Child Therapy

In my therapy with children, I usually do a combination of “talk therapy” and Play Therapy. 

• Talk Therapy – I believe it’s important for a child to learn to put words to their thoughts and feelings.  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), focuses on an individual’s underlying thoughts which fuel non-adaptive behaviors.  I use this method to teach a child specific skills such as how to deal with bullies or how to reduce their anxiety.  However, there are significant limits to talking to a child.  Children under the age of 12 do not have fully developed abstract reasoning.  This means it is difficult for them to understand the feelings and needs of other people.  They have a hard time seeing how what you are talking about relates to their situation, and children in general have a hard time putting complex feelings and thoughts into words.

• Play Therapy – Play is the language of children, it is how they connect with others and how they work out their problems and express their inner world.  Play is not what you do while waiting to get to the “good stuff” it is the good stuff.  Abstract concepts such as, feelings of inadequacy, or fear of abandonment, which usually cannot be put into words, can be powerfully expressed in a child’s play.  

 

Parent Training

• Parent Commitment - It has been my experience that for a young child to change their behavior patterns and emotional state, they must have parents or guardians who are committed to their child and are willing to learn and grow to help their child.  It is not a question of how your parents raised you, or what worked for other children, it is all about what is the most effective way of parenting for your individual child. 

• Parent Sessions - Approximately every fourth session, I want to meet with both parents for the entire hour, to discuss progress, observations and to develop a parenting plan.  When I say “both parents” I mean the significant adults the child is living with, so that would include step-parents or grandparents or whomever is responsible for the upbringing of this child.  Divorced parents who can work together for the benefit of their child are encouraged to attend the same meeting, if you truly cannot be in the same room, then we can schedule separate sessions.

 

Assessments

• Testing - Occasionally to assist in diagnosis or treatment planning, we may to do some testing to look at behavioral or personality patterns.

• Referral - I do not do testing for IQ, learning disabilities, or neurological impairment. If that type of assessment is needed, I will refer you to one of the qualified pediatric neuro-psychologists in our area.

 

Workshops and Classes

 

• TBA