The Parent Book
Not every child fits the spaces they are given. We offer bespoke therapeutic support to help children, young people, parents, and schools flourish within the demands of independent school life.
Clinical. Considered. Practising since 2010.
How we work
Whether you are a parent reaching out for your child, or a school looking for considered partnership, the work starts the same way: a short conversation.
1:1 Clinical Sessions for children, young people, and university students.
Embedded School Counselling within West London independent schools.
Specialist 11+ Support Groups for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils throughout the year.
Parent Consultations for families navigating school pressure, family dynamics, and parenting challenges.
Practising since 2010. Over a decade of specialist experience in the independent school sector.
Humanistic in foundation. Integrative in practice. Support that evolves with each individual child.
A practice built on long-term relationships with families and pastoral teams across West London’s independent schools.
Referral & Consent
Counselling begins following a referral from a school, or directly from a family, alongside written parental consent. All enquiries are welcome.
Meeting Your Counsellor
Your child is matched with a trained, qualified, and supervised KST counsellor. Early sessions focus on comfort and building trust. There is no pressure to talk before they are ready.
Ongoing Sessions
Weekly sessions, in school, at the KST Centre, or online, shaped around the child’s age, pace, and emotional readiness. Parent consultations run alongside when helpful.
Review & Ending
Progress is reviewed regularly with families and, where appropriate, schools. Endings are planned carefully, helping children process change as part of the therapeutic work.
Private therapeutic support for children and university students navigating anxiety, academic pressure, and the demands of school entrance.
Private ConsultationYear-round therapeutic groups for Year 5 and 6, building emotional resilience and the inner resources needed for the school entrance journey.
In-School GroupsA grounded, carefully held space for parents to reflect and find their footing through the pressures of the school entrance cycle.
Clinical GuidancePastoral counselling embedded within independent schools, with flexible commissioning models for institutions and families alike.
Institutional CareYou do not need your child to be in therapy to speak with us. Parent Consultations are independent, adult-focused sessions designed to give parents and carers a thoughtful, professionally governed space of their own.
Learn More 50-minute sessions · In person or online · One or both parents may attendA digital parent support hub, written and updated by therapists. Two routes in: included for parents at partner schools, or available as an individual subscription when direct-to-parent editions launch this autumn.
How partnership works Sister BrandA small family of free tools for breath, regulation, sleep and the daily small moments. One tap, always free.
wellbeing.tips“I would recommend KST without hesitation. In recent years, it has been one of our most impactful pastoral strategies, significantly enhancing the wellbeing of both staff and pupils across the school.”
Designated Safeguarding Lead · Independent Prep School, West London
“KST has not only provided invaluable therapeutic support for individual pupils, but has also strengthened staff welfare practice across the school, offering colleagues expert guidance, reassurance, and a reflective space to discuss challenges.”
Pastoral Lead, London Prep School
MBACP | Accredited Member NCPS | MA Humanistic Counselling Practice
Kensington Square Therapy was founded by Sam McManus, who has been practising since 2010, with extensive experience working with children and young people, including more than a decade embedded within independent schools in West London.
Humanistic in foundation and integrative in approach, his work within Kensington Prep School and Connaught House School forms the clinical framework that underpins every aspect of KST’s practice, meeting each child precisely where they are.
Sam has additionally held clinical posts within Latymer Upper School and Latymer Prep School for over a decade as part of his personal clinical practice, separate to KST.
Embedded in independent schools across West London.
From the anxiety chapter, condensed.
A taste of the range — across formats.
A chapter for parents whose child’s online world has shown them something they cannot unsee.
Quick tipThe first move that helps is slower than the instinct.
BookGuiding teenage girls through the seven transitions into adulthood.
PodcastOn childhood anxiety with Dr Sarah Mundy.
TED TalkA neuroscientist on why adolescent emotion isn’t dysfunction but development. TEDxBlue.
The library is wider than these examples. Through your school as a partner, or by individual subscription at £99 a year.
All enquiries are handled personally.
We respond within one working day.