Child and Adolescent Therapy

Children and adolescents can also benefit from therapy. Individual therapy sessions are appropriate for older, highly verbal children and adolescents. Younger children, in contrast, best express themselves through play, so I utilize play therapy sessions for those children. (See "Play Therapy" under the Services Page for a description).

In individual sessions, the focus is on the thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of the individual child or adolescent. My goal is to help children and adolescents identify patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are related to current difficulties and replace them with more effective strategies. Because children and adolescents are usually not self-referred for therapy, often much of the early work is focused on establishing a trusting relationship and helping the client understand the potential benefits of therapy.

Individual sessions with children and younger adolescents are frequently combined with parent or family sessions to monitor progress.

Children and adolescents who may benefit from therapy include those who . . .
       are anxious and fearful
       seem depressed, sad, or withdrawn
       seem unmotivated or "lazy"
       have low self-esteem
       have poor relationships with peers
       are argumentative or defiant
       exhibit disordered eating patterns
       display marked fear of places, situations, or items that are not dangerous
       seem irritable or angry
       demonstrate a lack of self-control
       are having difficulty adjusting to a new school or sibling
       need help expressing feelings related to parental conflict, divorce, or remarriage
       are grieving the loss of a loved one

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