Child therapists in Sebastopol, 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
Robynne OByrne
Psychologist, Ph.D.
During my training in graduate school, I specialized in Child and Adolescent Development. I have worked with children of all ages and worked as the Director of Counseling for 3 years at a private high school in Marin County. I have always found working with children and teenagers especially gratifying. This is a particularly challenging time to be a young person. There are so many issues that young people face - fears about climate change, politics, the economy. Social media and digital addiction only make things worse. There is an epidemic of anxiety and depression among young people and now more than ever do I feel the desire to help the youth of today develop the resilience to face life's challenges. My extensive experiences working with children and adolescents, as well as my experiences as the parent of two young adults allows me to make deep and meaningful connections with my young clients.
24 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Quinn Knox
Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT, Trauma-Informed
I was a teacher for over 10 years (elementary through college) teaching both in public and private schools as well as individual tutoring.
3 Years Experience
Child or Adolescent Issues
Paula E. Bruce, Ph.D. & Associates, A Psychological Corporation
Psychologist, Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Many of our clinicians have specific training in working with children and adolescents and are pleased to provide age-appropriate psychotherapy.
28 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