Pediatric Counseling

Our pediatric counselor works with individuals from two years of age until early adulthood. After all, children aren’t shielded from stress, anxiety, and other issues that many adults need professional help with. Our licensed child counselor works with children of all ages on various issues, such as difficulty coping with trauma, adjusting to divorce or other family changes, body image and self-esteem issues, and difficulties with peers.

She will then tailor a treatment plan to the individual child, considering their age, level of development, personality, behavioral issues, and more. Then, specific treatment goals will be set to ensure that their strategy is truly helping the child. Depending on your child’s needs, their counselor may use one or more of the following techniques: talk therapy, play therapy, or group therapy. Each form can be effective, but most often, the counselor will start with some form of talk therapy to form a connection with the child and ensure a clear understanding of how they are feeling.

If you are unsure if your child could benefit from pediatric counseling, consider this list of potential risk factors or warning signs. If your child is demonstrating any of these behaviors, you may want to consult your primary care physician and seek a referral to a pediatric counselor.

• Increased desire to spend time alone or lack of desire to spend time with family or friends

• Sudden decline in school performance

• Difficulty concentrating at school or on other tasks

• Persistent sadness, sullenness, lack of energy, or hopelessness

• Excessive anxiety or stress

• A loss of interest in activities they previously enjoyed

• Extreme dependency on habitual acts, such as hand washing or making sure doors are locked

• Excessive anger or agitation that leads to lashing out

• Changes in sleeping or eating habits

• Difficulty connecting with peers

• Acting withdrawn from life or an unwillingness to open up