The practiceWho is behind this
Kensington Square Therapy.
A small London therapy practice for children, young people, and the parents around them, and the editorial home of The Parent Book.
Kensington Square Therapy was founded in 2025 by Sam McManus, a therapist who has worked with children, adolescents and their parents since 2010, mostly within London independent schools and online. The practice knows best the families this library is written for: families in high-expectation schools, children under pressure to grow up faster than they are ready to, and children who seem to be doing well on the outside while struggling inside.
The approach is humanistic and integrative. The practice works from the view that children deserve to be understood carefully and respectfully, and that parents, with the right support, are the people best placed to help.
The registrationQualifications and professional bodies
The clinical foundation.
Sam McManus is a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy MBACP and an Accredited Member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society NCPS Acc., holding a BA in Counselling and an MA in Humanistic Counselling Practice, both from the University of Nottingham, and has been in continuous practice since 2010.
The Parent Book is the practice’s editorial arm, founded in 2026. It is written by qualified therapists registered with the BACP and the NCPS, anchored to NHS guidance, the Anna Freud Centre, and the BACP and NCPS ethical frameworks, and every page says where else to get help.
A letterFrom the practice
Many parents come to us hoping for one book that will tell them what to do. What helps more is understanding their own child, and that is what these chapters are written to help with.
The library draws on more than a decade of counselling work with children, adolescents and their parents. The chapters are written more like letters than guides: long enough to explain what is going on, short enough to read in one sitting, and practical where that helps. We try to write the way we talk with parents in the therapy room: plainly, and knowing that you know your child better than anyone.
We add to the library through the year. If there is something you would like written about, tell us at hello@theparentbook.com; many chapters started as an email from a parent telling us what they wished someone would write down.
In plain detailThe institution
Kensington Square Therapy Ltd is a private limited company registered in England and Wales, Company No. 16707111, working within partner schools and online from London. The practice is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under registration ZC022097 and complies with UK GDPR. Sam McManus is the sole director and clinical lead.
Clinical lead: Sam McManus, MBACP, Accredited Member NCPS, MA Humanistic Counselling Practice.