Young people’s mental health and child psychiatry services in London

Priory Hospital North London’s young people’s service provides intensive inpatient and outpatient care for the assessment and treatment of young people suffering from acute emotional, behavioural and mental health problems. We are able to provide individually tailored support for young people between the ages of 12-18, in an age-appropriate environment. Our young people’s inpatient service is situated in a secure area of the hospital and comprises 22 single occupancy bedrooms, each with en-suite facilities, along with welcoming and comfortable living areas.

The service has been specifically designed for young people who may be exhibiting symptoms of mental health difficulties such as:

• Depression
• Self-harm
• Trauma and PTSD
• Psychosis
• Issues with abuse
• Social withdrawal

Adolescent obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) treatment is also offered at North London as part of our specialist young people’s services. This personalised service caters for young people suffering from OCD, BDD, health anxiety and other related disorders on an inpatient and day care basis. This service is led by world renowned and published expert, Professor David Veale. Professor Veale leads a dedicated team of cognitive behavioural therapists and specialist mental health nurses who are committed to providing world class OCD and BDD treatment to each and every one of our young patients.

Flexible mental health treatment for young people

We are able to treat our young patients using a broad range of established therapeutic interventions. The therapy that is delivered to the young people in our care is personalised according to their unique condition, needs and requirements, as part of an individually tailored package of care.

Treatment programmes

There are a number of treatment programme options that young people can benefit from at Priory Hospital North London. These consist of:

• Outpatient treatment programme
• Day care programme
• Inpatient (residential) treatment programme

Therapy format

The therapy that is offered as part of our young people’s service can be delivered in a number of different formats including:

• 1:1 therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy

Types of therapy

The therapies that we provide to young people at North London include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
• Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Mindfulness
• Schema therapy
• Compassionate mind groups
• Creative therapies such as psychodrama, art therapy and creative writing
• Psychoeducation

You can read more about our different treatment options on our approach to mental health treatment page.

Key features of North London’s Young People’s Service

Our young people’s service is youth-orientated, and focuses on the individual needs of our young patients. As well as providing a range of psychodynamic, systemic, behavioural and cognitive therapeutic approaches, we also offer a range of additional features including: 

• Same-day response assessment requests
• Educational provision
• Effective liaison, discharge and aftercare planning
• Calming and contained environment
• Experienced multidisciplinary team approach to co-ordinating and providing care for young people
• Specialists available 24 hours a day
• Involvement of patients in their treatment journey
• Recreational activities to promote social confidence and support rehabilitation