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Therapy for Children

Child Counseling in San Rafael, CA

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The job of parenting today seems to be increasingly nuanced and challenging.  And as much as we try to protect our children from harm, there are many difficult and sometimes frightening circumstances facing school age children today.  Those challenges may be in the classroom, the home, or the content on a screen.  Whether you are raising child(ren) as a single person, couple, or blended family, there may be times when you need guidance in better understanding your child and the disruptive behaviors, in building a deeper connection with your child, and in finding the right techniques to heighten your child’s and your strengths, shift unhealthy thinking, and decrease and stop your child’s negative behavior.

 

How Child Therapy Works

We begin our therapeutic work with children by first meeting with you, the parent(s) as we believe that you have the most significant relationship with your child.  Understanding your perspective of your child and the presenting problems is therefore crucial.  By listening to your family story and learning about the experiences that may have contributed to or created the current situation, we can make clinical recommendations and outline the best treatment for your child and family.  We support and guide children and their parents by finding the right tools to best help your child through individual therapy with your child, as well as family therapy, parent and child sessions, and parent coaching.


Working with children is especially rewarding for us.  Your child has the benefit of a young, flexible brain that can more easily adopt new coping skills to shift negative thinking and behaviors than our older, adult brains.  Counseling sessions with your child needs to include fun and laughter as well as growth and learning and practicing these new skills.  We will play, act, draw, talk, plan, laugh, and cry.  As the parent, you will play a significant role through supporting your child in therapy and at home, encouraging the therapeutic skills that your child is learning, and attending parent consults where we exchange information of what is and is not working.  Because you are the most important person in your child’s life, often the best way to help your child is for you to learn new parenting techniques.  By our coaching and guidance, you will gain a greater understanding of your child, your role and influences, and the best techniques to help you and your child in your parent-child relationship.  


Issues Treated in Child Therapy

  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD), Non-Verbal, and other learning difficulties

  • Anxiety/Worry/Panic Attacks

  • Depression/Sadness

  • Grief/Loss

  • Impulse Control Issues

  • Managing Difficult Health Issues

  • Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) Spectrum

  • Phobias and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Sexual Identity

  • School-Related Difficulties

  • Sleep Issues

  • Social Challenges

  • Transitions - Divorce, Moving, New Family Structure, etc.

  • Trauma


Therapy Services for Children

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