Mental health treatment for children and young people
Treatment and support for children starts with a digital assessment, allowing you to share your experiences and give our experts insight into your daily life.
When a child or young person is struggling with their mental health, it can be hard to know what support might help. Every child’s needs are different, and what works for one young person may not be right for another.
Mental health treatment for young people can range from short-term therapy to more intensive care , depending on what a child is experiencing and how it’s affecting their daily life. This page is here to help you understand the different options available.
How mental health treatment for children works
Mental health support for children and young people isn’t a fixed pathway. Treatment is tailored to each child, taking into account their age, experiences and wider family context, and can adapt as their needs change.
Treatment is delivered by multidisciplinary teams who work together to provide joined-up, whole-person care. This may include therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, support workers and other specialists, depending on what support is appropriate. Working in this way allows the team to support the child as a whole, rather than focusing on a single difficulty in isolation.
Support is flexible and responsive. Some children may benefit from short-term, focused support, while others may need more structured or longer-term care.
Starting with an assessment
An assessment is the starting point for all mental health care for children and young people. This is a supportive conversation designed to build a clear picture of how a child is feeling, what they may be finding difficult, and what support could be helpful for them.
During an assessment, professionals aim to understand a child’s needs. This includes their emotional wellbeing, behaviour, any risks or concerns, strengths, and the environment around them, such as home, school, friendships and family life.
- Get started with the children's digital assessment for £69
Having an assessment doesn’t automatically lead to treatment. For some families, it provides reassurance or guidance about next steps. For others, it may help identify whether more structured support could be helpful, or whether another type of service would be more appropriate. The purpose is to explore options, not to commit you or your child to a particular pathway.
Treatment options for young people
When it comes to mental health treatment for children and young people, there are four main types of support at Priory. These are:
- Inpatient treatment
- Day hospital treatment
- Day care services
- Outpatient therapy
Each offers a different level of support, depending on how much help a child needs at that point in time. There’s no single ‘right’ option, and these approaches can be used at different stages of a child’s care.
The table below gives a simple overview of how these options differ, to help you understand what each one involves.
Inpatient 12-17 years | Day hospital 12-17 years | Day care (half-day) 12-17 years | Outpatient 4-17 years | |
Level of support | High | Moderate-high | Moderate | Low |
Level of contact | Round-the-clock care | Between 1 and 5 full days each week (9am-6pm) | 1.5 hours of group therapy and 1:1 therapy each week (length of session dependent on young person's need) | 1 hour each week |
Consultant psychiatrist input | Oversight and twice-weekly reviews | Oversight and weekly reviews | Oversight and reviews every 6 weeks (minimum) | As appropriate - young people may have 1:1 therapy, psychiatry or combined as appropriate |
Meals included |  | |  | |
Education | | | | |
Location | Roehampton and Chelmsford only | Roehampton and Chelmsford only | Online, with option for face-to-face 1:1 sessions | Clinic or online |
Inpatient mental health treatment is a more intensive form of support for children and young people who need round-the-clock care. It’s designed to help a young person stabilise, feel safe, and begin to work on their mental health in a structured and supportive environment.
When is inpatient care needed?
Inpatient care may be considered when a child’s needs are complex, persistent or can’t be safely managed through outpatient therapy or day care alone. This can include situations where emotional distress is significantly affecting daily life, where a young person is experiencing severe anxiety, depression or difficulties with emotional regulation, or where specialist assessment and support are needed.
Who provides the support?
Care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team, which may include consultant psychiatrists, therapists, nurses, psychologists and support workers. Together, they provide a tailored programme of individual and group therapy, wellbeing activities, education, practical support and monitoring that aims to promote recovery.
What's the environment like?
When a child or young person receives inpatient care, they stay on-site at a specialist unit that’s been designed to be safe, structured and age-appropriate.
These environments feel calm and supportive, with spaces that are welcoming rather than clinical. Bedrooms, communal areas and therapy spaces are all designed with young people in mind, helping them feel comfortable while they focus on their wellbeing.
How are families involved?
Family involvement remains important during inpatient care. Parents and carers are usually kept informed and involved in planning and review meetings, and visiting is supported so that relationships are maintained. Being part of the care journey can help families feel connected and reassured as a young person works towards greater emotional stability.
How does inpatient care fit into the wider pathway?
At Priory, inpatient treatment is focused on stability and recovery. It’s one part of a wider pathway, with clear planning to support young people as they move towards less intensive support and re-engage with everyday life, education and relationships.
Our day hospitals have been designed for young people who need a high level of therapeutic support during the day, but are able to return home in the evenings. It offers many of the same therapeutic elements as inpatient care, including structured groups, education and clinical input, without the need for an overnight stay.
When is day hospital treatment needed?
Day hospital treatment may be recommended when a young person needs more regular, structured support than weekly therapy can provide, but doesn't need 24-hour care. It can be helpful when mental health difficulties are having a significant impact on school, relationships, family life or everyday routines.
