The Child & Family Center

Counseling Services for Children

We want you to feel confident about the confidential services we provide. Our seasoned professionals have extensive experience working with children and families facing diverse mental health challenges, and they are committed to creating a safe, supportive environment. We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive.  

Our team of qualified therapists and psychologists is dedicated to helping you and your family find the right match for your needs. We offer a range of evidence-based treatments tailored to address various challenges, ensuring that your child can begin their journey toward wellness as soon as possible.

Counseling For Children Is Different Than It Is for Older Individuals  

Unlike teenagers or adults, it is usually not children’s words that first indicate they are distressed, rather it’s their behavior, play or drawings. Therefore, the types of counseling services for children are designed to match their developmental level. At The Child & Family Center, our experts have unique training in services best suited for children. We tailor our counseling to specifically support children’s emotional health, well-being, and development.

Common Challenges

Child counseling can help diminish or resolve a young person’s anxiety and stress, depression, behavioral issues (e.g., aggression, defiance), ADHD, family changes (e.g., divorce, grief), social difficulties (e.g., bullying, making friends), traumas or abuse recovery, as well as academic or school-related concerns.  Did you know that some kids can even smell colors.  But if they don’t know what to do with their special gifts, they may worry that they are crazy instead of gifted. Counseling is helpful in so many situations.  Many of these challenges are described in greater depth under Child Counseling

Unique Counseling Approaches for Children

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is helpful for slightly older children, so they learn how to manage negative thoughts and emotions without feeling overwhelmed.

• Play Therapy: Using play as a therapy tool allows children to express their emotions and explore feelings that they might not be able to articulate verbally.

• Family Therapy: Working with parents and/or families is critical when children are the focus of treatment so that parents can inform therapists about behaviors they observed at home and therapists can provide suggestions for parents to use at home to help support their child, improve communication and strengthen relationships.

• Art, Bibliotherapy and other Expressive Therapies: Art and other creative methods, such as puppetry, are also useful to help children to express themselves.  Bibliotherapy, or the use of books such as The Little Engine That Could, are also helpful therapy modalities.  

• Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Adults are not the only ones who benefit from learning how to relax to manage stress and anxiety.  Many children need the same skills but need different prompts that are tailored to their developmental level.  For example, an adult might easily understand the prompt to, “Take a deep breath.”  However, a child is likely to do better when lying on the floor next to their counselor and prompted to, “Take a big deep breath, like me, and let’s see if we can both blow up our bellies like great big balloons!  Great job!  Now let’s let all that air out!”  

Our specialized training allows us to work with children using proven approaches that work.

 The Unique Child Counseling Process

The first few sessions involve assessing the child’s needs, interviewing parents or caregivers, completing questionnaires and creating a personalized treatment plan that is discussed and shared with you.  You will become our partner in your child’s wellness.

Parents and caregivers are involved regularly in the child counseling process and provided with regular updates or meetings.  Regardless of which treatment approach is best for your child, our overarching focus is on creating a safe, welcoming and supportive environment designed to make your child feel secure.

Benefits of Child Counseling

Improved emotional regulation: Helping children better manage emotions like anger, sadness, or anxiety helps them feel more confident and achieve greater success.

Behavioral improvements: Reducing problematic behaviors and teaching healthy coping mechanisms opens doors to success.

Enhanced social skills: Supporting children to develop positive interactions with peers and adults sets the stage for social success—at school, home, sports fields and outings.

Strengthened family dynamics: Improved communication and relationships within the family allow the child to focus on their success and growth beyond the family.

Better academic performance: Alleviating school-related stress or challenges.

Take The First Step Toward Helping Your Child Get Back on Track

Positive change can begin today. We're here to support you and your family and address your concerns during this meaningful journey toward healing, emotional growth, and well-being. We'll be with you every step of the way.

Request Free 15 Minutes Consultation

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