Who are we?

We are a team of psychological professionals, including Psychological Therapists and Clinical Psychologists. We work with young people (up to age 18) and their families where a young person is having difficulties that are affecting the quality of their life. Seeing us does not mean that you are ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’. One in four people experience mental health difficulties in their lives and the teenage years often have many ups and downs that can be hard to deal with.

We aim to help you with psychological difficulties that are significantly impacting on you and your family. We do this by listening to you and working together to understand your situation better. We can then come up with some ideas that will hopefully lead to some positive changes in your life.

What sort of things do we see young people about?

  • Emotional difficulties, such as low mood or feelings of anxiety or anger
  • Relationship difficulties, e.g. with friends, parents, foster carers
  • Traumatic experiences
  • Dealing with a disability, health issue or medical condition

How can we help?

We work with you by listening to everything you tell us and by communicating together. This can be through talking, writing, doing artwork, playing games or completing questionnaires. Our training has taught us to ask questions designed to help you look at your situation in different ways. We are not here to judge or criticise you, and we are not trying to catch you out.

We are different from Psychiatrists and Paediatricians and do not give medication.

Is what we talk about private?

It is up to you what you decide to tell us and what you want to keep private. We often work with the adults involved in your life to help them better understand and support you. However, they do not need to know everything we talk about and we would not share anything that you asked us to keep private. The only time we cannot keep things private is if we were worried about someone’s safety.

What happens at the first meeting?

After we have received a referral, we will invite you and usually your parent/carer to an online appointment. If you decide you want to meet us and see how we work, we will meet with you for up to an hour. We will tell you about our service and speak with you about your family, your interests and any difficulties. We then decide together whether arranging further appointments would be the best way forward and whether our service is right for you. We may recommend a different service if we think that this would be helpful.

Who should come?

You can come by yourself if you are age 16 or over, otherwise we ask that a parent or carer attends with you. We can decide together who will attend the meetings and who else might be involved. This might change over time. The most important thing is that you feel OK discussing your concerns with the people you choose to be in the meetings.

Where will I be seen?

Initial appointments are generally online but can be arranged face-to-face if required. Follow up is usually via face-to-face appointments at The Mount, in Accrington. We can also offer video appointments. Within reason, we aim to be as flexible as possible with setting up meetings at convenient times.

What about future meetings?

These will usually last for about one hour and will be with the same person each time. This may involve individual appointments, appointments with a parent or carer or family meetings. The number of meetings you have will depend on your individual situation.

More information

If you would like to learn more about us, you can access our Children and Young People’s Psychological Services East Lancashire webpage.

Feeling low and need someone to talk to?

Call 0800 915 4640, Monday to Friday 7pm to 11pm Saturday to Sunday 12pm to midnight.

Need urgent help?

Call 0800 953 0110 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This leaflet is available in alternative languages and formats upon request. Please speak to a member of our staff to arrange this.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

If you have any concerns, questions or need advice on our services, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).