Parents are usually spilling over with questions and, oftentimes, frustration and even hopelessness when they bring their young son or daughter into treatment. Their own stress tolerance and understanding of what’s going on have long since been exceeded. For the child, whether referred by a guidance counselor, pediatrician or even court, a young person in therapy is almost always skeptical or even fearful about sharing his or her inner world with an outsider.
Therapy aims to strengthen and augment the parents’ efforts at raising their child or adolescent, not replace it. Working together with the parent, our therapists establish themselves as a champion for their child and as a guide to aright their child’s development; they help to get it back on track. Whether through traditional play therapy, interactive therapy or talk therapy for the older child, the therapist becomes the young patient’s trusted advisor and faithful liaison for getting “back onto the same page” with his or her concerned parents.
Common symptom clusters: ADHD and Oppositional Behavior, Eating Disorders, Major Depression, Obsessiveness, Self-Harm