Case Consultation for Professionals
Reflective, psychologically informed consultation for professionals working with children, young people and families
About
Case Consultation provides a reflective, psychologically informed service for professionals working with children, young people and families. It offers an opportunity to step back from the immediate demands of a case and think in greater depth about a child’s experiences, relationships, developmental history and current presentation through a child psychotherapy lens.
Professionals working with children and families often hold significant complexity, balancing safeguarding concerns, risk, competing professional perspectives and the needs of multiple family members. This consultation creates a dedicated space to explore these complexities with curiosity, develop a deeper understanding of the factors influencing a child’s difficulties, and consider how this understanding may inform ongoing professional work.
The consultation also recognises the emotional demands placed on professionals working with vulnerable children and families. Having time to reflect, think and process the complexity of this work can support professionals to maintain confidence, professional curiosity and thoughtful practice.
Who can benefit from this service?
Case Consultation is suitable for professionals working with children, young people and families, including social workers, Early Help practitioners, family support workers, education professionals, SENCOs, Designated Safeguarding Leads, residential care staff, and professionals working within fostering and adoption services.
It may be particularly beneficial when professionals are working with complex presentations, experiencing uncertainty about how best to understand a child’s difficulties, or seeking additional psychological thinking alongside existing supervision and professional decision-making.
Our Approach
Case Consultation is provided by Carrie Bartlett, Senior Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. Carrie has extensive experience supporting children, young people and families across schools, GP practices and private clinical settings. Her work is informed by attachment theory, developmental trauma and psychodynamic psychotherapy, with particular experience working alongside children who have experienced adversity, family breakdown, care experiences and neurodevelopmental differences.
The consultation is designed to complement, rather than replace, statutory supervision and existing professional structures. The initial consultation takes place over 90 minutes to develop a detailed understanding of the child, family circumstances and professional questions being held. This is followed by dedicated reflection and preparation time, before a 60-minute follow-up consultation to explore emerging thinking and consider how this understanding may support ongoing work with the child and wider network.
Contact us
Contact us for further information. We look forward to working with you