When your child is struggling, it can affect the entire family.

Maybe your child worries constantly, becomes overwhelmed easily, refuses school, struggles with friendships, has frequent emotional outbursts, says negative things about themselves, or seems deeply affected by changes within the family.

Sometimes parents know exactly what started the problem.

Other times you simply know:

Something isn't right, and what we're doing isn't working.

I provide therapy for children, teens, and families experiencing anxiety, OCD, emotional regulation difficulties, peer and relationship concerns, family conflict, separation or divorce, attachment difficulties, trauma, low self-esteem, school-related concerns, ADHD and neurodivergence-related challenges, and parent-child relationship difficulties.

Children Aren't Miniature Adults

Children don't always walk into therapy, sit on a couch, and explain exactly what is bothering them.

Often, they communicate through behavior.

They may draw.

Play.

Avoid.

Argue.

Shut down.

Tell a story about something seemingly unrelated.

Talk while doing an activity.

Or insist that absolutely nothing is wrong.

Therapy with children needs to match the child's developmental level.

Depending on your child's age and needs, sessions may include conversation, activities, games, drawing, skill-building, cognitive-behavioral strategies, exposure work, emotional identification, problem-solving, and family or parent involvement.

The goal isn't simply getting a child to talk.

It is helping them develop the skills and emotional understanding they need to function differently outside the therapy room.

Anxiety & OCD in Children and Teens

Anxiety can look very different in children.

It may look like:

• Repeated reassurance seeking

• Difficulty separating from parents

• School refusal

• Irritability

• Perfectionism

• Avoiding activities

• Frequent physical complaints

• Fear of becoming sick

• Fear that something will happen to a loved one

• Difficulty sleeping independently

• Repetitive checking or rituals

• Meltdowns when something feels uncertain

For OCD and appropriate anxiety concerns, I incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention and exposure-based treatment adapted to the child's developmental level.

Rather than building a child's life around avoiding everything that causes anxiety, we gradually help them discover:

“I can feel scared and still do hard things.”

Parents may also participate in treatment so that everyone is responding to the anxiety in a way that supports progress.

Emotional Regulation & Behavior

Children aren't born knowing how to regulate enormous emotions.

Those skills develop over time through experience, modeling, connection, structure, and practice.

Therapy can help children identify emotions earlier, understand what happens in their bodies when emotions escalate, practice coping strategies, improve problem-solving, and develop more effective ways of communicating what they need.

At the same time, therapy doesn't require us to treat every difficult behavior as a symptom that should simply be accepted.

Children can be emotionally validated and held accountable.

Families can work toward both connection and appropriate expectations.

Family Relationships Matter

A child exists within a family system.

That means there are times when helping the child requires working with the people who love them.

Family therapy may be helpful when there is:

• Frequent parent-child conflict

• Difficulty communicating

• Separation or divorce

• Changes in custody or household structure

• A strained parent-child relationship

• Blended-family challenges

• Repeated misunderstandings

• Difficulty repairing after conflict

• Significant differences in perspectives within the family

Family therapy can help us slow down interactions and understand the emotional meaning underneath them.

Instead of deciding who is right and who is wrong, we can begin asking:

What is each person experiencing?

What are they trying to communicate?

What happens next that keeps this cycle going?

And most importantly:

How can this family begin responding differently?

Parents Are Part of the Team

When I work with children, I view parents and caregivers as important partners in treatment.

The amount of parent involvement depends on the child's age, needs, treatment goals, and individual circumstances.

Sometimes this means periodic parent sessions.

Sometimes it means practicing skills at home.

Sometimes family sessions are appropriate.

And sometimes the most useful intervention is helping a parent understand their child's behavior in an entirely new way.

The goal is for progress to extend beyond the therapy office and into the child's everyday life.

Helping Your Child Build Skills That Last

Therapy isn't about creating a child who never becomes anxious, angry, sad, disappointed, or overwhelmed.

Those emotions are part of being human.

The goal is helping your child become increasingly capable of understanding those feelings, communicating effectively, solving problems, maintaining healthy relationships, and continuing to participate in life even when things feel difficult.

Wondering whether therapy could help your child or family?

You don't need to know exactly what kind of therapy your child needs before reaching out.

That's something we can figure out together.

Contact me to schedule a consultation and discuss what is happening with your child or family.