Why More Families Are Seeking Private Psychology Support for Their Children

Discover why more London families are turning to private child psychologists for faster, specialist support for their children.

When a child is struggling, waiting feels impossible. Yet for hundreds of thousands of families across the UK, waiting is precisely what the system asks them to do. According to data from the NHS Benchmarking Network, on 31 March 2025, 255,000 children and young people across the UK were on a waiting list for community mental health care. More than a quarter of them were waiting the equivalent of an entire school term or longer before anyone began to help them.

For parents watching their child withdraw, struggle at school, or spiral into anxiety, that is not an abstract statistic. It is weeks and months of worry with no clear end in sight.

The Gap the System Cannot Currently Fill

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, commonly known as CAMHS, were never designed for the scale of demand they now face. Referrals have grown significantly over the past decade, and staffing has not kept pace. The result is a system that works hard but cannot always reach children quickly enough.

The picture in England is particularly stark. While Scotland has made genuine progress, meeting its 18-week treatment target for the first time in late 2024, England has no equivalent national standard. There is no formal obligation on services to see a child within a set timeframe, and in practice many children wait far longer than 18 weeks, with some waiting over two years.

For families in London, this gap has driven a significant and growing shift toward private psychology services, where specialist appointments are typically available within weeks rather than months, and where the approach is tailored closely to the individual child's needs.

What a Specialist Private Practice Offers

CY&A Psychology, based in Marylebone in central London, is one of the practices meeting this demand. Founded by Dr Clare Yassin, a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with a doctorate from the University of London, the practice brings together a small team of highly experienced CAMHS clinicians offering evidence-based therapy to children, teenagers and young adults up to the age of 28.

That upper age limit is itself significant. One of the most common frustrations parents encounter within NHS services is the abrupt cut-off at 18, which can leave young people in the middle of their most challenging years without continuity of care. CY&A deliberately works across this transition, ensuring young people are not passed from service to service at the very point they need stability most.

The range of approaches available is broad, spanning CBT, EMDR, Theraplay, Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, family and parenting support, and even a structured therapeutic programme using role-play. Sessions are available in person at their Marylebone townhouse, a calm and welcoming space designed specifically with young people in mind, or online for families who prefer it.

The Same Need, Reflected Across the Country

The shift toward private child psychology is not unique to London. In Birmingham, Purple House Clinic offers specialist psychology services for children, adolescents and adults, providing a timely alternative to NHS waiting lists across the Midlands and beyond. Led by qualified Clinical Psychologists and registered with the HCPC, their child-focused services reflect the same philosophy: that young people deserve specialist, evidence-based support delivered promptly and with genuine care.

Something Worth Supporting

Private psychology practices working with children and young people are filling a genuine gap in the nation's mental health infrastructure. They are not replacing the NHS but complementing it, reaching the children who cannot wait, and providing the kind of personalised, sustained care that complex emotional and developmental difficulties genuinely require.

According to Young Minds, the UK's leading children's mental health charity, early intervention is one of the most important factors in a young person's long-term mental health outcomes. The practices making that early intervention possible deserve to be recognised for the work they are doing.

If your child is struggling and you are uncertain where to turn, it may be worth exploring what specialist private support looks like. The first conversation is often simpler and more reassuring than families expect.