Children and young people's mental health assessments
- Get started from £69
- Expert clinical review
- Specialist assessments available
Understanding the assessment process
Our young people's digital assessment provides a safe and supportive space for children and adolescents to engage with a qualified mental health professional about the difficulties they're experiencing and explore practical next steps to strengthen their wellbeing.
This assessment is an important first step in understanding a young person's needs and identifying the most appropriate support.
Delivered as part of our young people’s services, (sometimes referred to as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS)), the information on this page relates to our young people's digital assessment, which is available to individuals who are self-funding their treatment. If you're looking to access support through private medical insurance, please give us a call and we'll guide you through the next steps.
Children and young people's digital assessment | £69
Our digital assessment begins with an online questionnaire powered by beseen, which is designed specifically for children and young people aged 4 to 17, with input from their families or carers.
This assessment enables young people and those who support them to share detailed information about their mental health with healthcare professionals. It combines clinically validated multiple-choice questions with opportunities for free-text responses, allowing their experiences to be expressed in their own words, while ensuring information is captured in a structured, clinically meaningful way for our team.
- Parents or carers of all young people aged 4-17 will receive a link to complete parent/carer questions
- Young people aged 13-17 will also receive a separate link to complete their own questionnaire
- You can save your progress and return later if needed
- Each form typically takes up to 40 minutes to complete
Children and young people are guided through questions about different areas of their mental health and wellbeing. We take care to introduce more sensitive topics carefully, with clear guidance so they know what to expect. Some sections are optional, so they can share what feels comfortable for them, with the option to talk through anything further with a healthcare professional when they feel ready.
Once the questionnaire is completed, a qualified clinician will review the responses within 48 hours and recommend an appropriate, personalised treatment pathway.
What happens next?
Once a Priory mental health professional has reviewed the completed questionnaires, we’ll send the parent/carer an email to explain what happens next.
This will usually include one of the following recommendations:
1. Support through therapy – we may suggest that the young person begins psychological therapy. This can help them explore what they’re experiencing and start building a tailored treatment plan.
2. A psychiatric assessment – we may recommend that the young person is assessed by a psychiatrist. This can help if they need a mental health diagnosis, support in understanding whether medication might be right for them, or help with more complex mental health needs. It also allows us to recommend the most suitable treatment plan moving forward.
3. Exploring other support options – in some cases, we may feel that another service is better placed to help the young person. If this happens, we’ll recommend speaking with your GP to explore more suitable or specialist support.
Therapy at Priory starts at £149 per session and you may also be able to fund treatment through private medical insurance.
Autism and ADHD assessments
The digital assessment does include questions relating to neurodivergent conditions such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When our expert reviews the young person’s questionnaire, they’ll be able to determine if further exploration of these conditions is necessary.
From there, we’re able to provide private autism and ADHD assessments at Priory sites.
Getting started with the beseen digital platform
To get started, you’ll need to register on the beseen platform. Once you’ve signed up, our team will send you the appropriate questionnaire links, depending on the age of the young person.
beseen is a digital assessment platform that helps us gather information from both you and your child, building a clear picture of what they’re experiencing.
This helps our clinicians understand their needs early on and guide you towards the most appropriate support.
The process is designed to make things clearer from the very beginning, so you can feel confident about the next steps and how best to support your child.
Not suitable for:
- Children and young people who are in crisis or require immediate support
- Those under 4 years of age or over 17 years
- Children and young people presenting with a high risk to themselves or others
- Families or individuals seeking medico-legal assessments or reports
If you are in need of immediate support, you can access more information here.
Specialist assessments
If you’re concerned about your child’s mental health or feel they may need a diagnosis, we recommend booking a young person’s assessment with one of our specialist child and adolescent psychiatry consultants.
These assessments are available at our hospitals nationwide and help determine whether a young person would benefit from therapy or further support. From there, we can recommend a tailored plan, whether that involves therapy, day care or inpatient support, with our teams here to support you and your family throughout.