Ages 3 to 18 · Manchester
Counselling that starts from how your autistic child experiences the world, in a room and at a pace that feel manageable to them.
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Young Minds Grow offers counselling for autistic children and teenagers aged 3 to 18 in Manchester. Our lead counsellor, Gitta Strassman MBACP, has specialist training in autism and 25 years of experience with children, and much of her work is with autistic children. Sessions use play, art and conversation at your child's pace, at our north Manchester clinic, in school or online. You don't need a diagnosis to get in touch.
If your child is into trains, Minecraft or one particular animal, that is often where we begin. A special interest is a way in, and children relax quickly when the adult in the room takes it seriously.
Same room, same time and the same start and finish each week. We plan the first visit with you so your child knows what to expect, and we warn them well ahead of any change.
Children can move about, fidget, keep headphones on or take a break when they need one. Nobody is asked to make eye contact or sit still to prove they are listening.
We help children notice what happens in their body before a meltdown, then find ways of coping that fit them, like a quiet signal for a teacher or a plan for the walk home.
Autism counselling for children is regular one-to-one time with a counsellor who understands autism, where your child can play, make things or talk about whatever is weighing on them. We don’t use it to train autistic traits out of a child. We use it to help them feel less overwhelmed and more at ease with who they are.
Most families looking for counselling for autistic children in Manchester come to us because something has become hard to live with. It might be meltdowns most evenings, a worry that stops a child going to a friend’s house, or a ten-year-old who has decided they are the problem. Gitta Strassman has specialist training in working with autistic children and young people, and autistic children make up a large part of the families she sees.
Each session lasts 50 minutes and follows the same shape every week, because predictability helps most autistic children settle. A six-year-old might spend most of the hour at the sand tray, setting up the same scene of animals week after week until one day something in it changes. An older child might build in Lego while describing a lunchtime that went wrong, or draw a map of school with the loud places coloured in.
Gitta follows your child’s lead and looks for patterns: the parts of the day that keep coming up, and what your child does with their hands or voice as they get close to something difficult. Over the weeks we turn that into things your child can use. That could be a card they hand a teacher when they need to leave the room, a plan for the noisiest part of the week, or words for feelings they could previously only show. Many autistic children find it hard to read signals from their own body, such as hunger, tiredness or panic building up, so we spend time on that as well.
Before your child’s first session, we meet you on your own for a 50-minute parent meeting. We want to hear about your child’s history, what a bad day looks like at home, what calms them, and anything that has gone badly with professionals before.
After that we meet you every six sessions or so. You won’t hear word for word what your child said, because children talk more freely when they know it stays private. You will hear what we’re noticing and ideas to try at home, such as a different way to handle the first ten minutes after school. If your child is having a hard time at school, we can talk with you about what to ask the SENCO for. If we were ever worried about your child’s safety, we would act on it, and where possible we’d speak to you first.
Counselling sits alongside diagnosis. We don’t diagnose autism, and a diagnosis isn’t needed before your child can see us. If you’re waiting for an assessment, your child can start counselling now, and we can tell you where to go if you haven’t been referred yet.
CAMHS is the NHS service for children’s mental health, and it is the right place for psychiatric care or medication. If your child is on a CAMHS waiting list, they can see us while they wait without losing their place. If your child is ever in crisis or at immediate risk, call 999 or go to A&E.
Families come to our north Manchester clinic from across the city and from Salford, Bury and Whitefield. If travelling is hard for your child, Gitta can see them in school or online instead.
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. We don't carry out autism assessments, but we can tell you where to go for one. Many of the children we see are still waiting for an assessment, and counselling can start in the meantime.
No. We are not trying to stop stimming, train eye contact or make your child behave like their classmates. The aim is less distress, and a child who understands themselves better and has ways of coping that suit how they work.
Often, yes. A lot of the work happens through the sand tray, small figures, drawing and clay, so a child can show us things without having to explain them. Tell us about your child on the free call and we'll be honest about whether we think it will suit them.
At our clinic in north Manchester, which is easy to reach from Salford, Bury and Whitefield. Gitta can also see your child in school, arranged with the SENCO, or online by video. Some autistic children find their own school or home much easier than a new building.
Fees depend on where sessions happen and how often, so we go through them on the free 15-minute call. The call costs nothing and you are under no obligation to book.
It varies from child to child. We meet you every six sessions or so to review how things are going, so you always know where you stand and nothing is open-ended.
How to tell a meltdown from a tantrum in an autistic child, what helps with each in the moment, and how to spot the build-up before it spills over.
Free printable: Our meltdown plan: a one-page sheet for home and school
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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