Frequently asked questions for parents/guardians

A member of our Clinical Team will contact you at the date and time arranged for your child’s online initial clinical consultation.

If you were unable to arrange your initial clinical consultation, our Client Liaison Team will call you to discuss your child’s needs and to offer a convenient date and time for the online initial clinical consultation.

This is the first step in understanding the difficulties your child is experiencing. At the initial clinical consultation, the clinician will ask about your child’s current situation, school experience, family life, mood, current problems, as well as how these problems make them feel, think, and behave. The clinician will ask about the impact these problems are having on life at home, school and with friendships, and discuss the goals for therapy.

In most cases, at the end of the initial clinical consultation the clinician will discuss the outcome of the initial clinical consultation. In some cases, they may need to discuss suitability with a colleague before deciding, if so, you will be contacted shortly after.

To optimise the time in your initial clinical consultation appointment and allow us to gain a better understanding of your child’s needs, a questionnaire link will be sent to you by email when the appointment is confirmed.

This online questionnaire is comprehensive, and you will need to allow sufficient time (approximately 20 – 30 minutes), for completion by you and your child, prior to initial clinical consultation.

The questionnaires we use are validated measures to give an indication of health and are continued to be used during therapy, to assist with the development of the therapy goals and treatment plan.

You will need to provide any details of any medication your child is taking, including the medication names and dose with the frequency this is taken. You will be asked to provide your consent on the initial form sent to you in your first appointment confirmation email. This consent is best practice which allows us to share a copy of the report with your NHS GP, so all health care professionals are informed and aligned to optimise your child's care.

Please note that all initial clinical consultations are recorded for training and quality purposes. You will be asked for your consent. Recording of calls allows us to ensure effective safe practice.

Ideally, you and your child should attend the full initial clinical consultation. If this is not possible, we need to speak with your child, even if they attend briefly and you provide the rest of the information.

If you are unable to attend, the child can attend with any other adult with parental responsibility.

If your child is unwell, please let us know as soon as possible. You can re-arrange or cancel the initial clinical consultation.

We operate a 48-hour working day cancellation policy. Please call the Onebright Team on 020 0792 7911.

Alongside the current mental health difficulties, it is always helpful to gain an understanding of your child's journey to date such as their development or significant events in their life.

This information helps the clinician gain a holistic view of your child to help determine what would be best from a therapeutic perspective. It is common that children do not know this information so the parent’s involvement at this stage is paramount.

Whilst you may not need to be present for all the appointment, it is important to remain close by to offer support during or afterwards.

We understand that it may be a big step to discuss problems and difficulties. Our aim is to ensure that both the child and parent feel comfortable, supported, and understood in the initial clinical consultation.

A typical initial clinical consultation session can take 45 minutes, please allow an hour.

The clinician will discuss the outcome of the initial clinical consultation with a colleague before confirming a decision.

You will be contacted shortly after the initial clinical consultation to discuss the outcome. We will offer an explanation and your recommended next steps. This can include signposting to relevant or more appropriate services, psychoeducational resources to help further support your child and where to access any ongoing support/guidance.

All our clinicians have strict ethical codes of conduct relating to confidentiality.  

Your clinician will only extend the parameters of confidentially if you tell us something that is an immediate danger to your child or someone else.  If your clinician is concerned for your child’s safety, they will discuss this with you with the view of keeping them and others safe. 

Psychological therapy refers to therapeutic approaches and interventions that are supported by research and evidence demonstrating their effectiveness in treating specific mental health conditions. The goal of evidence-based therapy is to provide mental health professionals with a framework for selecting and implementing interventions that have been shown to produce positive outcomes for children with mental health difficulties, which can be used for the rest of their lives. Some examples of evidence-based therapy are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Early Intervention therapy.

For more information, please visit https://onebright.com/therapy-for-children-and-young-people/

For specific problems, evidence-based therapy is the treatment of choice as outlined by the Department of Health backed clinical guidelines for most psychological problems.

It is an effective approach for common emotional problems such as stress, separation anxiety, anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, addictions, pain, chronic fatigue, panic attacks, health anxiety and social anxiety.

Psychiatrists are doctors trained to diagnose and treat mental, behavioural and emotional disorders.  You will be recommended a Psychiatric assessment if there is uncertainty about your diagnosis, you pose a risk to self or others, or complex psychopharmacology is being prescribed. We will recommend Psychiatry in line with NICE guidelines.

All our consultant psychiatrists either work or have worked as consultant psychiatrists in the N.H.S. They are all on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council, so you can be sure you’re in safe hands.

We encourage parents to be involved throughout therapy. Parental involvement will be discussed in the initial clinical consultation and the approach will be collaboratively agreed.

There is a very high demand for therapy services for children in the UK, and we are working with highly experienced mental health professionals to deliver the best service. We’re delighted to be able to offer rapid access to remote therapy, and the first appointment will usually be offered within a matter of days. If you prefer face to face therapy, then we will work hard to find an appointment that is within 60 - 90 minutes travelling time. Recognising that there is a national shortage of Consultant Children and Young People Psychiatrists working in the UK , Psychiatry travelling time will be extended (90 minutes plus).

Due to the level of demand, and specialist skills required, appointments may be offered during school hours. We can provide you with a letter listing the appointment dates and times to show the child's school if needed.

The initial clinical consultation will be carried out by telephone call and treatment sessions via video call or in person. For remote appointments we recommend that in readiness for the appointments you ensure that you/your child have access to a private space, stable internet connection and functioning software to carry out video calls.

For appointments during school hours, you will need to liaise with your child’s school to ensure provision of the above.

The clinic location and directions to your face-to-face appointment will be advised at the time of booking.

Onebright has been providing clinical excellence in mental health across the UK for 30 years. We are a pioneer in clinical consultations, assessments and treatment for children as well as providing specialist services for adults.

We are committed to providing every person with the best mental healthcare, offering hope for a better and brighter future. Our services include consultations focused on common mental health conditions in children, and evidence-based therapies to treat conditions such as anxiety and depression.

You can contact Onebright’s Client Liaison Team on 020 0792 7911 and they will be very happy to help with any queries you may have.

Email: axahealth@onebright.com

Please contact your GP for an emergency appointment, call 111 or visit your Accident and Emergency.

For further details please visit https://onebright.com/need-urgent-help/