Services for Children and Teens

​Talking is not always easy for children and teens.

Children and teens need to feel comfortable, safe, and secure before they openly talk about their worries.

They feel that they might “get into trouble” for talking.

Sometimes children cannot talk about what they are feeling; they express themselves through play and creative modalities.

Teens often worry that what they say will not be kept private or that they will be judged.

Explaining your child’s behavior is complicated.

It can be emotionally and physically exhausting when your child is suffering, and you have tried everything you can think of – yet they are still overwhelmed.

Figuring out why your child is so moody or anxious can be confusing. That is because children show their depression or anxiety in different ways.

Some withdraw, some complain about everything and are negative all the time, some refuse to go to school, and some “act out.” Some do all these things!

Teens have their own struggles.

You may have noticed your son or daughter struggling socially or academically, becoming depressed over their friendships ending or the break-up of their first “real” relationship.

Like many parents, you may be worried that your teen is using drugs with friends; they just seem angry and irritable all the time.

You may have noticed scratches or cuts on your teen’s arms or noticed that they are just tired all the time. Their sleep is totally off.

Maybe your teen is struggling with their sexuality and may be using terms that you don’t even know!

This unchartered territory may feel confusing and scary.

Parents need someone with whom to talk openly.

Parents need to feel comfortable, safe, and secure, and seeking advice and guidance from a therapist can help.

Parents talk to us about how frustrating they sometimes find parenting; or how exhausted they feel when they have been dealing with their child’s chronic temper outbursts, seriously anxious behaviors, or sad moods.

Our parents talk to us about the pressures they see in their teens lately.

Parents talk to us openly, because we are non-judgmental when it comes to parenting. We are here to help you figure out how to support your child or teen when things you have tried do not seem to work with your child.

A child/adolescent therapist wears many hats.

Sometimes the hat we wear involves focus on the child, support for the parents, or support for the entire family.

We use creative and evidence-based approaches to support your child’s ability to manage and cope with overwhelming feelings.

And as a parent, we give you tools to help and support your child.

Mutual learning is the goal.

Treatment does not have to be scary for you or your child. Therapy for children at Growth Works is safe, secure, confidential, and often even fun.

Learning to cope with feelings, learning new social skills to be a better friend, or learning to accept yourself for who you are – this learning is the most important thing you can do for your child or teen and yourself.

Individual therapy provides benefits to your child/teen.

Their confidence, competency, and self-esteem are enhanced – and their self-awareness is improved.

They develop coping skills and become able to emotionally regulate feelings (e.g., fewer outbursts).

Communication and social skills help them develop better relationships with friends and the family.

Cooperative behaviors, school/academic functioning, and attention/focus improve. They develop skills to organize, plan, and manage time.

Their anxious feeling decreases, and their overall mood improves for the better.

Working in groups helps enhance your child’s skills.

• Lego groups help build cooperative social skills with children.
• Sibshop groups are for siblings of children with special needs.
• DBT teen groups focus on teens with anxiety and/or depression.
• There are special groups for girls, including a group for anxious high school girls and an empowerment group for girls ages 9-12.

We provide individual, group therapy, and family therapy for kids and teens.

If you want to better understand your child/teen, call us today.