Children and Adolescents
Children and adolescents do not always have the language or skills to articulate what is bothering them. Instead, they communicate through behavior. This may come in the form of refusing to do homework, temper tantrums, or playing video games all day to the exclusion of other activities. In therapy, we will work collaboratively to understand what your child or adolescent is trying to communicate through his or her behavior.
As with adults, a good therapeutic alliance is necessary for therapy to work. For your child or teen to trust me, he or she will need to feel safe with me. Therapy can be scary for children and teens because they may believe they are being punished or not understand that there is a problem. So initially, I will spend some time getting to know your child and building rapport with him or her. I may do this through games, doing art, or just talking. As we get to know one another, we will work collaboratively to understand the problem. When I work with children or teens, I believe it is important to include the parents and the family in the process. I may want to bring family members into session from time to time so that we can work together to address your child or teen’s struggles.
I have worked with children and adolescents who are struggling with an array of issues including: anxiety, panic attacks, self injury, eating disorders, social phobia, depression and suicidality, anger, bullying, academic issues, divorce, grief and loss, ADHD, and problems with self-esteem.
As with adults, a good therapeutic alliance is necessary for therapy to work. For your child or teen to trust me, he or she will need to feel safe with me. Therapy can be scary for children and teens because they may believe they are being punished or not understand that there is a problem. So initially, I will spend some time getting to know your child and building rapport with him or her. I may do this through games, doing art, or just talking. As we get to know one another, we will work collaboratively to understand the problem. When I work with children or teens, I believe it is important to include the parents and the family in the process. I may want to bring family members into session from time to time so that we can work together to address your child or teen’s struggles.
I have worked with children and adolescents who are struggling with an array of issues including: anxiety, panic attacks, self injury, eating disorders, social phobia, depression and suicidality, anger, bullying, academic issues, divorce, grief and loss, ADHD, and problems with self-esteem.
