Child Therapy
Work with the Best Child Therapists in Texas
Childhood is a time of wonder, discovery, and growth.
Or at least, it’s supposed to be.
Sometimes, children face difficulties that affect their well-being, such as stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, or behavioral problems. These challenges can interfere with their happiness, learning, and relationships. That’s why child therapy services are available to help children overcome their obstacles and thrive.
Deep Eddy Psychotherapy is home to some of the best child therapists in Texas. Our team provides a wide range of therapy and assessment services to help give you and your family the insights, guidance, and empowerment you need to help your child succeed.
Child therapy (therapy for kids) is a specialized form of counseling that is tailored to the needs and goals of each child. It can help children express their emotions, cope with their problems, develop their strengths, and improve their self-esteem. Child therapy can also provide support and guidance to parents and families who want to help their children succeed. If you are looking for child therapy services in your area, you have come to the right place. Here, you will find information about what child therapy is, how it works, what benefits it can offer, and how to get started.
What is child therapy? How is it different from regular therapy?
Children may come to therapy for a wide range of reasons. Children may be brought in because their parents noticed they were struggling or could use support. They can also be referred by their education system, or sometimes they come in because they asked their parents if they could talk to someone about their feelings or problems. Based on the needs of the child, therapy can take many forms and may look quite different from one child to the next. However, the ultimate goal of therapy is to provide children with a safe, supportive, confidential space to engage with a mental health professional who can help them understand themselves and their experiences. Child therapy focuses on supporting kids through a myriad of life experiences and helping them navigate personal and developmental changes.
How can parents support their child’s therapy?
If you are a parent who has decided to bring your child to therapy, you may be feeling many emotions. You may be nervous about what to expect, overwhelmed by the challenges your child is facing, confused about how to help, embarrassed by what others may think, or relieved that you are not alone. Whatever you are feeling, we want you to know that we are here for you and your child. We appreciate your courage and trust in us.
As therapists, we see you as the most important person in your child’s life. You know your child better than anyone else, and we value your insight, questions, and feedback. We want to work with you as a team to help your child grow and thrive. We want to help you understand your child’s needs and unique way of being in the world. We want to help you communicate with your child more effectively, with the goal of strengthening your bond. We want to help you become curious about your child and connect with them in loving, supportive, healthy ways.
That is why we offer parental guidance sessions as part of our therapy process. These sessions are an opportunity for us to educate, inform, and guide you throughout your child’s therapeutic journey. We will share with you what we are doing in therapy, what we are learning about your child, and what you can do at home to support your child’s progress. We will also listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and address any challenges that may arise along the way.
We believe that parents are the key to their child’s success in therapy. By working together, we can help your child overcome difficulties, develop skills, and discover their potential. We look forward to partnering with you and your child on this journey.
What types of child therapy does Deep Eddy offer?
We offer several methods of therapy with kids depending on the child’s presenting problems, needs, and age:
Play therapy
Children have a natural way of communicating and learning that is different from adults. They use play to express their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Play is not just a fun activity for children, but a powerful tool for healing and growth.
Play therapy is a form of therapy that uses play as the main language between the therapist and the child. Play therapy allows the therapist to enter the child’s inner world and understand their perspective. Play therapy also allows the child to explore, express, and process their emotions, conflicts, and challenges in a safe and supportive environment.
Play therapists use a variety of techniques and materials to engage with the child in play. They may use directive or non-directive interventions, depending on the child’s needs and goals. Directive interventions are when the therapist guides or suggests the play activities, while non-directive interventions are when the therapist follows the child’s lead and lets them choose the play activities. Play therapists trust that children have an innate drive to heal themselves and will direct their own process.
Play therapists also use different types of toys, sand, art supplies, and games to help the child express themselves in different ways. For example, drawing and painting can help the child express their feelings and thoughts visually, molding and sculpting can help the child release tension and create something new, making and listening to music can help the child express their mood and rhythm, and playing with dolls and puppets can help the child act out their stories and fantasies. These activities give the therapist valuable clues about how the child sees and experiences the world.
Play therapy is not only beneficial for the child, but also for the parents. The therapist works with the parents to share their observations and insights from the sessions, and to help them understand their child better. The therapist also helps the parents develop ways to communicate with their child more effectively, with the goal of strengthening their relationship. Play therapy helps parents become more curious and supportive of their child’s unique way of being in the world.
CBT
Children sometimes struggle with their emotions, thoughts, and actions. They may feel sad, angry, anxious, or confused. They may act out, withdraw, or avoid. They may have trouble at home, at school, or with friends. These difficulties can affect their happiness, health, and well-being.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that can help children and parents understand and cope with these challenges. CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected and influence each other. For example, if a child thinks that they are not good enough, they may feel sad and lonely. If they feel sad and lonely, they may isolate themselves from others or lash out in anger. If they isolate themselves or lash out, they may miss out on positive experiences and feedback that could improve their mood and self-esteem.
