Child psychotherapist: Job description

Child and adolescent psychotherapists offer psychoanalytic treatment to children and young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties, including:

• depression;
• anxiety;
• development delay;
• phobias;
• aggression;
• gender dysphoria;
• consequences of child abuse;
• self-harming;
• learning difficulties and disabilities;
• eating disorders;
• psychosomatic disorders.

Other psychotherapeutic approaches and methodologies based on a range of traditions, including integrative, integrative arts, humanistic, transactional analysis and systemic psychotherapies, may also be used.

Child and adolescent psychotherapists use a multidisciplinary approach and work within the context of the child's life, for example, the family or school. They may see a child individually, in a group with other children, or with parents or other family members. They may also see parents or carers without the child being present.

Child and adolescent psychotherapy is a core profession within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Typical work activities

Child and adolescent psychotherapists are skilled in the assessment and treatment of children and young people, and are trained to carefully observe them and respond to what they might be communicating through their behaviour and play. They tailor their approach to the individual child and work in an age-appropriate way. Younger children, for example, may play with the toys provided or draw, whilst teenagers might talk about their feelings. Infants and parents are seen together so that their patterns of interaction can be considered. To a trained eye, play is a powerful form of communication, which may express how children feel and the difficulties they may be experiencing. The relationship between the child and the therapist is central to treatment.

Tasks typically involve:

• providing assessment and treatment of children and adolescents as individuals or in a group;
• providing short-term and long-term interventions with children, young people and/or parents, from two to six sessions to regular appointments over several years;
• working alongside other professionals in planning how best to help a child and the child's family, for example in schools, hospitals, children's services and child protection agencies;
• working as part of multidisciplinary teams comprising psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, paediatric nurses, special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs), family therapists and community psychiatric nurses, most commonly in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS);
• supervising trainee child psychotherapists and other therapists;
• offering training, consultation and supervision to other professionals who work with children and families in the community, including health visitors, social workers, teachers, midwives and nurses;
• planning service delivery in conjunction with commissioners and developing new services;
• keeping abreast of developments in theory and research and undertaking continuing professional development (CPD).