Therapy for Children & Teens

Trauma-informed, attachment-focused therapy for children & teens in Center City, Philadelphia

All you want is for your child or teen to be happy and healthy.

You've tried to do things differently for them than were done for you, but somewhere along the way, your child has begun to struggle.

Your Child Is…

✘ Struggling with school

✘ Acting out at school and home

✘ Having difficulty making and keeping friends

✘ Expressing frequent negative thoughts about themself or others

✘ Avoiding things that scare them

✘ Fighting with siblings

Your Teen Is…

✘ Isolating themselves from you

✘ Struggling with low self-esteem

✘ Lying or omitting the truth 

✘ Falling behind in classes

✘ Engaging in self-harm or other risky behaviors 

✘ Getting into unhealthy relationships

You've done all you know to do to help them, but nothing seems to help. It feels like you're not a “good enough” parent to handle this.

It's beginning to affect more than just your child, but your marriage, the rest of your family, and your own well-being.

You are a good parent.

There is help.

The fact you’re here proves it. You’re willing to go to the ends of the earth for your child, but today you feel hopeless. 

We know the roots of your child’s isolation, lack of confidence, or struggles at school and home can be resolved.

young girl sitting in red wagon, child and teen therapy in Philadelphia

Wrap-Around Therapeutic Support for the Whole Family

Play Therapy for Children 

Dance Movement Therapy for Children

Counseling for Children of Therapists

Life-Stage Informed Therapy for Teens

Attachment-Based Family Therapy

Individual Therapy for Parents

Strengths-Based Support for Parents

Happy family - therapy for the whole family in Philadelphia

The mission and values of our practice:

We can support your child or teen with the following concerns: 

✘ Trauma and PTSD

✘ Anxiety

✘ Depression

✘ Adoption-Related Concerns

✘ Bullying & Friendship Challenges

✘ Teen Dating Violence

✘ Low Self-Esteem

✘ Perfectionism

✘ Behavioral Concerns

✘ Grief & Loss

Counseling for Children of Therapists

As therapists, we empathize with the distinct hurdles you face when seeking mental health support for your child. Our deep understanding of these challenges enables us to assist you in making well-informed decisions and helping you determine your needs for your child. Learn more here!

We do not specialize in working with high-conflict divorce, eating disorders or substance use disorders. If they are the primary concern, we can refer you to skilled colleagues in the area. If you’re not sure if you child/teen would meet criteria, please reach out and we will help you.  

How does it work?

Our approach to child and teen therapy include involving parents and caregivers at every stage of the therapeutic process. 

Therapy is more than just addressing your child’s behavior. It’s also about helping you reattune to your child, identify what they need, and to understand what’s going on under the surface.

This approach remains critical and effective to resolving issues at their root, and minimizing future difficulties down the road.

Why us?

Kids and teens will easily tune out if we just “talk” at them about all that’s going on. As experienced child and teen therapists, we have received extensive training in knowing how best to communicate with your child. 

The use of play, art, movement, and storytelling allows us to help them work through the problems they’re experiencing in ways that make sense to them. 

We help your child experience themselves differently — as the delightful, loved child that they are. But we’re not just experienced in working with children; we are trained and experienced in working with adults, too. This means we can support you just as much as we can support your child in this process.

Therapists playing, Play Therapy Philadelphia

Let’s bring love, happiness, & harmony back into your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • To start, we will meet for 50-minutes each week. Sessions focus on creating healing experiences for you and your child using play, art, and creative expression. This helps your child engage with therapy at the level that is most effective for them.

    Depending on your reasons for seeking therapy, we may engage in family-based play therapy to improve patterns of communication and relating. We may engage your child in individual therapy that involves sand tray therapy and the use of dolls and puppets to help your child express their experience without the requirement of adult vocabulary. We will discuss our plan at every step of the process.

  • We are going to provide a new way of being with your child. We can help you parent in line with your values, which is possible with the body-based relational tools we teach you. We will help you build strong, lasting connections with your child, so you can understand what’s happening in their heart, mind, and body that contributes to challenging behaviors or mood states.

  • We are not behaviorists nor offer ABA therapy. Behavior-based therapy often results in parents and children feeling more disconnected than before. This means we aren't going to encourage you to have token jars, enforce time-outs, or use clip charts. We won’t advise harsher consequences when your child is already struggling to behave. We will provide you with a compassionate, effective alternative that helps you and your child feel more connected, better regulated, and experience fewer difficulties at school and home. This is done through a deep understanding of neurobiological and nervous system informed interventions that help increase a child's sense of regulation, connection, and felt safety.

  • Your child will experience better results when you gain the skills and confidence to be the best parent you can be. Rather than just spending an hour per week with your child, you get to be part of the process, to learn about your child alongside your therapist and ultimately feel more effective as a parent/caregiver.

    Your own past and background influences how you parent, too. We’ll help you unpack how your own upbringing or childhood is impacting your child and give you the tools to break old patterns and create new ones.

  • Schedule your free consultation by clicking the button below. On our call, we’ll answer any questions you have about therapy for your child and be sure we’re a good fit. If we believe we are a great option for you and your child, we’ll schedule your first appointment and get started! You and your child deserve to live a life of confidence, joy, and love together. We can’t wait to speak with you!