Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy
Child Psychotherapy services provide specialized trauma-based treatment for young children using developmentally appropriate, play-based therapeutic approaches and interventions. These services are specifically designed to assess, diagnose, and treat children who have experienced trauma, attachment disruptions, or emotional dysregulation, with the goal of fostering resilience, healing, and healthy development.
Through the language of play, children are supported in expressing complex emotions and experiences in a safe, therapeutic environment. This modality honors the child’s developmental level while allowing for clinical insight into their internal world and relational needs.
For older children, cognitive and behavioral therapeutic approaches are utilized to support healthy processing and restoration of emotional security and individual mental and emotional health.
Therapeutic orientation includes the following core components:
- Assessment and Diagnosis:
Trauma-informed assessment tools and observational techniques are utilized to evaluate the child’s emotional, behavioral, and developmental functioning. The assessment process considers both historical and current factors, including trauma exposure, relational patterns, and environmental influences, to inform diagnosis and individualized treatment planning.
- Play-Based Therapeutic Interventions for Young Children:
Play is the primary mode of therapeutic expression for young children. Using evidence-based interventions such as therapeutic play, art, and narrative storytelling, the therapist facilitates the processing of trauma in a manner that promotes emotional safety, expression, and integration. These interventions are designed to support the child’s capacity for self-regulation, mastery, and interpersonal trust.
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- Therapeutic Interventions for Older Children and Adolescents:
For older children and adolescents, therapy incorporates developmentally appropriate talk-based interventions such as cognitive-behavioral techniques, narrative therapy, mindfulness practices, and expressive modalities (e.g., journaling, creative arts). These approaches support insight development, emotional regulation, and processing of trauma through reflective dialogue and structured therapeutic activities.
- Developmental and Attachment Support:
Treatment planning includes a focus on the child’s broader developmental trajectory, with specific attention to emotional regulation, social engagement, and the formation of secure attachment relationships. Therapeutic goals are tailored to meet the child where they are developmentally, ensuring that both trauma resolution and developmental progression are addressed in tandem.
- Caregiver Collaboration and Recommendations:
Ongoing communication and consultation with caregivers, educators, and relevant professionals is a critical component of treatment depending on the age of the child. Recommendations are tailored to support the generalization of therapeutic gains into the child’s everyday environment, including strategies for enhancing emotional safety, consistency, and relational support at home and in educational settings.
These child psychotherapy services are designed to promote healing and long-term well-being in children of various ages. The therapeutic process is rooted in attunement, safety, and developmentally sensitive care, with an emphasis on building internal resilience and fostering emotionally supportive relationships.
