About Sarah
Hi, I’m Sarah.
I’m Sarah Hayes, founder of Youngminds Hypnotherapy. I work with children, teenagers and thier parents to help them navigate anxiety, build confidence and develop practical tools for emotional wellbeing.
When a child is struggling, it can be incredibly hard for parents to know what to do. You want to help, but it can sometimes feel like nothing quite reaches them.
My role is to create a calm and supportive space where young people and parents can begin to understand what’s happening beneath the surface and move forward with greater confidence.
Supporting Young People to Feel Calmer and More Confident
Children and teenagers experience the world intensely. When anxiety, pressure, or difficult experiences build up, it can affect how they think, feel, and respond to everyday situations such as school, friendships, or family life.
Rather than focusing on problems alone, my work helps young people develop the inner skills they need to feel calmer, more confident, and more able to cope with challenges as they grow.
Every young person is different, so the approach is always adapted to suit their personality, strengths, and needs.
Working With Both Teens and Parents
Sometimes the most helpful place to begin is by supporting parents first.
Parents often have a deep understanding of their child, even when things feel confusing or difficult. By gaining clarity about what may be happening beneath the surface, parents can feel calmer and more confident in how they support their child.
Depending on the situation, support may involve working directly with the young person, supporting parents, or a combination of both.
The aim is always the same: helping families move from worry and uncertainty to greater calm, clarity, and confidence.
I am a fully qualified and registered clinical hypnotherapist with specialist training in working with children and young people.
Qualifications include:
BSc (Hons) Psychology
Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy
Diploma in Paediatric Hypnotherapy
Certified Practitioner of NLP (CPNLP)
Advanced Hypnotherapy (Simpson Protocol)
Professional Registrations:
General Hypnotherapy Register - Senior Practitioner
General Hypnotherapy Standards Council - Accredited Practitioner
Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists, and Hypnotherapists) - Senior Member
I work with young people aged 10–19 years and offer online sessions for families across the UK.
Professional Training and Qualifications
Why I choose to work with young people
Working with young people is something I feel deeply drawn to.
During my own teenage years I experienced how challenging that stage of life can be. Like many young people, I struggled at times and saw first-hand how overwhelming emotions, pressure, and uncertainty can feel during those years.
As a young adult, this experience led me to spend many years exploring personal development and psychology. I later completed a degree in Psychology with the intention of eventually working with children and young people.
My career initially took me into corporate roles focused on people and organisational development, where I spent many years supporting individuals through change and challenge. But the desire to work more directly with young people never really left.
When I later trained as a clinical hypnotherapist, I began working primarily with adults. What I noticed very quickly was that many of the difficulties adults were experiencing had their roots in adolescence. Again and again, clients would reflect on how their struggles had first begun during their teenage years.
Over time, many of those same clients began asking if I could also help their children and teenagers. What began as a few requests gradually became a natural shift in my work, and I chose to undertake additional specialist training to focus specifically on supporting young people.
I also developed a particular interest in supporting teens experiencing school anxiety and school refusal, an area that I understand personally and professionally. Having experienced school avoidance myself as a young teenager, I know how distressing and isolating that situation can feel for both the young person and their parents.
Today my work focuses on helping teens develop the confidence, emotional resilience, and mindset skills they need to move forward with greater calm and self-belief.
If you’re wondering whether this type of support might help your child or teen, a consultation is simply a chance to talk things through and explore the most helpful next step for your family.