Child Therapy

Are You Concerned About Your Child’s Behavior Or Emotional Wellbeing?

Caring for a child with behavioral or emotional issues is often a trying experience. Just making a simple request, such as asking your child to get out of bed and prepare for school, may elicit a combative reaction. Every day may feel like an ongoing battle as you struggle to get your child from point A to point B, mediate conflicts between peers and siblings, make attempts to calm him or her down during tantrums and provide comfort during and through times of sadness.

Teachers, community members and even your friends may have a difficult time engaging with your child, making it more difficult to seek advice and support. As your child becomes more challenging, irritable or troubled, you may find yourself feeling helpless, isolated, blaming yourself, and wondering how and why things have gotten so difficult.

Without the skills to process and appropriately express thoughts and feelings, children tend to resort to other means to express themselves. These other means may be disruptive, harmful or exacerbate problems. Tantrums, arguing, crying, resisting, distracting, yelling, avoiding, withdrawing, self-harming, aggression and more are among the behaviors children who are struggling or in pain express as a means to ask for help.

It is my belief and experience that all people have an innate self-awareness, playfulness, creativity, intelligence and desire for wellness. If you wish you had the insight and tools to support your child and help him or her feel calm and happy, kids therapy can help.

It’s Very Common For Children To Struggle

If you’re struggling to connect with, help or understand your child, you are not alone. All children at some point experience stress and sadness. Young children often have short-lived fears, such as fear of the dark, storms, animals or strangers. It’s common for healthy youngsters to show distress at times of separation from you or other persons with whom they are close. Behavior problems are also a normal part of childhood, and many children go through disruptive phases, especially during times of transition. If you’ve recently moved, divorced, experienced a significant change or event, lost a family member, or had a new baby, it makes sense that your child may be responding in unpredictable ways.

If your family has had a history of anxiety, depression, trauma or other mental or physical health issues, those things can come up in the next generation. And, a new study has found that 48 percent of children have experienced some form of trauma, and 23 percent experienced two or more traumatic events, which can be overwhelming for children and parents alike. It’s also possible that your child may be dealing with ADHD or a learning disability that impacts social interaction and development. And, sometimes conflicts can arise as a simple difference in personality between you and your child.

Regardless of the specifics, I know how difficult it is to see your child struggle. I also know that you’re doing the very best you can. Although there are many parenting books out there, none of them are about your unique child and family, and you certainly haven’t “failed” if you don’t quite know how to handle tough parenting situations.

Thankfully, there is a way to find individualized answers and solutions. With the guidance and support of an experienced, compassionate child counselor, your child can process what has been bothering him or her and learn coping and communication skills to express and dispel distress—now and in the future.

Kids Therapy Can Provide Support And Relief

Children often do not have the insight or the language to accurately understand and express their experiences, thoughts and feelings. As a child therapist, I am trained to bridge that gap and help your child express his or her emotions and thoughts. I don’t believe that counseling for kids has to be serious or scary. Children are by nature are playful, creative and fun, and my goal is to provide your child with a trusted confidant with whom to feel comfortable, have fun, experience relief and build the confidence and skills needed to overcome struggles.

During the first session, you (the parent or guardian), your child and I will meet together. During this time, everyone will have the opportunity to share their perspective on the problem and clarify goals for therapy. From there, I’ll meet with your child individually. Although I maintain confidentiality for all my clients, I will collaborate with you throughout the process to ensure we find creative solutions that best support your child and family. With a unified system of support, it’s possible for your child to feel more confident, understood and valued.

During sessions with your child, I draw upon age-appropriate techniques to help him or her gain tools to better understand and manage thoughts, emotions and behaviors. First, your child can develop a new vocabulary to describe his or her emotions. If your child appears to be stuck in a cycle of negative thinking, I can help him or her recognize triggers to unwanted or unhelpful behavior and gain the tools needed to deescalate reactions to distress. Every child is different, meaning we will work to find effective coping strategies that work with your family resources, your child’s personality and his or her skills and strengths. Strategies may include, play therapy, mindfulness activities, art, narratives,  deep breathing, reward charts, and more.

My approach to children’s therapy is strength-based, meaning I believe that each child is equipped with the enthusiasm, bravery and resilience needed to heal. At its core, my work taps into your child’s strength in order to clarify barriers and overcome challenges. I’ve been working with kids for nearly two decades, so I know that, with the right support, it’s possible for your child to gain more control and make more positive, empowered decisions.  

You may still have questions or concerns about pediatric therapy…

I’ve heard that therapy can be expensive.

I encourage you to think of child counseling as an investment in your child’s wellbeing, as well as your relationship with him or her. If there were a medical concern, you would likely seek out a doctor for advice. Therapy is no different. Ongoing and persistently high levels of stress can impact mental, emotional and physical health, as well as your child’s capacity for healthy academic, social and neurological development. Therapy can provide your child with the skills he or she needs to communicate effectively and navigate problems in the future.

Shouldn’t I be able to handle this on my own?

It’s very common for parents to feel as though they’ve fallen short when their child is struggling, especially because they are so close to the issue. Seeking help shows strength and wisdom, demonstrates your commitment to care for your child and family, and models for your child the ability to recognize the need for help and ask for support when necessary.  

I don’t want to involve someone else in our dirty laundry.

I am not here to judge. My role is to listen to your story and provide you with options for getting your needs met. I take my confidentiality clause seriously and am not permitted to share our interactions with anyone. There is a lot of freedom in speaking with an objective, confidential and highly-trained third party. With some guidance, you and your family can move past this challenging life phase.

Your Child And Family Can Move Forward

If you’re interested in child counseling in Ventura, CA, please call 805-444-8787 for a free 30-minute consultation or to schedule a free face-to-face consultation. I am happy to answer any questions you have about kids therapy or how my practice can address your needs.