Children have unique needs when it comes to counseling. At different ages, we pass through distinct developmental phases with specific tasks, capabilities, and limitations. We have special training in developmental psychology and we always use therapeutic interventions that take a child’s developmental phase into account.

We utilize Dr. Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development in order to assess which stage a child’s stage of development. In addition to this and other developmental theories, we consider the impact of external factors such as a child’s home environment, community, and school setting. These external factors impact the formulation of a child’s personality, symptoms, and behavior.

We have extensive training in child and adolescent development and a great deal of specialized experience working with youth ages 0-12. When working with youth, we implement a range of research-based, empirically proven techniques, specific to your child’s developmental phase, in order to ensure therapy will be most effective.

Two of the most common questions we get from parents are “Is my child normal?” and “Should I worry?” In order to help ease your anxiety and provide insight into these questions, we use an important tool called the Ages and Stages Developmental Assessment. This assessment can be performed in 1-2 sessions and will give parents a detailed analysis of their child’s level of functioning across five domains: Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem-Solving, and Personal-Social.

This is a fun and interactive assessment that will examine how your child is functioning and additionally identify any areas of concern. If areas of concern are noted in the assessment, we formulate a detailed treatment plan with tools and at-home play assignments to help guide the child toward increasing their level of functioning in a particular domain.

Children often communicate with play and art rather than words and usually require alternatives to talk therapy because they may not be capable of verbalizing abstract emotions. For this reason, we incorporate art and play therapy into assessment and treatment. We also examine a child’s behavior and nonverbal body language in formulating assessments. Integrating art, play, behavior, verbal, and non-verbal body language allows me to take a multi-faceted and comprehensive view of the child’s psychology in order to provide the most effective treatment.