Amanda Budden (Director and Founder)
Amanda is the Founder and Lead Child and Young Person Psychotherapist at ABC Mental Health Support. She supports neurodivergent children, young people, and their families, bringing together her professional experience and her own lived understanding as a neurodivergent individual and parent.
Amanda takes a flexible, child-led approach to sessions, using therapeutic play and carefully structured video gaming where helpful. Her work draws on a range of approaches, including AutPlay, relational 'follow-me' principles, and adapted elements of Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT). This allows her to respond to each child as an individual, helping them feel safe, understood, and able to engage in their own way and at their own pace.
She works with children, teenagers, and young adults, including those with autistic and PDA profiles, and tailors her support to each person and family.
Alongside her work, Amanda shares short, accessible videos on TikTok, offering insight into neurodivergent experiences and showing how therapeutic video gaming can be used safely and thoughtfully to support connection, regulation, and engagement.
Ellie Smith (SEN Consultant & EFT Practitioner)
Ellie supports children and families navigating Special Educational Needs (SEN), bringing both professional experience and a calm, compassionate approach to her work. She has a background in counselling and extensive experience supporting families within the SEN system.
Ellie offers emotionally attuned support alongside practical guidance, including the use of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Rewind Therapy to help older children and adults with emotional regulation, anxiety, and overwhelm. This gentle approach supports families during what can feel like a challenging and uncertain time. She works in partnership with
In partnership with ABC alongside her private practice https://www.ebbandflowpsychotherapy.co.uk/
She works with families on EHCP applications and reviews, attends Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings, and supports families through more complex SEN processes where needed. Ellie tailors her support to each family’s circumstances and priorities.
Ellie works with families locally and across the UK, helping ensure children’s needs are clearly understood and appropriately supported within education and beyond.
Anna Mason (Play Therapist)
From 14th May 2026, Anna will be working fully independently. While she is no longer accepting new clients through ABC Mental Health Support, we are happy to signpost families to her independent practice where appropriate.
Anna is a Play Therapist who supports children and young people through a warm, compassionate, and child-centred approach. She works in partnership with ABC alongside her independent play therapy practice https://www.amplaytherapy.co.uk/, supporting families to help children feel safe, understood, and supported.
Her work is grounded in a strong understanding of child development and emotional wellbeing, using play as a natural and accessible way for children to express themselves, explore feelings, and build resilience.
Anna has experience working across a range of settings, including mainstream schools and specialist provisions, and adapts her approach to meet the individual needs of each child and family.
Alongside her professional experience, Anna is a parent to children with additional support needs and also speaks Polish, offering valuable lived understanding and support for Polish-speaking families.