Child & Adolescent Therapy
Ages 6-18
Therapy can be incredibly helpful for children by providing them with a safe and supportive space to express their feelings, develop coping skills, and work through challenges. Here’s how therapy can benefit children:
Emotional Expression
Many children have difficulty verbalizing their emotions, especially if they’re experiencing stress, sadness, or confusion. Therapy offers a place where they can safely express their feelings with the help of a trained professional. Play therapy, for example, uses toys, games, and creative activities to help children communicate when words alone aren’t enough.
Behavioral Support
If a child is struggling with behavioral issues, therapy can help them understand the reasons behind their actions and work on healthier ways to express frustration, anger, or anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used to help children change negative thought patterns that influence their behavior.
Coping Skills
Therapy can teach children valuable coping strategies for dealing with life’s challenges, whether it’s school stress, family changes, or bullying. By learning techniques like mindfulness or deep breathing, they can manage their emotions more effectively.
Building Self-Esteem
Therapy can help children develop a stronger sense of self-worth by addressing issues like social anxiety, body image concerns, or feelings of inadequacy. It helps them recognize their strengths and understand that it’s okay to ask for help.
Trauma & Loss
For children who have experienced trauma, grief, or loss (such as the death of a loved one or witnessing a difficult event), therapy can provide the support they need to process their emotions in a healthy way. A therapist can help children work through complex feelings and guide them in healing from these difficult experiences.
Family Dynamics
Therapy isn’t just for the child—it can also help families improve communication, reduce conflict, and strengthen relationships. Family therapy can address issues like parental separation, sibling rivalry, or any other family stress that may be impacting the child’s mental health.
Issues that I work with children on
Family Conflict
Family conflict in therapy involves issues within the family dynamic that cause stress or tension, affecting the well-being of children. This can include disagreements between parents, sibling rivalry, communication breakdowns, or struggles with major life changes (like divorce or moving). Such conflicts can create an emotionally charged environment that impacts a child’s mental health, behavior, and relationships. In therapy, children learn to understand and express their feelings about the conflict, while the family as a whole can work on improving communication, resolving issues, and rebuilding trust, helping to create a healthier, more supportive home environment.
Life Changes
Life changes for children refer to significant events or transitions that can disrupt their sense of stability and emotional well-being. These might include parental divorce, moving to a new home or school, the loss of a loved one, or changes in family structure. Such events can be overwhelming and may lead to feelings of confusion, sadness, or anxiety. In therapy, children can explore and process these changes in a safe space, develop coping strategies to manage their emotions, and learn to adjust to new circumstances. Therapy helps them navigate these transitions in a healthy way, promoting emotional resilience and stability.
Anxiety
Anxiety in children refers to feelings of fear, worry, or nervousness that can be overwhelming and affect their daily life. This might show up as excessive worry about school, social situations, or separation from parents, or even physical symptoms like stomachaches or trouble sleeping. In therapy, children can learn to identify and understand their anxious feelings, develop coping techniques like relaxation exercises or problem-solving skills, and gradually face their fears in a supportive environment. Therapy helps children build confidence in managing their anxiety, reducing its impact on their emotions and behavior.
Depression
Depression in children is a persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness, or irritability that can affect their mood, behavior, and daily activities. Children with depression may lose interest in things they once enjoyed, have trouble concentrating, experience changes in sleep or appetite, or withdraw from friends and family. In therapy, children learn to express their emotions, understand the causes of their sadness, and develop coping strategies to manage negative thoughts and feelings. Therapy helps them build emotional resilience and provides support to navigate through difficult emotions, ultimately promoting a more positive outlook.
Trauma/PTSD
Trauma in children refers to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience, such as abuse, accidents, witnessing violence, or the loss of a loved one, that overwhelms their ability to cope. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop when a child struggles to process and recover from these traumatic events, leading to symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, irritability, or emotional numbness.
In therapy, children work through trauma by learning to understand and express their feelings in a safe environment. They can process the event, develop healthier coping strategies, and gradually reduce the emotional intensity tied to the trauma. Therapy helps children regain a sense of safety, rebuild trust, and foster emotional healing, enabling them to move forward with more resilience.