Child therapists in Antelope, California CA
Child or Adolescent Issues
Bruce L. Whitney
Psychologist, Ph.D., QME
Evaluation and treatment of all major mental and emotional disorders, with focused expertise in: depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, dissociative disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), sexual trauma victims, marital and relationship issues, educational and executive coaching.
35 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Alan Jacobson, Psy.D.
Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist, Nationally Registered Health Service Provider
I help adolescents navigate the stresses and challenges and learn about their strengths and potential. I use a positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral approach, all within a respectful and powerful client-centered therapy environment. Subspecialties include sports psychology, college admission counseling, and academic performance psychology.
23 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Kim Gengler
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
Whether you're a parent or an adolescent, I am here to help by taking a development approach to becoming a whole person. I love supporting adolescents as they move towards greater embodiment of their identities. While this can be a struggle for both teens and parents, I provide a supportive space for teens to learn who they are and live their satisfaction.
5 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Janee Young
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
I bring a wealth of experience and a genuine passion for working with children and adolescents. Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to the well-being of young minds, specializing in those aged 9 and up. My approach is infused with warmth and expertise, and I utilize play therapy techniques to create a safe and engaging space for children facing issues such as bullying, anxiety, depression, school performance, and family dynamics.
8 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Jonathan Kruger Therapy
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
Your child is the most precious vessel in your life, and finding a trusted therapist to address your child’s emotional challenges is one of the toughest decisions a parent can face. Engaging with children in a safe, supportive way has been a lifelong passion of mine. I was blessed to be raised in a household that was joyous, accepting, filled with music, and also filled with children. My mother was a music therapist for children with special needs and disabilities, and observing her connect through music to deeply impaired youth had a profound impact on my life. Her example taught me to understand and engage children at their level, and I have taken those lessons into my therapeutic process, whether it be working closely with troubled children and teens throughout the Los Angeles County Unified Schools district, or engaging with children in my private practice.
My approach to child therapy is two-pronged. First, I seek to engage the child as an active participant in the therapeutic process. Deploying imagination, play, art, music, breathing, dancing, and energy work, the purpose is to build deep trust and communication at a level the child can embrace and that feels authentic to the child’s experience. Since children clearly do not have the communication skills of adults, building this connectivity, sense of safety, and environment of trust is vital. This is often accomplished through transitional objects, such as toys, dolls, and musical instruments. This signals to the child that our communication will take place at a level which is understandable to them, as well as comfortable and trusting. Once this attachment has taken place, it then becomes possible to infuse and suggest different thought and behavior patterns that address the child’s underlying issues.
Building this foundation of trust with the child is vital, but it is often just the first step. The second element of my child therapy practice is to fully enlist the family in understanding, supporting, and resolving the child’s emotional challenges. Clearly, the family and parenting dynamic is critical to the child’s behavior. Yet truly understanding that family dynamic is a sensitive process, especially given the enormous pressure parents are under in today’s world to be, simply put, perfect. My approach with parents is to, first, actively defuse this “perfection pressure.” No parent is perfect, and a key step is to uncover and explore the internal parenting dynamic absent the external pressures parents face today. Another key step is active “re-parenting” where I work closely with parents to identify different parenting techniques that will help support the child’s therapeutic process.
A holistic approach to child and family therapy is critical to long term healing and opening new, positive behaviors. Crafting a trusting, safe, and child-centric environment is a lifelong passion and a key part of my overall practice.
11 Years Experience