Children's Therapy
Children's Therapy
DEVELOPMENTALLY ATTUNED COUNSELING FOR CHILDREN
Far from just being “little adults,” children possess a developmentally unique way of understanding their world and their place in it. When they are struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, it is important that therapy adapt to their developmental level and “speak their language” – the language of play – to be most effective.
When we play with someone, our defenses go down and our openness to relationship and new learning increases. To be able to play with someone is an indication of feelings of safety. That openness and safety creates an environment in which the work of therapy can occur and healing in a child’s life can take place. Through play, a child may be able to show what he or she cannot otherwise describe, and when an attuned therapist or parent communicates, “I see what you are trying to say and you matter deeply,” a window opens to learning to relate to self, others, and the larger world in healthier ways.
Arbor Cove Therapy, LLC provides counseling to children ages four and up that has relationship, as well as play and other forms of connection and creative expression at its heart. Our clinicians are trained and highly skilled in a number of modalities effective with children and excel in selecting the approach that best meets your child's stage of development, needs, and abilities.
CHALLENGES WE CAN HELP YOU AND YOUR CHILD NAVIGATE
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ADHD
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Adoption
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Aggression / defiance
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Anxiety disorders / phobias
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Attachment problems
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Behavior problems
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Conflict with parents or siblings
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Depression
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Difficulty adjusting to change or transitions
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Disruptive mood dysregulation and other struggles with emotional regulation
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Fears / phobias
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Grief / loss
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Impulsivity
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Obsessive compulsive disorder
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Problems with concentration, focus, and attention
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Sleep difficulties
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Social and / or school problems
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Trauma (e.g. from abuse, neglect, bullying, separation from caregivers, medical procedures, traumatic accidents, traumatic loss)
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Withdrawal / isolation
PARENTS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN CHILDREN'S THERAPY
You are an integral part of your child’s time at Arbor Cove Therapy, LLC. Ideally, we want you in therapy sessions together! Together, we become a team focused on helping your child build or strengthen relationships; resolve conflict; express feelings in healthy ways; reduce anxiety; learn about the brain, body, and emotions; feel safer and more confident in themselves and in the world; and practice regulation skills.
Sometimes, a prerequisite to this work is helping parents build their comfort level with play and emotion and explore the dynamics of their feelings of connection to their child. Family therapy sessions may also be helpful in addressing your child's difficulties within the larger dynamic of the family. In situations where a parent can't be in session with their child, perhaps due to childcare needs, we schedule parent sessions on a regular basis in the office or online to discuss progress and suggestions for how to support your child at home. Ideally, therapy with children is a true team effort consisting of child, parent, and therapist jointly working together.
We invite you to watch the videos below to learn more about the value of therapeutic play and some of the ways we work with children and families. We love what we do!
