Hannah Lewis

Hannah is a BABCP accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and registered Social Worker who specialises in working with children and young people aged 6–18. Alongside her work with The Cognitive Collective, Hannah works within NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), supporting young people experiencing a wide range of emotional and mental health difficulties.

Hannah has particular experience supporting children and teenagers with anxiety, panic, low mood, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), school-related difficulties and avoidance, exam stress, emotional regulation and anxieties associated with neurodivergence.

Her approach is warm, playful and relaxed. While CBT provides the foundation for much of Hannah’s work, therapy with her does not have to mean sitting and talking for an entire session. She enjoys finding creative ways to connect with young people and adapts how she works depending on their age, interests, communication style and individual needs.

This flexibility is particularly important in Hannah’s work with autistic and ADHD children and young people. She understands that engagement can look different for every child and works to create a therapeutic relationship in which young people can feel comfortable, understood and able to be themselves. Sessions can incorporate visual, practical and creative approaches, while maintaining the structure and evidence-based principles of CBT.

Hannah takes a holistic approach to understanding what may be happening for a young person. Rather than looking at difficulties in isolation, she considers the wider picture, including sleep, physical wellbeing, school, friendships, family relationships, sensory needs, routines and the environments around them. Where appropriate, she works collaboratively with parents and carers to help create meaningful support outside of the therapy room too.

A key part of Hannah’s work is helping young people understand what is happening in their minds and bodies in a way that makes sense to them. She supports children and teenagers to develop emotional awareness, build practical coping strategies and discover tools they can continue to use beyond therapy.

Above all, Hannah wants young people to experience therapy as somewhere they can feel safe, accepted and understood. She believes that effective therapy with children should not simply be something delivered to them, but something created with them - at their pace, in their language and in a way that feels meaningful to them.