CALMSS (Child and Adolescent Listening Mental Health Support Services) was founded on the belief that every young person deserves to be heard, not judged; supported, not fixed. We are a trauma-informed, relational service offering expert psychological care and creative therapeutic support for children and adolescents aged two to twenty-one.

Established by psychologist and mental health educator Rowan Hurst, CALMSS blends clinical insight, creative expression, and lived understanding to provide personalised care that meets each young person where they are, with compassion, flexibility, and honesty.

Who We Are

Rowan is an experienced mental health practitioner and a qualified psychologist, currently studying towards a PhD in Mental Health. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Play Therapy and is extensively trained in child development, safeguarding (Level 5), trauma-informed care, and a wide range of therapeutic modalities. Her practice is further enriched by numerous CPD certifications in areas such as emotional regulation, harmful sexual behaviours, postnatal mental health, self-harm, and the emotional impact of social media.

Rowan is also a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor with MHFA England, delivering accredited training to both children and adults within schools, community settings, and professional environments.

She represents CALMSS on advisory boards including:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Lancashire

• Lancashire Constabulary, Youth Mental Health Strategy

Rowan holds professional membership with:

• The British Psychological Society (BPS)

• The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

• The Professional Standards Authority (PSA)

• The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH)

CALMSS is an independent service that complements statutory mental health systems. We work in close partnership with local authorities, schools, preschools, and community-based organisations to offer responsive, person-centred care that places the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, and their families at its heart.

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What We Offer

CALMSS delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Therapeutic listening and emotional support

• Mindfulness and somatic regulation practices

• Creative therapies including play, drama, movement, and art

• Person-centred talking therapy and narrative-based work

• Trauma-informed strategies, including CBT-informed tools

• Nature-based emotional wellbeing interventions

• SMART goal setting and personal development planning

• One-to-one and group sessions

• Education and employment pathway support

• Parent-child relational work

• T-Level apprenticeships for those with lived experience, with full clinical supervision

We work closely with preschools and primary schools, delivering structured group play therapy, creative emotional literacy sessions, and integrated drama and movement therapy. These sessions support emotional regulation and development through safe, expressive channels, encouraging children to process and explore their feelings through imaginative, embodied learning.

When working with adolescents, we take a relational and informal approach, designed to gently dismantle the internal boundaries often built through trauma. We focus on building trust, reducing pressure, and empowering young people to reconnect with themselves in ways that feel natural and safe.

Our Vision

At CALMSS, we aim to be a ray of sunshine in a world that too often criticises or overlooks children and teenagers. We believe that with the right support, a safe space, and someone who truly listens, young people can not only survive trauma, but grow through it.

Our work is rooted in the belief that healing does not mean changing who you are; it means discovering who you have always been beneath the pain. Through meaningful connection, creative therapies, and trauma-informed care, we are proud to walk alongside young people as they rediscover joy, identity, and possibility.

Happy, hopeful children can come through the darkest experiences, and we are here to help light the way.