CHILD THERAPY
INTIAL EVALUATION
If you are considering therapy for your child, the first step is for one of our experienced child therapists to meet with you and review your child’s successes and challenges and what your concerns are. Typically, we then meet individually with the child for 2-3 sessions to do an informal assessment, and then meet again with you to make recommendations regarding an approach to helping your family.
We have staff specializing in a wide range of typical child problems. Common presenting concerns include:
We are very good at figuring out how to best help your child. Possibilities include individual child therapy (play therapy if they are young, talk therapy for older children and adolescents), dyadically based therapy with a parent and child in the room together to work out parent-child conflicts, parent coaching (to help you to help your child more effectively), or family therapy. We also offer several groups [link] that can be useful as an adjunct to the other therapies or on their own.
PLAY THERAPY
Younger children typically reveal their concerns through their play, and this is the most efficient way to help your young child. The therapist will meet with your child in a play room once or twice a week, and your child and their therapist will play about their concerns. Typical themes might include fears, sadness in the face of experienced or anticipated loss, separation anxiety, bullying, feeling “different,” or any of the other worries that can beset us all. Using the play as a metaphor, your child’s therapist will guide him/her in exploring their fears and in finding healthy resolutions for them. The therapist will also help your child to build age appropriate skills, including learning to articulate their concerns verbally, assertiveness, coping with teasing, and asking for help. For children who have behavior problems, their therapist will help them to cope better with frustration, use words instead of actions, self-soothe, and to ask for help.
Parent sessions are generally held more frequently in the early childhood years, as parents are your child’s most important people. During these sessions we will update you about your child’s progress, discuss any lingering concerns and make recommendations, find out about any important events or changes in your child’s life, and help you to learn how to parent your child even more effectively.
TALK THERAPY
Older children and teens will typically engage in talk therapy, although many older kids prefer to play a board game or build something while they are talking. This keeps their hands busy, minimizes awkwardness, and helps them to manage their anxiety. The topics they talk about are those typical of the middle and teen years: peer relationships, sibling relationships, teasing and bullying, parent-child relationships, burgeoning sexuality and sexual identity, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, worries about loss, academic successes and failures, etc.. For those with behavior problems or trouble making friends, the underlying bases of these problems are typically explored, and the children are taught strategies for managing themselves in a more socially acceptable manner. Children with ADHD can also be helped to develop strategies for managing their fidgeting and distraction or daydreaming.
For the middle years, parents are met with regularly and updated on their children’s progress. This is also the time for the parents to update the therapist on challenges or events in the child’s life. Strategies for handling difficult behaviors at home can also be discussed and practiced.
As children move into adolescence, the frequency of parent sessions may diminish. Teens value their privacy, and often worry about the confidentiality about what is discussed. However, the therapist will still meet with the parents periodically as seems necessary to either the therapist or the parents. We are always available to discuss your child’s progress and your concerns about their functioning and performance, while respecting their privacy. Of course, if there is something dangerous happening we would reach out to you immediately.
If you are considering therapy for your child, the first step is for one of our experienced child therapists to meet with you and review your child’s successes and challenges and what your concerns are. Typically, we then meet individually with the child for 2-3 sessions to do an informal assessment, and then meet again with you to make recommendations regarding an approach to helping your family.
We have staff specializing in a wide range of typical child problems. Common presenting concerns include:
- Aggression/Tantrums
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Learning Disabilities or ADHD
- Dysgraphia
- Giftedness/2E
- Emotional Dysregulation
- Children of Divorce
- Chronic Medical Problems
- Social Skills
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Adoption
- History of Trauma
- Developing coping skills through DBT or other evidence-based approaches
We are very good at figuring out how to best help your child. Possibilities include individual child therapy (play therapy if they are young, talk therapy for older children and adolescents), dyadically based therapy with a parent and child in the room together to work out parent-child conflicts, parent coaching (to help you to help your child more effectively), or family therapy. We also offer several groups [link] that can be useful as an adjunct to the other therapies or on their own.
PLAY THERAPY
Younger children typically reveal their concerns through their play, and this is the most efficient way to help your young child. The therapist will meet with your child in a play room once or twice a week, and your child and their therapist will play about their concerns. Typical themes might include fears, sadness in the face of experienced or anticipated loss, separation anxiety, bullying, feeling “different,” or any of the other worries that can beset us all. Using the play as a metaphor, your child’s therapist will guide him/her in exploring their fears and in finding healthy resolutions for them. The therapist will also help your child to build age appropriate skills, including learning to articulate their concerns verbally, assertiveness, coping with teasing, and asking for help. For children who have behavior problems, their therapist will help them to cope better with frustration, use words instead of actions, self-soothe, and to ask for help.
Parent sessions are generally held more frequently in the early childhood years, as parents are your child’s most important people. During these sessions we will update you about your child’s progress, discuss any lingering concerns and make recommendations, find out about any important events or changes in your child’s life, and help you to learn how to parent your child even more effectively.
TALK THERAPY
Older children and teens will typically engage in talk therapy, although many older kids prefer to play a board game or build something while they are talking. This keeps their hands busy, minimizes awkwardness, and helps them to manage their anxiety. The topics they talk about are those typical of the middle and teen years: peer relationships, sibling relationships, teasing and bullying, parent-child relationships, burgeoning sexuality and sexual identity, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, worries about loss, academic successes and failures, etc.. For those with behavior problems or trouble making friends, the underlying bases of these problems are typically explored, and the children are taught strategies for managing themselves in a more socially acceptable manner. Children with ADHD can also be helped to develop strategies for managing their fidgeting and distraction or daydreaming.
For the middle years, parents are met with regularly and updated on their children’s progress. This is also the time for the parents to update the therapist on challenges or events in the child’s life. Strategies for handling difficult behaviors at home can also be discussed and practiced.
As children move into adolescence, the frequency of parent sessions may diminish. Teens value their privacy, and often worry about the confidentiality about what is discussed. However, the therapist will still meet with the parents periodically as seems necessary to either the therapist or the parents. We are always available to discuss your child’s progress and your concerns about their functioning and performance, while respecting their privacy. Of course, if there is something dangerous happening we would reach out to you immediately.
