Child Therapy
What’s going on with my kiddo?
Nothing is worse than watching our children struggle with baffling behaviors. Are you feeling surprised, overwhelmed, or worried about shifts in your child’s temperament or behavior? Children develop so quickly! It can be disorienting trying to keep up and discern what is “normal kid stuff” and what might require some extra attention.
At Little Dove Counseling, we provide child therapy services in Walnut Creek, CA to help you answer this question. Our team of experts adores working with children and believes child therapy should be an engaging and meaningful experience for the whole family. You may be wondering if your child would benefit from child therapy.
How do I know if my child would benefit from therapy?
Areas to consider when thinking about the need for child therapy include your child’s experiences, circumstances, and behaviors.
Experiences:
Loss of a loved one
Change of school, home, or family make up
Divorce
New baby joining the family
Adoption
Foster Care
Car Accident
Medical Trauma
Separation from a parent
Circumstances:
A chronically ill caregiver
Stressful school environments
Parents in the middle of a divorce
Medical Diagnosis
Behavior:
Difficulty sleeping/nightmares
Prolonged tantrums
Excessive tearfulness
Shutting down
Hitting/kicking/biting/throwing
Panic
Difficulty connecting with peers
Forgetfulness
Trouble completing schoolwork and daily living activities
Persistent Anger
Exhaustion/overwhelm
Fear of separating from caregivers
Our team of child therapists are specially trained to help find out what the meaning underneath the behavior is and how to address it. We believe behaviors are symptoms of needs that are not expressed clearly. When providing child counseling, we work to play detective with the parent and the child to solve this mystery.
Modalities in child counseling may include…
Play Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapy
Family Play Therapy
Parent Coaching
Ok, but what does it look like in the therapy room?
We combine the language of children, which is play with therapeutic intervention. Activities may include:
Drawing
Sandtray
Dancing
Acting
Talking
Communication
Games
Emotion
Identification
Games
Attachment
Building Games
Regulating
Games
Story
Telling
-
Sessions will look different for each child, teen, or adult. At Little Dove Counseling, we prioritize our relationship with the caregivers/parents to ensure your child or teen is holistically thought about. Your therapist will walk your family through a 4-6 assessment session process. At the end of this period, your therapist will provide information on what was found during the assessment and treatment plan written specifically for your child. The treatment plan will include measurable goals and a plan for meeting them. You and your family’s therapist will have regular check-ins to ensure we are on track. Sessions will look different for each child, teen, or adult. At Little Dove Counseling, we prioritize our relationship with the caregivers/parents to ensure your child or teen is holistically thought about. Your therapist will walk your family through a 4-6 assessment session process. At the end of this period, your therapist will provide information on what was found during the assessment and treatment plan written specifically for your child. The treatment plan will include measurable goals and a plan for meeting them. You and your family’s therapist will have regular check-ins to ensure we are on track.
-
Reach out via your preferred form of contact here. Our intake coordinator will be in touch within one business day to match you with a therapist and schedule your first session.