Aims and Objectives of Pegasus Psychotherapy

Countless children suffer psychological problems often unrecognised for months or years causing them unnecessary hurt which blights their emotional development. The cost to themselves and to society is immense through the resulting inability to lead lives fulfilled in work and personal relationships.

These psychological problems manifest themselves in a variety of ways—for example antisocial behaviour, psychosomatic symptoms, depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and underperformance at school.

There has always been a shortage of trained child and adolescent psychotherapists within the health service and in many areas cutbacks in psychotherapy staff are being made. In this context a group of independent child and adolescent psychotherapists all of whom are trained to the rigorous requirements of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) has come together in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire and formed Pegasus Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.

The primary aim of Pegasus is to raise awareness of psychological factors behind children’s difficult behaviour or worrying symptoms and to provide assessment and treatment where appropriate and practicable.

Pegasus liaises with the NHS through contacts with Primary Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (PCAMHS) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in the Mental Health Trust, and with educational bodies and social service departments.

All members of the Pegasus network are members of the ACP and are accountable to its code of ethics. Most are also registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC). The ACP is recognised by the Department of Health for accreditation of UK trainings in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. The BPC is recognised by the Department of Health for the registration of psychotherapists.