No. We are therapists, not psychiatrists. We help your child learn how to understand and cope with issues internally without resorting to medication whenever possible. If the therapist feels that medication is clinically appropriate to achieve treatment goals we will work collaboratively with your child’s medical provider or refer you to a medical provider to help support treatment goals. If your child is currently prescribed medication, we work closely with providers to ensure therapy and medication management is in alignment.

Prior to the first intake appointment, parents/caregivers are asked to complete a thorough history of the child to gather important information about the child’s current and previous struggles, including medical and educational history. During the first session a thorough intake will be completed with the parent/caregiver without the child present if the child is under the age of 14.

The evidence-based therapy interventions we commonly use are play therapy, Cognitive-Behavior therapy, social skills instruction, and Mindfulness training as a means of helping your child work through troubling emotions or behaviors. The goal is to help children learn new strategies to manage emotions, thoughts, and relationships in a more effective way. Parents who take an active role in therapy learn how to help support their child in practicing these new, more effective ways of managing their emotions and communicating with others.

It may be helpful to say something like, “We are going to visit a friend that is a helper for children who may have lots of different feelings about lots of different things. The counselor may ask you questions, but most of the time, you will play together. If you don’t feel like talking, that’s okay.” It is important to be honest with your child about why they are seeing a therapist and when the appointment will take place.

Oftentimes children are not able to verbally communicate their thoughts or feelings. Play therapy is an effective treatment intervention that helps children express their emotions, improve their communication, and solve problems. Play therapy capitalizes on children’s natural ability to express their feelings and resolve conflicts through play. At Ally Psychological therapists use various modalities, including storytelling, puppet play, drama, painting and drawing, and board games.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a therapy which uses research-based techniques to educate the child about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and practice interventions to change negative emotions, thought processes, and reactions. Another way of stating it is “learn, practice, do”. This technique can be used to address a variety of problems such as angry outbursts, reducing stress and anxiety, understanding others perspectives, reducing compulsive behaviors, reducing aggression, increasing prosocial behaviors.

Mindfulness is an approach that helps increase our awareness of ourselves. It assists with quieting the mind, reducing stress, addressing impulsivity, alleviating anxiety and pain management. Mindfulness helps one connect their body and their mind in order to experience life more fully.