CBT helps children and parents break this cycle by teaching them how to identify, challenge, and change their negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT also helps them learn new skills, resources, and strategies to cope with stress, solve problems, communicate effectively, and build confidence. CBT is a structured and organized approach that involves setting goals, practicing skills, and monitoring progress.
Parents also benefit from CBT for kids. CBT helps parents better understand their child’s inner world and how it affects their outward behavior. CBT helps parents become more curious and supportive of their child’s needs and emotions. CBT helps parents learn how to communicate with their child in a way that fosters trust, respect, and cooperation. CBT helps parents become more effective in guiding their child to make positive choices and changes.
CBT is a powerful tool for helping children and parents overcome difficulties, develop skills, and discover their potential. CBT is a collaborative process that involves working together as a team to achieve growth and well-being.
DBT
Some kids feel overwhelmed by their emotions and have trouble getting along with others. They may feel out of control or confused about what is happening inside of them. They may act in ways that are harmful to themselves or others, such as cutting, hitting, or yelling. They may have difficulty making friends, keeping promises, or following rules. These difficulties can affect their happiness, health, and well-being.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy that can help children and parents cope with these challenges. DBT is a form of CBT that teaches children how to balance their emotions and thoughts, and how to interact with others in a respectful and effective way. DBT helps children learn four sets of skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Mindfulness helps children become more aware of their present moment experience, without judging or avoiding it. Mindfulness helps children calm down, focus, and accept themselves and others.
- Distress tolerance helps children cope with difficult situations and emotions, without making them worse. Distress tolerance helps children find healthy ways to soothe themselves, such as breathing, listening to music, or talking to someone.
- Emotion regulation helps children understand and manage their emotions, without being overwhelmed by them. Emotion regulation helps children identify their emotions, express them appropriately, and change them if needed.
- Interpersonal effectiveness helps children communicate with others in a way that respects their own and others’ needs and goals. Interpersonal effectiveness helps children ask for what they want, say no to what they don’t want, and deal with conflicts.
DBT was originally developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder, a serious mental health condition that affects how people think, feel, and relate to others. However, DBT has been adapted and proven to be helpful for children with various difficulties, such as mood disorders, eating disorders, self-harm behaviors, suicidal thoughts or urges, extreme behaviors, or relational difficulties.
DBT is not only helpful for children, but also for parents. DBT helps parents better understand their child’s emotions and behaviors, and how to support them in a positive way. DBT helps parents learn how to communicate with their child in a way that fosters trust, respect, and cooperation. DBT helps parents become more effective in guiding their child to make positive choices and changes.
DBT is a powerful tool for helping children and parents overcome difficulties, develop skills, and discover their potential. DBT is a collaborative process that involves working together as a team to achieve growth and well-being.
Trauma-Focused / Trauma-Informed Therapy
Children go through many changes and challenges as they grow and develop. Sometimes, they may experience events that are very scary, painful, or confusing. These can include things like losing a loved one, moving to a new place, witnessing violence, being abused, or being bullied. These events can affect how children think, feel, and act. Surviving something like this can make kids feel unsafe, alone, or ashamed. Some may have nightmares, flashbacks, or angry outbursts. Others may avoid talking about what happened or pretend that nothing happened.
Trauma-Focused / Trauma-Informed Therapy is a type of therapy that can help children who have experienced these events. This therapy helps children understand what happened to them and how it affected them. This therapy helps children cope with their emotions and memories in a healthy way. This therapy helps children heal from their wounds and grow from their strengths.
Trauma-Focused / Trauma-Informed Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is tailored to the needs and goals of each child and family. It uses different methods and techniques to help children express and process their experiences. Some of these methods are:
- Play techniques: This method uses toys, games, and activities to help children communicate their feelings and thoughts in a natural and fun way.
- Dynamic work: This method helps children explore their relationships with themselves and others, and how the trauma affected them.
- Art therapy: This method uses drawing, painting, sculpting, and other forms of art to help children express their emotions and creativity in a visual way.
- Storytelling: This method helps children create and share stories about their experiences, using words, pictures, or symbols.
Trauma-Focused / Trauma-Informed Therapy is not only helpful for children, but also for parents. This therapy helps parents better understand their child’s trauma and how to support them in a positive way. This therapy helps parents learn how to communicate with their child in a way that fosters trust, respect, and cooperation. This therapy helps parents become more effective in guiding their child to make positive choices and changes.
Trauma-Focused / Trauma-Informed Therapy is a powerful tool for helping children and parents overcome difficulties, develop skills, and discover their potential. Trauma-Focused / Trauma-Informed Therapy is a collaborative process that involves working together as a team to achieve growth and well-being.