Play Therapy and Behavioral Therapy for Children
in Montgomery County, Maryland
Parenting is hard work. Parenting a child who is struggling emotionally or behaviorally is even harder. It feels like nothing you do is enough to help them handle their intense emotions. Or develop better self control. Your child isn’t happy. You aren’t happy. It’s time to get some help.
Our Licensed Child Therapists start by supporting YOU, the Parent(s)
The truth is: more and more children are developing anxiety, difficulties with attention, and other mental health needs. The parenting approaches your parents used aren’t enough anymore. It now takes specialized training to raise a mentally healthy adult. That’s why parent therapy is the first step in our Child Therapy process. (Read more about that here.)
You (the parent) will meet weekly with a Child Therapist on our team, online or in person.
You’ll create and implement a plan for parenting your challenging child. As you notice changes in your child’s behavior, you’ll start to heal from the painful arguments that brought you to therapy. You’ll feel better, and your child will too. Because you’ll finally have the expertise to take action.
You’ll start parenting in ways that help your child manage ADHD symptoms, and reduce child anxiety.
Why do we do it this way? Because YOU are your child’s most effective therapist. Even if your child is coming to therapy on their own. This might sound shocking coming from us. Aren’t we effective child therapists? We are.
But a weekly child therapy session = 1 hour of intervention per week. A strategy you implement at home = at least 5 hours of intervention per week. That’s simply better. After all, consider what happens when you ask your child once a week to do something. Versus how it goes when you work on it every day.
Play therapy or behavioral therapy for your child is the next step
If you need a next step, that is. Some families don’t. We recommend that your child meet one-on-one with a child therapist when
parents have made changes at home but the child is still stuck
separation anxiety is the focus of treatment (also try SPACE treatment for that)
your child has experienced a specific trauma that needs to be processed through play
conflict between parents or with a sibling is one of the child’s key stressors, or
adoption, foster care, or other changes in family context have made it harder for your child to trust
Tweens and teens also need some time in the therapy room on their own, to support their growing autonomy. In all of these cases, the child’s therapy includes encouraging the child to share more and more of his/her/their feelings with a parent.
Children develop new skills and process emotions through exploration and play. In short, they learn by doing. That’s why our child therapy sessions are always active. We move around the room, regulating both our bodies and minds. We use the materials that your child is most excited to use: art supplies, puppets, games, and costumes.
We use mindfulness practice to help kids learn to calm themselves. We pull in concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help kids relate their thoughts to their actions. Our bookshelves are stocked with stories that illustrate these concepts. And acting out examples helps the learning to stick.
But all of this happens after parents have given it a try.
By working with a therapist yourself, you can help your child to:
Manage impulsive behavior related to ADHD.
Convey their needs to peers and adults.
Reduce sensory overload and emotional dysregulation.
Respond to and express anger in a positive way.
Know when to ask for help.
Break tasks down into more manageable pieces.
Read social cues and act accordingly.
Manage anxiety and difficult emotions in age-appropriate ways.
What is the difference between a child psychologist and a child therapist?
There are more similarities than differences. Both psychologists and therapists are trained in the study of psychology. They both know how to read and interpret the latest research. They both explore how thoughts and behaviors impact our lives. Both are licensed experts in child development.
Therapists in Maryland can have many types of names:
Marriage and Family Therapists (LCMFT)
Clinical Social Workers (LCSW-C)
Counselors (LCPC)
Art Therapists (LCPAT)
All of these have graduate degrees, plus at least 2 years of training to become licensed.
Looking for a child psychologist or child therapist in Maryland?
Our child therapy office in Kensington is easy to reach from Bethesda, Rockville, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, and NW DC. And our online services are available from anywhere in Maryland. Request your first appointment below.
FAQs ABOUT CHILD THERAPY
What types of therapy do you provide for children?
-Play Therapy
-Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
-Mindfulness Training
When should a child (or the child’s parent) see a therapist?
Children are different from adults in how they express their feelings. Children may express emotional distress through “bad behavior” or “acting out.” Certain behaviors may raise red flags. Your child may benefit from psychotherapy if they:
Bully others or someone is bullying them.
Have changes in eating or sleeping patterns.
Avoid social situations or withdraw from friends and family.
Refuse to attend school or refuse to complete school assignments.
Have a sudden drop in grades.
Use coping behaviors such as picking at skin or pulling out hair.
Experience frequent nightmares or difficulty maintaining a sleep schedule.
Express sudden fear of certain adults or situations.
Make statements about wanting to die or wanting to harm themselves.
Have sudden changes in mood or behavior (e.g. an outgoing and social child now hides in their room).
Struggle to cope with major life changes (e.g. divorce, death).
If you've noticed any of the above behaviors in your child, click the appointment request button above to get started.
All sessions are available in person or online.