Gautami Parekh

Fridays

I am a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist working with children, young people and their families. Alongside my private practice, I hold a senior role within the NHS, where I work with complex emotional and relational difficulties.

Young people often come to therapy when something no longer feels manageable. This may show up as anxiety, low mood, withdrawal, changes in behaviour, or physical symptoms that don’t have a clear explanation. Often, what feels most difficult is not just the experience itself, but finding a way to make sense of it or put it into words.

I offer a calm, reflective and non-judgemental space where this can begin to unfold. My work is less about quick solutions and more about helping young people gradually understand themselves — their feelings, relationships, and the patterns that may feel confusing or stuck.

My approach is psychoanalytic and psychodynamic, meaning I am interested in how early relationships, attachment experiences and wider life contexts shape emotional development. I also work with sensitivity to identity, culture and belonging, including how experiences of difference, migration and intergenerational histories may be held within a young person’s world.

Where appropriate, I work alongside parents and carers, as bringing the wider relational context into the work often supports deeper understanding and meaningful change.

I offer individual psychotherapy for children and young people, as well as parent consultations and family-based work where this is helpful. Sessions are typically 50 minutes and take place on a regular weekly basis.

My practice provides a consistent and containing space where young people can explore their thoughts and feelings at their own pace. I understand that difficulties are often communicated indirectly — through behaviour, withdrawal, or physical symptoms — and I work carefully to make sense of these in a way that feels manageable and meaningful.

I have experience working with a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, low mood, trauma, emotional regulation challenges, identity and belonging, and school-based difficulties such as avoidance or distress. I also work with young people with neurodiverse profiles, including autism and ADHD, adapting the therapeutic approach to support engagement.

Alongside direct work with young people, I offer support to parents and carers. This may involve regular consultations or joint sessions, helping to build understanding of a child’s emotional world and supporting more confident responses at home.

I aim to offer a thoughtful, collaborative and non-judgemental approach, where therapy can develop at a pace that feels safe and appropriate.

The first session is an opportunity for us to meet and think together about what has brought you or your child to therapy, and whether this feels like the right fit.

For work with children and adolescents, I usually begin by meeting with parents or carers to gather some background information and understand the context of the concerns. This is often followed by individual sessions with the young person. Depending on the situation, I may also offer joint sessions.

The initial meetings form part of an assessment process. This allows us to build a shared understanding of the difficulties and to consider what kind of support would be most helpful. There is no expectation to commit to ongoing therapy immediately.

I do not routinely use questionnaires, as I find that taking time to talk and reflect together provides a fuller understanding of each individual’s experience. However, I will adapt this where needed.

My standard fee applies to the first session. I aim to offer a calm, containing and thoughtful space where you can begin to feel understood and consider next steps.

I am available on Mondays and Fridays for supervision

I am a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist offering psychoanalytically informed supervision to therapists working with children, young people and families. Alongside my private practice, I hold a senior role within the NHS, where I work with complex emotional and relational presentations.

My approach to supervision is reflective, collaborative and grounded in clinical curiosity. I aim to provide a containing space where supervisees can think more freely about their work, including the emotional impact of clinical practice, the therapeutic relationship, and the often complex dynamics that emerge in the room.

I am particularly interested in how unconscious processes, attachment patterns and wider systemic contexts shape both the client’s experience and the therapist’s responses. Supervision offers a space to explore these in depth, including the use of transference and countertransference as a way of understanding what may be communicated but not yet spoken.

I work with sensitivity to identity, culture and difference, and how these may be present within both the therapeutic relationship and the supervisory space.

My aim is to support the development of each supervisee’s clinical thinking and confidence, while also attending to ethical practice, risk, and professional responsibility.

I offer individual supervision for therapists working with children, adolescents and families, as well as those working with complex or relationally challenging presentations.

Supervision sessions are typically 60 minutes and take place on a regular basis. I offer both in-person and online supervision.

My supervision style is thoughtful and containing, providing space to explore clinical material in depth. This may include thinking about the therapeutic relationship, emotional responses within the work, developmental considerations, and the wider systems surrounding the client.

I support supervisees in working with complexity, including trauma, attachment difficulties, identity-related work, and presentations where distress may be communicated indirectly or through behaviour.

Alongside clinical exploration, I also hold in mind issues of risk, safeguarding, and professional accountability, supporting supervisees to feel more confident and grounded in their decision-making.

I have experience supervising trainees and qualified practitioners, and I aim to offer a space that is both supportive and appropriately challenging, depending on the needs and stage of development of the supervisee.

The first session is an opportunity for us to meet and think together about your work, your current supervision needs, and whether this feels like a good fit.

We would usually begin by exploring your clinical context, the client group you are working with, and any particular areas you would like support with. This may include thinking about specific cases, your current supervision experience, and how you would like supervision to support your development.

I do not use formal assessment tools, as I find that taking time to talk and reflect together provides a clearer sense of how we might work together.

There is no obligation to continue beyond the initial session. It is important that the supervisory relationship feels containing, thoughtful and appropriately attuned to your way of working.

My standard supervision fee applies to the first session. I aim to offer a reflective and collaborative space where you feel able to think openly about your work and consider next steps.