When children of any age need therapy, it’s generally because they have problems that affect how they feel, act, or learn, and they find it hard to cope alone. Parents can help by providing a resource to help things improve, often for the entire family. Therapy can serve as support while trying to communicate and learn better ways to work out problems. Because younger children learn by doing, we provide the opportunity to engage the whole family as well as work individually through talk, play, and activities while giving praise and support. For adolescents, teaching coping skills and focusing on talking through feelings in order to solve problems is key. They‘ll learn mindfulness while practicing new skills.

Typically, we’ll meet with your child once a week for a few weeks to months after an initial “Parent Intake” which is an important first step in starting the process. This first session serves to provide the therapist adequate background information, as well as offers you a private, honest conversation and a feel for how the therapist will engage your child. As counseling progresses, we might meet with you and your child together, or with your child alone, depending on the age. Length of therapy generally depends on the goals you and your child's therapist have developed together. Whether you’re getting extra help for your child or not, we urge you to please parent your children using patience, love, and kindness – it really does go a long way in easing any problems your child may be facing.