Individual therapy is a process unique for each person. People utilize individual therapy to recover from trauma, cope with grief, understand life experiences or build strengths. Individual therapy should always have a goal.

Adolescents often benefit from emotional support. Parents frequently ask us about how confidentiality during therapy works with their teens. Because we want therapy to be a safe space for a teen to freely explore their thoughts and feelings, we do encourage parents to respect privacy. When issues of safety arise, we always involve parents and communicate effectively to ensure safety.

Emotional support for children is unique because children’s brains are still developing, and they do not use language the same way that adults do.

When a child needs therapy it is important that the therapist understand how to help the child feel comfortable to work through their experiences. Many children will not make progress when expected to sit and talk about their problems. Rather, play therapy provides a developmentally sensitive form of therapy that allows children to process feelings, situations, and events in their natural language- play and creativity. Play therapy is appropriate for children as young as 3 years old.

Children benefit from improved self-regulation, the ability to identify and communicate their emotions in a respectfully assertive manner, an enhanced worldview exhibited by expressing greater empathy for others and taking personal responsibility, and a boost in their self-esteem. Behavior problems go down and connection with parents goes up!

Parents play an important role in the child’s therapy. Regular parent meetings, parenting coaching and collaboration with parents is part of how we support children and their families.