Zara O'Brien
PARENT AND CHILD CONSULTATION
Understanding your child —
together.
A collaborative space where you, your child, and I explore what's happening beneath the behaviour — and leave with a clearer picture, practical strategies, and a written summary you can actually use.
From £220 · One session
Eastbourne & Online (10+)
No referral needed
Home visits available
WHAT IS A PARENT & CHILD CONSULTATION?
Not diagnostic. Not therapy.
Collaborative and clarifying.
A parent and child consultation is a supported space where you, your child, and I explore their emotional world together — through conversation, play, and the Greenhouse Support Planning Toolkit. This isn't me observing from a distance. It's a genuine three-way conversation.
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I'm just as curious about how you're doing — the stress you're carrying, the toll it's taking, how compassionately you're treating yourself in the middle of it all — as I am about your child. Parents are often the last people to be asked how they are. That changes here.
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You'll leave with a written summary of our discussion, my observations and recommendations, and practical strategies you can use at home or share with school. It's consultation-based, not diagnostic — designed to give you clarity, not a label.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Parents who need clarity
You're seeing behaviours you don't understand and need professional insight into what's really happening for your child.
Waiting for assessment
Your child is on a waiting list for diagnosis or specialist input — but you need strategies and support now, not in 12 months.
Navigating school
School has raised concerns, or you need a professional perspective to share with teachers, SENCOs, or other services.
Life transitions
"I'm as curious about how you're doing in all of this as I am about your child. Both matter here."
Bereavement, separation, a new baby, a house move, a new school. Change that has unsettled your child and you need guidance navigating it.
Not sure if therapy is right
You're wondering whether your child needs ongoing therapy, or whether there are strategies to try first. A consultation is often exactly the right starting point.
Understanding your child's needs
You're noticing patterns or differences and need help understanding what your child needs — whether that's strategies, therapeutic input, or onward referral.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Everything you need to
make the most of the session.
BEFORE THE SESSION
Understanding your child's needs
A detailed reflection pack (45–60 minutes) sent to you ahead of the session — including validated measures of parental stress, reflective questions about your child, your observations, your fears, and any gaps in knowledge or understanding. I review this carefully before we meet so our time goes straight to what matters most.
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For young people aged 11+ — an optional age-appropriate pre-consultation pack is also available for them to complete independently, so their voice is already in the room before we begin.
THE SESSION - UP TO 90 MINUITES
Collaborative consultation
You, your child, and I working together as a team — hearing, sharing, and agreeing a way forward. I facilitate throughout, drawing on play, creativity, and psychological frameworks depending on your child's age and what the work calls for. Everyone leaves equipped, hopeful, and with a shared language.
AFTER THE SESSION
Written summary & recommendations
Within two weeks — observations, formulation, and recommendations with clear rationale. Something to return to, share with your partner, take into a school meeting, or send to a GP, SENCO, or specialist. Not just notes. A genuinely useful professional document.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SESSION
Different for every child.
Always led by them.
The session is one collaborative space — you, your child, and I working as a team. Not an observation, not two separate conversations. I facilitate throughout — hearing everyone, drawing things out, and helping you all move toward a shared understanding and a way forward.
AGES 4-10
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The Greenhouse Support Planning Toolkit creates a visual, playful space where children can show us their world without needing to find the words. Seeds represent their strengths, the soil represents what they need around them, and the greenhouse maps the support that would help them flourish. It makes the abstract tangible — for children and parents alike.
AGES 11+
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For older young people, we follow their lead — conversation, creative activities, or whatever feels most natural. Some want their parent in the room throughout, some want a moment alone. The session adapts to them. What stays constant is the aim: everyone leaves feeling heard, equipped, and hopeful — not with a verdict, but with a starting point and a shared plan.
FEES & PROCESS
Simple, clear,
no surprises.
A consultation includes the pre-session pack, the session itself, support planning, and the written summary. Everything is included in the fee.
CLINIC OR ONLINE
£220
In-person at the Eastbourne clinic, or online (ages 11 and over). Includes pre-session pack, session, support planning, and written summary.
HOME VISIT - EASTBOURNE
£260
Available for families who would benefit from a home visit within Eastbourne.
HOME VISIT - BRIGHTON OR HASTINGS
£300
Home visits to Brighton or Hastings. Further afield available — price on request.
THE PROCESS
1
Book & complete a short form
A brief booking form (15–20 minutes) about your concerns and what you're hoping for. Free, no payment at this stage.
2
Suitability check
I'll review your form within 48 hours. If it's not the right fit, I'll explain why and suggest other services — no charge.
3
Secure your slot — £50 deposit
Unlike ongoing therapy, a deposit is required for consultation work — because the pre-session pack, review, and preparation take considerable time from my diary before we even meet. The deposit confirms your date and is transferable once if you need to reschedule.
4
Complete the pre-session pack
Around 45–60 minutes. Designed to help you think deeply — so our time together is spent on understanding and solutions, not background.
5
Your session
FREQUENTLY ASSKED QUESTIONS
Is this the same as therapy?
No. A consultation is a one-off collaborative session focused on understanding and clarity. Ongoing therapy is a different offer — if therapy feels right after the consultation, that's a conversation we can have.
Does my child need to want to come?
Ideally yes — though some children are understandably apprehensive. It helps to frame it as a chance to be heard and understood, not an assessment they can pass or fail. If you're not sure how to introduce it, get in touch and we can think it through together.
Can both parents or carers attend?
Yes — and often it's really valuable when both people who know the child best are in the room.
Could a consultation lead to therapy?
Yes — and that's often how it works. A consultation gives you and your child clarity about what's happening and what would help. If ongoing therapy feels like the right next step, that's a conversation we can have at the end of the session. It's not a given, and there's no pressure — but consultation is often a natural starting point for families who aren't sure whether therapy is what they need.
Balance due 48 hours before. We meet — you, your child, and me — at the clinic, online, or at home.
Is it confidential?
6
Written summary
Within two weeks — observations, formulation, recommendations, and next steps. Share it with school, GP, or whoever needs it.
Yes. What you share in the consultation is confidential. The written summary is yours to share with whoever you choose — school, GP, a specialist — but that decision is always yours.
What if I disagree with the recommendations?
Good — say so. The summary is a starting point, not a prescription. If something doesn't fit, that conversation is worth having — it's often where the most useful thinking happens.
HOW THIS FITS THE VILLAGE FRAMEWORK
Equipping the people
closest to the child.
The village framework says that children's outcomes are shaped by every adult in their world. Parents and carers are the most important adults in that world — and yet they are often the least supported. The school gets training. The GP gets CPD. CAMHS gets supervision. Parents get a leaflet and a waiting list.
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A consultation gives parents something genuinely useful — not just for the immediate situation, but for every moment that follows. A shared language with their child. A psychological framework for understanding behaviour. Practical strategies that work across their child's whole village — at home, at school, at the grandparents', in the places that matter.
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For some families, a consultation is the starting point that leads to a decision about ongoing therapy. There's no pressure — but if therapy feels like the right next step after the session, that conversation is always available.
WHAT THE WRITTEN SUMMERY CAN BE USED FOR
School · SENCO · GP · Specialist referral · EHCP evidence · Personal record
A professional document with clear rationale — shareable with whoever needs it