Child Therapy

Is Your Child Struggling To Feel Safe, Secure, And Confident?

Are you worried about your child’s anxious mindset and behaviors?
Do they demonstrate a strong resistance to stepping outside their comfort zone?
Are you searching for proven, effective strategies for supporting your child through their challenges?

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s possible that your child has a hard time feeling safe. Depending on their age, this might manifest in different ways, from school refusal to separation anxiety to fears around trying new things and meeting new people. Maybe they often complain about physical symptoms like stomach aches and headaches. Or perhaps they have difficulty sleeping, which leads to many other challenges. As a parent, you’re invested in helping your child grow, adapt, and figure out problems on their own—but you also don’t want to push too hard too quickly. Therefore, you may be feeling frustrated or confused about how to meaningfully help your child reduce their anxiety and increase their confidence. At Child and Adolescent Counseling of Denver, our child therapists specialize in treatment for children ages 3 to 12. We are passionate about working with kids and their families to reduce the impact of anxiety and trauma on their lives. Using our tailored combination of Play Therapy, attachment-based methods, and teaching skills to improve self-esteem, we can help your child understand—and feel—that they are safe and capable.

Children Are Experiencing Mental Health Challenges At Higher Rates Than Ever

Like adults, children can develop mental health struggles due to genetics, environmental factors, and life stressors. And in fact, the rates of anxiety and depression among children have significantly increased over the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [1]

Today’s Kids Encounter Obstacles We Didn’t Experience

The rise of technology is one reason children struggle with anxiety. With a world of information at their fingertips, kids are growing up faster than ever before. They’re exposed to more from a young age, which can lead to age-inappropriate behaviors, identity-related struggles, and secondary trauma. Due to isolation and restrictions, the Covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted children’s ability to socialize and individuate from their parents. This is why we see many kids experience increased rates of separation anxiety and behavioral issues at school. There is also more expected of today’s youth. Whereas previous generations went to preschool and kindergarten to socialize and learn basic skills, many children today are learning math, scientific concepts, and how to read as early as age 3 or 4. A need for academic excellence has slowly chipped away at kids’ recess, expressive outlets, and free time. As a result, imagination and play have become devalued in the process of children’s development and self-exploration. Our therapists understand that anxiety-related behaviors are often misunderstood and mistreated, which is why we are here to empower your child’s strengths and help them overcome discomfort. Using therapy that incorporates play and creativity, we can help them grow and build their self-esteem. By offering new ways of thinking about their feelings and worries, Play Therapy and the other evidence-based methods we use can provide your child with lifelong skills for emotional awareness, coping, and creative problem-solving.

Therapy For Children At CAC Denver Increases Safety And Healthy Attachment

Because anxiety and trauma are what send the body into a state of panic, a big component of therapy is providing clients with a safe space to express themselves and learn tools for self-regulation. Our treatment process is designed to strengthen skill sets and connections, ultimately allowing you to foster a supportive, trusting bond with your child. Our therapists are here to offer empathetic, nonjudgmental support so that you, your child, and everyone else in your family can thrive.

What To Expect

In therapy, your child is our client. This means that the treatment focuses on them, and that we will support their needs throughout the counseling process. As a parent, you are absolutely essential to your child’s success, and we will make sure you feel validated, encouraged, and equipped with important skills along the way. Once we have a sense of your family’s history and presenting concerns, we will work with you to get to the root of concerning behaviors. Instead of focusing on how we can change the behaviors themselves, we will offer you and your child perspectives for healing core issues—treating the cause and not just the symptom. We will work with your child on calming their nervous system, offering strategies that will allow them to feel aware and in control. Alongside directive and nondirective play (which you can read more about on our Play Therapy page), we use attachment-based approaches to guide you and your child in nurturing a secure and loving bond. As they practice feeling safe with you and their therapist, your child will be able to manage and process big feelings. By learning to solve problems on their own, your child’s self-esteem will improve. At CAC Denver, we don’t just simply teach coping skills—we heal root issues to catalyze lasting change. We understand you may be feeling frustrated and confused about why your child continues to demonstrate anxious symptoms and behaviors, but there is so much we can do together to help them feel better. Our therapy approach has assisted hundreds of children in gaining confidence, security, and a healthy mindset, and we are confident it can help your child too.

Still Have Concerns About Putting Your Child In Therapy?

How is playing with my child going to help them overcome disruptive behaviors?

Sometimes when people hear the concept of “Play Therapy,” they imagine that they’re going to pay a therapist to simply play with their child. However, Registered Play Therapists™ are trained, experienced experts who understand how to use play therapeutically, taking cues from the child about where certain fears, anxieties, and self-perceptions originate. To learn more about how this works, visit our Play Therapy page. While we can certainly show you helpful therapeutic techniques to support treatment outside of the therapy space, it’s important that your child works with a certified, knowledgeable counselor to overcome disruptive anxiety symptoms and behaviors.

I’m afraid of what people will think about my child/parenting abilities if counseling is necessary.

The fact that you are seeking help for your child shows what a good parent you are. While worrying and disruptive behaviors in children often signal a deeper anxiety- or trauma-related issue, it does not mean you’re a bad parent! All of us could benefit from therapy at some point in life, and it’s actually more effective to receive therapeutic treatment as a child while the brain is still developing. Through counseling, your child can develop new, healthier pathways that will last for life, ultimately reducing the effects of anxiety and trauma in a sustainable way—imagine if we had been given that opportunity when we were kids! No matter what you and your child bring to the counseling space, we will treat you with empathy, respect, and a desire to empower your strengths.

How long does therapy take?

Every child’s counseling timeline depends on presenting symptoms, severity, and personality. While we love working with our clients, our goal is not to keep kids in therapy forever; rather, we are looking to teach them lasting strategies that can aid them in future challenges. Parents play a huge part in the counseling timeline, which is why we will work closely with you to continually reinforce what your child learns in therapy.

Are there any clients you don’t see for child therapy?

Our therapy approach is most effective for children experiencing anxiety, trauma, behavioral concerns, and attachment issues. We don’t typically do reunification or court-ordered therapy, and we collaborate best with families who are motivated, open to the idea of therapy, and willing to do the work of supporting our clients at home. We also don’t specialize in working with kids of parents going through divorce. We recognize the value of working with a specially trained, experienced clinician in these situations and would be happy to refer your child to a therapist with more focused expertise in divorce and blended families.