Helping YOU Help Your Child.
Child and Teen Therapy in Jersey City, NJ
Are you noticing your child or teen struggling with their emotions, behaviors or relationships?
As a parent, it can be heartbreaking to watch your child or teen go through this. You may find yourself overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness, worry, and uncertainty about how to best support them. These emotions can weigh heavily on you, affecting your own well-being and the dynamics within your family.
You are not alone.
At Heights Psychotherapy, I have a holistic view on helping children and their families. I recognize that every child, teen, and their family is unique, with their own set of strengths, struggles, and needs. That's why I take a personalized approach to therapy, tailoring my interventions to meet the specific needs, developmental stage, and environment of each child I work with. Scroll down to learn more!
Signs your child may benefit from therapy:
Difficulty Managing Emotions: Your child might have trouble understanding or expressing their emotions, leading to frequent outbursts of anger or sadness, extreme mood swings, anxiety, or difficulty calming down after experiencing strong emotions.
Behavioral Problems: You may notice your child acting out, displaying defiance, aggression, or disruptive behavior at home, school, or in social settings. They might also withdraw from activities they used to enjoy or refuse to participate in family or school events.
Academic Challenges: If your child's grades have suddenly dropped, they're struggling to concentrate, or they're avoiding school altogether, it could be a sign of underlying emotional or behavioral issues that therapy could address.
Self-Harm: If your child is engaging in self-harming behaviors such as cutting, burning, or other forms of self-injury, it would indicate a need for therapy to address underlying emotional distress or mental health concerns.
Identity Confusion: Your child may be struggling with their identity if they express confusion, distress, or internal conflict regarding their gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural identity, or sense of self. This can manifest as persistent feelings of dissatisfaction, anxiety, or depression related to questions about who they are, their place in the world, or societal expectations.
Social Difficulties: Your child might have trouble making or maintaining friendships, be the target of bullying, be in an unhealthy romantic relationship, or experience social withdrawal. They may seem isolated or disconnected from their peers and struggle to engage in social activities.
Changes in Sleep or Appetite: Significant changes in your child's sleep patterns or eating habits, such as trouble falling or staying asleep, nightmares, or loss of appetite, could indicate emotional distress that therapy could help address.
Trauma: Your child may have experienced a traumatic event that they may be struggling to cope with. Traumatic events can include experiencing war, violence, abuse, neglect, loss of a loved one, or any other experience where they felt unsafe. If they are exhibiting nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of reminders of the event, it may indicate they would benefit from therapy to process their feelings.
Transitions or Major Life Changes: If your child experienced a life transition or major life change such as arrival of a new sibling, divorce, relocation, or death of a loved one, therapy can provide a safe space for them to process their feelings and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
They Ask For Help: Your child may openly express a desire for help and someone to talk to. Whether it's related to managing their emotions, coping with stress, or navigating challenges in relationships or school, their call for help is a sign they need additional mental health support.
How Child and Teen Therapy Can Help:
Emotional Regulation: Through therapy, a child can learn effective strategies to identify and manage their emotions. As a result, they may experience fewer meltdowns or outbursts, feel more in control of their emotions, and have improved self-esteem and confidence.
Behavior Management: Through therapy, a child can explore the underlying factors contributing to challenging behaviors, such as stress, depression, anxiety, anger, or unmet needs. They can learn alternative coping strategies and problem-solving skills to address these behaviors in healthier ways.
Improved Communication: Therapy can help teens develop better communication skills, such as active listening, assertiveness, and conflict resolution. This can lead to improved relationships with family members, peers, and teachers, as they learn to express their thoughts and feelings in a more effective age-appropriate way.
Enhanced Parent-Child Relationships: Therapy may help improve communication and understanding between parents and their child or teen. By learning effective parenting strategies for your child’s needs and strengthening family bonds, parents can feel more confident in their ability to support their child's emotional well-being. This can lead to a closer, more supportive family dynamic and a greater sense of connection and belonging.
Coping with Transitions: Major life changes such as divorce, relocation, or the arrival of a new sibling can be stressful for children and teens. Therapy can provide your child with their own space to adjust and cope with these transitions, helping them feel more secure and resilient.
Trauma Processing: Therapy offers a safe and supportive environment for children and teens to process traumatic experiences, such as abuse, neglect, or witnessing violence.
Build Self-Esteem and Confidence: Therapy can help provide a supportive space to explore strengths, challenges, and emotions. Children and teens can develop a deeper understanding of themselves, cultivate self-acceptance, and build resilience to face life's challenges with greater confidence and self-assurance.
Frequently asked questions about child and teen therapy
FAQs
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I provide therapy for children and adolescents of all ages, from birth to early adulthood.
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I use evidence-based approaches tailored to your child’s age, developmental level, and individual needs. I practice play and expressive arts therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma focused therapy, family therapy, and mindfulness-based interventions.
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Depending on the concern that brought you to therapy, the time spent in therapy will vary on your child’s needs and goals. Some children benefit from short-term therapy focused on specific issues, while others may require longer-term support. Therapy is not forever. On average, I typically tell clients to plan for 3-6 months of therapy. I provide 45-minute weekly sessions for children and teens at my office in Jersey City, NJ. I will discuss with you throughout therapy my impressions, any progress and how long I believe your child would benefit from continued therapy.
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What your child and I discuss in therapy is confidential. I will not provide you with specific details unless there is a crisis that needs to be addressed. This includes knowing if your child wants to harm themselves, harm someone else, or someone is harming them.
You will, however, have an understanding of the themes in therapy and progress towards your child’s goals. You will be included in goal setting and strategies to best help your child through this time.
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You are an important piece to the therapeutic process and your involvement is crucial. We will meet frequently to discuss themes in your child’s therapy, set goals, and discuss progress towards goals. I actively provide education about what your child is going through and how to best support them. This could be through regular updates, family therapy, or parenting coaching. You may be challenged to understand your child or respond to your child in a new way, but the ultimate goal is to provide you with a supportive and collaborative environment that helps you help your child.
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I do not prescribe medications. I do provide a thorough assessment of your child and their behavioral health needs. You will know exactly what my treatment recommendations are to best help your child. At times, a child may benefit from seeing a psychiatrist for a medication evaluation. They are medical doctors and have a different point of view on the body. I will tell you during my initial assessment, and at any point throughout therapy, if an evaluation for medication is recommended and would be able to provide referrals.
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No. The first appointment is with the parent(s) only. This appointment is called an intake appointment as I gather a lot of information to understand what is going on with your child to best help them. Legally, I do need consent from both parents to treat a minor. In this appointment we will discuss how to speak with your child about coming to therapy.
The second appointment is typically with the child or teen, and the parent can be present in that appointment as well.
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The next step is to schedule a brief phone consultation to learn more about each other and decide if we want to work together. Click here to schedule.