Child & Teen Therapy
Therapy sessions can be for individual children, teens, or families. We believe that parental involvement is crucial to treatment success. Our therapists include parents in the therapeutic process. We help families understand the challenges their child/adolescent is facing and assist them in the problem-solving process.
Our Methods
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used methods of therapy primarily due to the amount of empirical research that supports its’ effectiveness. A cognitive-behavioral approach is often used for children above the age of 7 and who are presenting with difficulties such as anxiety, depression, anger, low self-esteem, and interpersonal difficulties.
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During individual sessions children and adolescents learn about the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The child and adolescent actively learns about thinking patterns and is taught to build awareness and apply cognitive and behavioral strategies outside of the therapy sessions. Specifically, therapy assists children/adolescents in identifying negative thoughts or errors in thinking, unhelpful coping strategies, and behaviors that may unintentionally reinforce feelings and symptoms.
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Play Therapy
Play therapy provides children with a non-judgmental, supportive therapeutic environment with clear boundaries to resolve their problems. It provides a safe psychological distance from the problems and is utilized to help children cope with difficult emotions and find solutions to problems. It also provides a safe environment in which children can learn to change the way they think, feel, and behave.
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Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapy was initially developed for individuals experiencing symptoms of depression. It is a short-term therapy that focuses on helping children and adolescents explore how relationships with peers and family positively (and negatively) affect his/her emotional and behavioral functioning. Interpersonal therapy helps the child/adolescent identify things that might be negatively affecting his/her mood including conflicts, transitions, grief and negative patterns in relationships, as well as make improvements that can positively impact his/her feelings and behavior.