Child therapists in Middletown, California CA
Child or Adolescent Issues
Dr. Shawn V Giammattei
Psychologist, PhD
Most of our clientele are families with children or adolescents, many of whom are experiencing gender diversity.
15 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Kelda Hartman
Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Do you feel like you don’t really know your child or teen anymore? Is your child or teen acting differently than they used to? Do you feel like something is going on inside of them but they won’t open up to you? Are they acting out in ways that are disruptive at school, home or in life in general? If your attempts to get through to them leave you feeling more and more frustrated and lost, sometimes bringing in a caring professional can help. Getting your child or teen the help they need is the most loving thing to do. Whatever the reason you are considering counseling for your child, teen or family, I believe I can help. No matter how wonderful a parent you are or how much you love your child or teen, sometimes they may find it easier to open up to someone outside of the family circle. If you feel that your child needs therapy, that does not mean you’ve failed as a parent. In fact, it means you are a caring parent, because you recognize their need and are trying to get them help.
8 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Ryan Muldoon
Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, AMFT
I've been fortunate enough to work with teenagers and young adults for over 2 years now. It's been my pleasure to help them overcome challenges like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, academic stress, and more. It's so important for this age group to establish their identity, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have guided so many young individuals through this process. With the right support, I truly believe that their future is bright.
3 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
Child or Adolescent Issues
Dr. Lois Nightingale
Psychologist, MA, Ph.D.
I have been working with children and adolescents since 1981. I have worked in research on ADD/ADHD and have years of experience with positive behavior modification interventions. I have written several children's self-help books and believe kids deserve to have coping skills for their emotions and personal interactions. www.amazon.com/author/loisnightingale
41 Years Experience