Therapy for children ages 3 to 10 can help create a successful foundation of their psychological development. From the interactions and learning during preschool, kindergarten, and elementary years, parents are the expert on their child, and can often sense when extra support is needed. You might notice your child is often fearful, anxious, or worried, and these feelings are difficult to control. These might manifest as emotional outbursts that are seemingly “out of the ordinary” or “dramatic” considering the context of the scenario.

Some symptoms your little one may express or show include:

• Inability to control emotions appropriately

• Pulling their hair or skin when upset

• Difficulties with sleeping 

• Avoidance going to school

• Feeling afraid to be away from parents 

• Self-blame for problems or feels guilty

• Self-conscious or easily embarrassed

• Difficulty with having self-confidence

• Non-age appropriate bedwetting

• Complaints of stomach aches and/or headaches

A child’s mental health affects how they think, feel, and act. It also plays a role in how they handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health challenges in children may manifest as problems in school and with age appropriate behavior. With support from therapy, we can help them through challenges with learning, behavior, or handling their emotions, causing distress or difficulties getting through the day. Without support, these challenges can interfere with your child’s ability to develop socially, academically, and emotionally.

As children get older, they are tasked with more responsibilities at home and school; and they tackle more complex issues in development. It is important to note that different children develop at their own pace, so some children will continue to work on tasks from earlier developmental stages throughout childhood. A mental health professional can assist parents in understanding how to best support their individual child’s development. 

You and your child are not alone. For children with behavior problems, more than 1 in 3 also have anxiety and about 1 in 5 also have depression. We understand the stress and concern parents may have for their little one. 

Some of our therapeutic approaches include:

• Play Therapy & Family Therapy (primarily for younger children)

• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT)

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Our goal for your child’s therapy is to “dig deeper” and identify and address the root of their challenges so their symptoms steadily improve to foster a healthy foundation for long-term growth and developmental success.