Young people can attend between 1 and 5 days per week, depending on the level of support they need. This means the programme can be tailored around each young person and adjusted as their needs change.
Who provides the support?
Support is provided by a multidisciplinary team, with input from professionals such as consultant psychiatrists, therapists, nurses, psychologists, teachers and support workers. The team works together to understand each young person’s needs and provide joined-up care throughout the programme.
What's the environment like?
Day hospital treatment takes place in a specialist young people’s environment that is calm, structured and age-appropriate. Young people spend the day on-site, taking part in therapy and education, before returning home at the end of the day.
This helps them access intensive support while maintaining important connections with home, family and familiar routines.
How are families involved?
Parents and carers are involved throughout the young person’s care, including planning and review discussions where appropriate. This helps families understand how their child is progressing, what support may be helpful at home and how everyone can work together towards recovery.
How does day hospital treatment fit into the wider pathway?
Day hospital treatment can be the first step into more structured care, or it can support a young person as they move on from inpatient treatment. It provides an important middle ground between 24-hour care and less intensive community-based support, helping young people build confidence, routine and practical coping skills.
Day care is for young people who need more structured support than outpatient therapy, but don’t need a full day hospital programme or 24-hour inpatient care. It offers regular therapeutic input while allowing young people to continue living at home and stay connected to their usual routines.
Who provides the support?
During day care, young people remain under the care of a psychiatrist and receive therapeutic support as part of a structured care plan. This helps ensure their progress is reviewed and that the support they receive continues to reflect their needs.
What does day care involve?
Day care includes 1.5 hours of online group therapy each week, alongside a weekly 1-hour one-to-one therapy session. Group therapy always takes place online, while one-to-one sessions can be delivered online or face-to-face, depending on what's available locally, what feels manageable for the young person and what's clinically appropriate for them.
The programme focuses on helping young people build practical coping skills, emotional resilience and self-awareness. This may include support with understanding thoughts, feelings and behaviours, managing anxiety or low mood, navigating school pressures and developing strategies they can use at home, at school and in social situations.
How are families involved?
Parents and carers can be kept informed and involved as appropriate, so they understand the young person’s progress and the strategies being developed in therapy. This can help families feel more confident supporting their child outside of sessions.
How does day care fit into the wider pathway?
Day care can be used as a starting point for young people who need more than outpatient therapy, or as a step-down from more intensive support. If a young person’s needs change, they may move to a higher or lower level of care where clinically appropriate.
Outpatient therapy is often the least intensive form of mental health support and is designed to fit around a child or young person’s everyday life. It involves weekly therapy sessions, while the child continues to live at home, attend school and maintain their usual routines. Sessions typically last around an hour and can take place in-person or online, depending on what works best for the child and family.
Therapy is tailored to the young person’s needs, age and experiences, with the therapist selecting the most appropriate approach. This may include CBT, EMDR or psychodynamic therapy, depending on what is likely to be most helpful at that time.
Who provides the support?
Support is most commonly provided by a CAMHS therapist, counsellor or psychologist. They help the child talk about what they’re experiencing, develop coping skills and better understand their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
How are families involved?
Parents and carers are usually involved in outpatient therapy in a way that reflects the child’s age, needs and preferences. This may include regular updates, guidance sessions for parents or joint sessions where helpful.
The aim is to ensure that support extends beyond the therapy room and feels joined up for the whole family.
What's the environment like?
The environment for outpatient therapy is calm, welcoming and age-appropriate. Sessions take place in settings designed to feel safe and non-threatening, rather than clinical. For some families, online therapy offers additional flexibility and comfort, allowing young people to access support from home.
We currently have two dedicated young people’s units, based at Priory Hospital Roehampton in London and Priory Hospital Chelmsford in Essex.
Both units provide specialist day hospital and inpatient treatment for children and young people who need a more structured level of care. Treatment is delivered in a safe, supportive environment, with care tailored to each young person’s needs.
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Education support
Education is built into our inpatient and day hospital programmes at Roehampton and Chelmsford, and is available during term time. Our Ofsted-registered on-site schools help young people continue learning alongside treatment, with support from specialist, understanding teachers. This can include bespoke one-to-one tutoring, small group learning and personal development sessions focused on confidence, social skills and future planning.
Outstanding-rated Priory school awarded Certificate of Excellence for personalised education
The award recognises Priory Roehampton's school’s outstanding work in delivering personalised education to young people aged 12 to 17 who are receiving inpatient mental health care.
Taking the next step
If you’re unsure what support might be right for your child, starting with an assessment can help bring clarity. It offers an opportunity to understand what your child is experiencing and explore what support could be helpful, without committing to a particular treatment pathway.
At Priory, we understand that this process can feel daunting. Having conversations and feeling more confident about the next steps are all part of supporting a child’s wellbeing, and there’s no pressure to move faster than feels right for your family.