323-314-2272
Children, Teens and Families
Service Description
YOUNG CHILDREN, TEENS, AND FAMILIES Young children and adolescents don't necessarily want to come to therapy. They often don't yet have the words and the practice of self-reflection. Adolescents are struggling with compliance vs. rebellion in an effort to safely separate and grow autonomously. Both groups are exposed to powerful environmental stressors. Young children, as well as adolescents, also respond to age or developmentally appropriate projective techniques such as sand tray, games and art which are useful to develop a trusting therapeutic relationship, and to find safe metaphors for what may be and feel like dangerous feelings and behaviors. My commitment is to support and guide the discovery and development of your child's emerging authentic self using emotional language and self-expressive interventions to increase self-awareness and evolve the organic organization of their internal world. Eventually their practiced self-awareness and self-regulating skills will relieve them of the need to release and defend aggressively, or to withdraw. They will begin to know and trust themselves and meet challenges more effectively.