Ages 3 to 18 · Manchester
For children who hear 'calm down' and 'try harder' all day, and have started to believe there is something wrong with them.
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Young Minds Grow offers counselling for children and teenagers with ADHD in Manchester, for the anger, frustration and low self-esteem that often come with it. Sessions are active, with games, building and drawing, so your child doesn't have to sit still to take part. Counselling doesn't treat ADHD itself or replace medication, but it can work alongside both. Sessions run at our north Manchester clinic, in school or online.
Children can build, throw a soft ball, squash clay or play a board game while we talk. Activities change often, and an ADHD child who can keep their hands busy usually says far more.
We don't run attention training. We look at what happens just before your child loses their temper and find ways for them to catch it earlier.
Many ADHD children carry a long list of things they have been told off for. We help them notice what they are good at, and talk about the hard moments without shame.
At each parent review we share what we've noticed, such as which time of day is hardest, and suggest one or two things to try.
ADHD counselling for children helps with the feelings that tend to come with ADHD: frustration, sudden anger, shame and the sense of always being in trouble. It does not treat ADHD itself. Diagnosis and medication come through your GP or CAMHS, and counselling can sit alongside them.
By the time most families look for counselling for children with ADHD in Manchester, their child has heard ‘sit down’, ‘calm down’ and ‘why can’t you just listen’ more times than anyone could count. Some children push back hard. Others go quiet and start to agree with the worst things said about them. Gitta Strassman has worked with children and young people for 25 years, and a large part of that work has been with children who have ADHD.
A session with an ADHD child counsellor should not depend on a child sitting still and talking for 50 minutes, and ours doesn’t. One week a seven-year-old might spend the session building a tower of blocks and knocking it down, which turns into a conversation about the times at school when everything feels about to collapse. Another week might be a board game, where losing gives us a real moment of disappointment to work with as it happens, and a chance to practise what to do when it stings.
Older children often prefer to talk while doing something with their hands, such as clay or drawing. Teenagers with ADHD may want more conversation, and a chance to talk through the things that keep going wrong, like missed deadlines, arguments at home or friends who seem to have moved on.
The pattern many parents describe goes like this: a child gets through the day at school, then falls apart within minutes of getting home. A sock that feels wrong or a sibling in the way of the telly is enough. It can look like it came from nowhere, but usually it has been building since breakfast.
In counselling we help your child recognise the early signs, such as a hot face, a louder voice or a sudden urge to run off. Then we find something they can actually do at that point. For one child it is ten minutes alone with a snack before anyone asks about their day. For another it is jumping on a trampoline. We share what we find with you, so home can change a little too.
Every family starts with a free 15-minute call, then a 50-minute meeting with you alone before your child’s first session. We ask what a good day and a bad day look like, what has been tried, and what the school is saying.
We meet you again every six sessions or so to review. You won’t get a transcript of what your child said, but you will hear what we are seeing and what might help at home.
Parenting courses give parents strategies. ADHD coaching usually focuses on organisation and routines. Medication can help with attention and impulsivity. Counselling is the place where your child gets to talk, or play, about how all of this feels. Many children benefit from more than one of these at once.
If your child is ever in crisis or at immediate risk, call 999 or go to A&E. Our clinic is in north Manchester, within easy reach of Salford, Bury and Whitefield, and we also work in schools and online.
At our clinic in north Manchester, in your child's school (arranged with the SENCO or pastoral team), or online by video anywhere in the UK. Times are flexible, including after school. Gitta is MBACP registered (no. 406991), DBS checked and fully insured, with 25 years' experience working with children and young people.
No. You can contact us directly, without a referral. Some children we see have a diagnosis and some are waiting for an assessment. We don't diagnose ADHD, but we can tell you where to go if you think an assessment would help.
No. Medication is a medical decision for your GP, CAMHS or a psychiatrist, and we don't advise on it. Counselling works on something different: the feelings, friendships and self-esteem around ADHD. Many children have both.
They won't be asked to sit still. Sessions include moving, building, games and short changes of activity. Gitta has worked with a great many ADHD children and plans each session around how your child's attention works.
At our clinic in north Manchester, in your child's school, or online by video. A session in school can suit children who are worn out by the end of the day, and we arrange it with the SENCO or pastoral team. After-school times are available too.
Fees depend on where sessions take place and how often. We explain them on the free 15-minute call, and there is no obligation to book anything after it.
Only with your agreement. When sessions are in school we work with the SENCO or pastoral lead on the practical side, such as times and rooms. What your child says in sessions stays private unless there is a safety concern.
ADHD children often explode after school because holding it together all day uses up their reserves. Why it happens, and an after-school routine that helps.
Free printable: After-school decompression plan
The CAMHS waiting list in Manchester can run to months. What to ask your GP and school, where to find local support, and how to help your child meanwhile.
How to tell your child about counselling, with example words for ages 3 to 18 and the phrases to steer clear of, so the first session feels less daunting.
Free printable: My first session: a picture guide for children
Tell us what's been happening and ask whatever you like. If we don't think we're the right people to help, we'll tell you who might be.
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