Child and teen counseling in Bethlehem, PA

My go-to approach for helping kids in child therapy is to make learning fun and interactive! In child therapy find the best benefit in creating a strong connection with both child and parent because parents have their child 95% of the week, whereas I get 1 hour. Parents are a needed and effective partner in therapy! My go-to approach for helping people in teen counseling is building a strong relationship of trust and genuine connection where teens feel safe to share openly. In teen counseling, find the best benefit in mixing fun activities with talk therapy because teens still enjoy fun activities and tend to open up more when you start with an enjoyable opener that takes the pressure off of just talking.

I teach the following tools in child therapy:

• Parenting skills - Assisting parents in understanding their child's behavior and learning effective, attachment-building solutions to address behavior is crucial in creating a healthy home and child.
• Coping skills - Teaching children fun, useful, easy-to-remember coping skills that parents can reinforce will help children cope better in times of distress.
• Healthy relationships and boundaries with peers - It's never too early to learn how to have healthy relationships with friends and future romantic partners! Healthy boundaries are key as we enter peer pressure and “fitting in” ages.

• Identifying feelings - In order to fully address and cope with stress and intense emotions, you have to know and understand where the feeling is coming from and why it's happening.
• Communication skills - Teens communicate with parents, teachers, peers, partners, etc. Giving them tools to engage in healthy styles of communication early on helps them set up healthy relationships and get their needs better met.
• Healthy coping skills - Teen life comes with a lot of stressors and change! Healthy coping is super important to cope with the ups and downs of teen life in ways that set us up for success.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in child therapy when the child and parents both report their household feels calmer and they feel more equipped to handle triggers and difficult moments. In teen counseling, I know a client is making meaningful progress when their parents, teacher, and themselves report things are going well outside of the therapy room.

Clients can supplement their time in child therapy with the practice of coping skills, having habitual and expected one-on-one time between parents and child to talk and check-in, and ensuring they are noting items throughout the week that would be important for both parent and child to address in their next session. Similarly, clients can supplement their time in teen counseling by talking openly with parents during habitual one-on-one time with their parent, journaling, and practicing applying skills learned in sessions outside the therapy room.