Child Therapy in Austin, TX

There are many reasons why families bring kids to my office, but what they all have in common is that the parent wants their child to thrive.

Your child may be struggling in their relationships — making friends or getting along with others may not come easily to them. Your child may seem withdrawn or fearful and perhaps doesn't want to try new things. Your child may seem angry, reacting strongly to seemingly minor frustrations. Your child may have experienced a stressor or loss and is figuring out how to understand that experience.

Whichever reason brings your family to my office, the first step will be to partner together to map an effective path forward.

My approach often depends on the child's age and goals. I draw on modalities like cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and skills adapted from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT-C). These approaches typically work best (and are validated by research) for children aged 7 and up. Coming from a family systems and attachment lens, I typically involve parents in some form throughout treatment, regardless of age. With children younger than 7, I typically start by partnering with parents, bringing specialized strategies suited to your child's individual temperament and needs, since young children grow and learn primarily through their relationship with their parent— learn more on my Parent Consultation page. The right mix always depends on your individual child, and we'll figure that out together.

Areas I work with children on include:

• Anxiety and worry

• OCD

• Depression and mood concerns

• Emotional regulation and anger

• Trauma and loss

• Social and friendship difficulties

• Adjusting to change or stressful life events

I offer both in-person sessions at my Austin, TX office and virtual sessions for families across Texas.

If you're wondering whether therapy might help your child, I'd love to talk it through with you.