Services for Children & Adolescents

We understand the unique developmental needs of children and adolescents, and recognize the role of parents in their growth and development. Treatment can involve your child's system (i.e., working with school teachers and counselors to advocate for services and educate staff, or bringing in family for sessions) or treatment can focus on one-on-one sessions with occasional parent check-ins. 

Anxiety is common among children, adolescents, and college-aged adults. Anxiety related to social situations, phobias, separation, illnesses, or more general anxiety, can make it difficult for youth to enjoy their lives and live in the present moment, which can be frustrating for parents who want to help but face barriers when trying to reach their kids. Anxiety treatments have a strong evidence base that typically involve exposure to anxiety and its roots through both psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral methodologies.

Depression is becoming increasingly common in children and adolescents. As children increasingly rely on social media to connect with each other, they have become more lonely and disconnected from each other. Biological and environmental vulnerabilities underlie the development of depression and can require ongoing treatment to manage. Untreated depression can lead to suicidal thoughts, which can be especially dangerous in children/adolescents that engage in risky behaviors and/or are impulsive. Behavioral Activation, psychodynamic approaches, and skill building (e.g., labeling emotions) can be part of effective treatment for depression in youth. 

Many children have found it difficult to transition back to school after the long period of online learning. Children may have had adverse experiences at school that cause them fear about going to school and that can lead to anxiety and behavioral problems. Children may also develop nausea, headaches, or other physical symptoms during the morning of or night before school that might seem as though they have physical origins but psychological factors may be contributing to the development or severity of their symptoms. While we would work with your child's physician to rule out medical causes, we would also work together to problem solve, express emotions, and build skills to get your child back in the environment that will be best for their growth and development. 

Parent-child conflict is common and typically does not reflect the intent of children to not be "good" children or parents to not be "good" parents. Rather, parents are often out of answers for how to help their children, and children often do not know how to communicate their needs to their parents. Through techniques like perspective taking, behavioral parent training, and family systems therapy, we can work together to improve your parent-child relationship and related behavioral problems. 

You may have heard child advocates use the phrase "it's not will, it's skill." This refers to the common misunderstanding of well-intentioned school staff that a child is purposely not completing their assignments, distracting others, or procrastinating. However, experts know that many children suffer from executive functioning difficulties that make it challenging for their developing minds to organize and plan. We work with children to build their skills and communicate their needs.