Our therapists specialize in a variety of interventions and modalities, including those outlined below. We treat a variety of diagnoses and difficulties presenting throughout the lifespan, including anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, trauma, ADHD, anger management, and numerous emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been proven to be effective in treating a variety of psychological disorders among children and adolescents — particularly anxiety, depression, OCD, and various behavioral problems.
Our therapists will work individually with your child to explore the relationship between his/her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, teaching and helping your child practice evidence-based strategies. By providing coordinated Parent Consultation, our therapists help parents gain a deeper understanding of their child’s difficulties, while also helping parents reinforce their child’s use of new coping skills and tools. Over the course of coordinated intervention, parents typically report observing a noticeable reduction in their child’s symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, improved emotional and/or behavioral functioning, and a meaningful increase in coping strategies and related self-confidence.
Play Therapy for Children / Activity Therapy for Pre-Teens
Play Therapy is a developmentally-sensitive intervention uniquely suited for children. This modality aims to resolve existing emotional and/or behavioral difficulties while simultaneously promoting optimum growth and development. Shown via research to be an effective mental health approach, Play Therapy can help children struggling with a variety of issues, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, trauma, and grief. Activity Therapy integrates Play Therapy strategies with increasingly talk-based interventions.
Whether providing Play or Activity Therapy, our play therapists will work individually with your child, using approaches that help improve insight and awareness, build and strengthen coping tools, and enhance self-esteem. Play and Activity Therapy are most effective when parents/caregivers are actively involved in the therapy, typically via coordinated Parent Consultation. Over the course of such coordinated interventions, parents frequently notice an overall improvement in their child’s mood and a decrease in frequency and intensity of behavioral problems.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention for young children (ages 2-7) with behavioral problems. PCIT is conducted through “coaching” sessions during which the parent and child are in a playroom while the therapist is observing via live video feed. The parent wears a subtle “bug-in-the-ear” device (i.e., a Bluetooth earbud) through which the therapist provides in-the-moment coaching on skills for managing the child’s behavior. PCIT is done across two treatment phases:
- The first phase of treatment focuses on establishing warmth in the parent-child relationship through learning and applying skills proven to help children feel calm, secure in their relationships with their parents, and good about themselves.
- The second phase of treatment equips parents to manage the most challenging of their child’s behaviors while remaining confident, calm, and consistent in their approach to discipline. In this phase, parents will learn proven strategies to help their child accept limits, comply with directions, respect house rules, and demonstrate appropriate behavior in public.
Families who successfully complete PCIT typically report a decrease in frequency and severity of behavioral difficulties (e.g., tantrums, defiance, aggression, negative attention-seeking behaviors, etc.) and improvements in both parent-child attachment and in child functioning (e.g., self-esteem, attention span, compliance, pro-social behavior, behavior in public, etc.). In related fashion, parents report a decrease in their own frustration levels and an increase in calmness and confidence during discipline.
Dr. Mihya Weber is our resident PCIT provider and specialist; click here to read her bio and/or visit PCIT International to learn more about this intervention.
Group Therapy for Children & Adolescents
Group therapy — provided the group is thoughtfully comprised of members with congruent concerns and similar developmental functioning — can provide a myriad of benefits. Within the confidential setting of a small group of peers, children and teens can find meaningful solidarity while learning a variety of strategies to build insight, enhance communication, increase coping skills, and grow self esteem.
Our practice offers both time-limited and ongoing groups. Members are thoughtfully screened to avoid overlap among schools. Visit our Group Therapy page to learn more about our available groups.
Workshops
Periodically, our practice offers psychoeducational workshops for children and teens. These workshops are distinct from therapy groups — they are instructional in nature and allow for overlap among participants’ social circles. During the course of a 90-minute workshop, participants learn (for example): strategies for managing and expressing emotions in a healthy fashion; tools for taming worry and stress; the basics of healthy boundaries; etc.
Visit our Group Therapy page to learn more about our time-limited workshops, often offered during the summer months.