an adult.
How can parents and carers support without overstepping?
The single most useful thing a parent or carer can do is normalise the idea of talking to someone while leaving the choice with the young person. Initiate the conversation casually: a relaxed setting, in the car, on a walk or during another activity, works much better than a formal sit-down, and “it might help to talk to someone who isn’t me” lands better than “I think you need therapy.” Framing counselling as the mental health equivalent of seeing a GP for a physical concern is usually more accurate, and easier to accept, than treating it as a sign something has gone seriously wrong.
Respect confidentiality once sessions begin. Don’t quiz the young person about what was said; confidentiality is part of why it works. Asking “did it help?” is fine; asking “what did you tell them?” usually isn’t. And if they refuse the offer, leave it open rather than escalating. Forced therapy almost never works, volunteered therapy frequently does, and many parents are surprised how often the same young person comes back to the idea three or six months later.
Finally, watch the pattern over time rather than any single session. Some therapeutic work feels harder before it feels easier, and that is normal. If the pattern across six to eight sessions is worsening rather than improving, raise it with the counsellor, with the young person’s knowledge.
How do you choose the right counsellor for a young Londoner?
Three things matter: credentials, experience and fit. For under-18 work there is a fourth, safeguarding, and a specialist will be comfortable talking about all four.
Credentials
In the UK, the titles “counsellor” and “therapist” are not legally protected, so anyone can use them. What verifies actual training is registration with a recognised professional body: the BACP, UKCP, BPS for psychologists, or HCPC for clinical psychologists. Some London counsellors also hold specific young-person credentials through services such as Place2Be, the Tavistock Centre or Royal Holloway’s specialist programmes. For under-18 work, ask whether the counsellor holds an enhanced DBS check and how their safeguarding procedure works; a specialist answers both without hesitation.
Experience
In the first conversation, ask what percentage of their current caseload is young people, and at what ages. Someone who sees mostly adults but takes occasional young clients will have a different clinical mindset from someone who specialises.
Fit
The young person needs to feel some basic sense of “I could talk to this person.” Use the free introductory call, and pay attention to whether the young person feels at least slightly more curious about going than before. If they don’t, try another counsellor. Fit matters, and switching once is sensible.
For full transparency about my own practice: I’m a UKCP-registered psychotherapist working mostly with adults, and I take occasional 16-plus young clients where CBT- or DBT-informed work fits the presentation, including emotional dysregulation, anxiety, BPD and ASC or ADHD-related work. Where the need is structured goals rather than therapy, my youth coaching work with 16-plus young people is sometimes the better fit. For under-16s, and for cases where adolescent-specialist training matters most, I refer to colleagues who specialise; the BACP Find a Therapist directory is a good starting point.
Ready to talk it through?
If anything here resonated, you don’t have to work through it alone. Book a free, no-obligation 20-minute discovery call with Sabbir Ahmed, UKCP-registered psychotherapist and EMCC-accredited coach, to talk through where you are and find the right way forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age can a young person see a counsellor without their parents?
Under UK Gillick competence rules, young people aged 16 and 17 can usually consent to counselling for themselves, and many counsellors will see 14- or 15-year-olds privately if the young person clearly understands what they’re consenting to. Under-13s almost always need a parent or carer involved in the booking, even if the sessions themselves are confidential. NHS-commissioned services (including CAMHS) and most registered charities publish clear age guidelines on their websites.
What’s the difference between counselling and CBT for young people?
Counselling is the broader category; it covers any structured talking-based therapy delivered by a registered practitioner. CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is one specific modality within counselling, focused on identifying and reshaping unhelpful thought patterns. CBT tends to be shorter (12 to 20 sessions) and more skills-focused; general counselling and integrative therapy can be open-ended and exploratory. Most young people benefit from either, depending on whether they’re after skills (try CBT) or space to be heard (try integrative or person-centred counselling).
Is online counselling appropriate for young people in London?
For some young people, online counselling works very well, particularly those with school-day timetables that don’t allow travel, those whose anxiety is partly about leaving the house, or those who find face-to-face initially overwhelming. For others (younger teens, those with chaotic home environments, those in active crisis), in-person counselling is usually safer. The NSPCC and BACP both publish guidance specific to online work with under-18s; any counsellor offering online services to young people should be familiar with both.
How do I talk to my teenager about seeing a counsellor?
Three things tend to land better than “you need therapy.” First, normalise it; most of their classmates probably know someone who has seen a counsellor, including via school. Second, leave the choice with them; say you’ll book and pay for an introductory session and they can decide after that whether to continue. Third, don’t frame it as a problem to be fixed; frame it as a resource: a person who isn’t you that they can talk to about anything. If they refuse, leave the offer open rather than escalating.
What if my young person is in immediate crisis or having suicidal thoughts?
If there is immediate risk to life, call 999 or take the young person to the nearest A&E. For non-emergency crisis support, NHS 111 (option 2) provides 24/7 mental-health advice, and Shout (text “SHOUT” to 85258) provides free 24/7 crisis text support specifically suited to young people. Papyrus HOPELINEUK (0800 068 4141, 9am to midnight) specialises in young suicide prevention, and YoungMinds has a 24/7 parent helpline (0808 802 5544) for parents worried about a young person’s safety.
Do you offer counselling for teenagers and young adults yourself?
I see 16-plus young adults where DBT-informed therapy fits the presentation, typically emotional dysregulation, anxiety, BPD, or ADHD-related work. For under-16s and for adolescent-specialist work where developmental-stage training is most important, I refer to colleagues who specialise. The free 20-minute discovery call lets us work out whether I’m the right fit before either of us commits.
How can a young person get free counselling in London?
Through four free routes: school or university counselling, CAMHS for under-18s, NHS Talking Therapies for 18 to 25 year olds, and borough charities such as The Mix, Kooth, the Brandon Centre, Open Door, Step Forward and Off the Record. Most accept self-referral and none charge. Age ranges and catchment areas change, so check each service’s own website for current rules.
How much does private counselling for a young person cost in London?
There is no single London rate. Fees depend on the counsellor’s experience, location and session format, and reputable directory profiles on the BACP and Counselling Directory list each counsellor’s fee openly, so you can compare before enquiring. Most counsellors offer a free introductory call. The free routes, including the NHS, schools and borough charities, cost nothing, so many families start there.
References and further reading
- NHS, Mental health services for children and young people (including CAMHS). Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- NHS, Find an NHS Talking Therapies service (18 and over). Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- BACP, Find a Therapist directory. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- UKCP, Find a Therapist. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- NSPCC, Gillick competence and Fraser guidelines. Retrieved 18 July 2026.