Child Therapist
Heather Browne, PsyD, MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
In 92841 - Nearby to La Palma.
I work with 12 year olds and up. For young teens we use games, pillow fights, exercise, drawing, any medium that would make it more comfortable for the teen to open and share. When beneficial, I bring the parents into the end of the session so that they know what the teen is needing in their assistancxe with that next week. Art and journaling are a significant part of homework to allow the youth to express and reduce their emotional overload.
Child Therapist
Laura MacRae-Serpa, M.A., CCLS, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
In 91030 - Nearby to La Palma.
I utilize developmentally appropriate, play therapy to gain knowledge and understanding of how young children perceive themselves and their world. Older children, tweens and adolescents benefit from therapeutic activities and talk therapy, as vehicles for gaining insight and self-understanding. I have provided therapy, on campus at a K-8th grade school and previously worked as a Certified Child Life (Development) Specialist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. As a mother, I deeply empathize with parents whose children are experiencing difficulties and welcome your questions and concerns regarding the therapeutic process for your child.
Child Therapist
Mark Baker, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
In 91107 - Nearby to La Palma.
Very few therapists specialize in therapy with young children. Fortunately, we have several on staff at the La Vie Center. Because we have over 25 therapists on staff, we have counselors that specialize in many different areas and working with young children is a particular area of expertise for us. Give us a call and we will find just the right child therapist for you.
Child Therapist
Cristy Pareti, PsyD, MFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
In 90266 - Nearby to La Palma.
Too often therapies are not targeted at children's age levels. I specialize in play therapy with young children. Play therapy is an opportunity for children to express feelings, emotions or trauma in a safe environment. Developmentally, children are not able to adequately express their feelings or experiences in words. Through play therapy, the therapist can interact and help the child to express and heal important feelings related to their experiences. I have specialized doctoral clinical training in play therapy and child therapy. I have found play therapy, combined with family therapy, to be an effective technique to help children with anxiety, trauma, depression, and behavioral problems.
Child Therapist
Michelle Harwell, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
In 90041 - Nearby to La Palma.
In my work with children, I utilize play therapy, which creates a secure environment where children can express themselves, try new things, learn more about how the world works, learn about social rules and boundaries, and work through their problems. The process of spontaneous play allows children to resolve the psychological tensions created by stressful events in a child’s life. Children are able to face difficult events because they are using familiar language and reactions where they have control of the play. The new scripts and schema that children create in the Play Therapy room are then generalized to their external environments.
Child Therapist
Melinda Haynes, Multi-Disciplinary Team
Family & Children's Counseling Services
In 92801 - Nearby to La Palma.
Children often lack the verbal and emotional regulation skills needed to express their feelings. Add that to the guilt, shame and fear that comes from believing something may have been their fault, and you have one hurting little kiddo. Child Therapy enters the child's world of play to help him or her identify and process grief, work through trauma issues, express feelings, and develop new coping skills. You can learn more about us at www.HealPlayLove.org
Child Therapist
Suzanne Greene, JD, MA, LMFT
Psychotherapist, LMFT
Available for Online Therapy
Today it is more complicated than ever to be a teen. With so much going on, it’s common for teens and children feel anxiety, irritability, isolation, low self esteem, and sadness. Teens just need someone to talk to, that isn’t a family member about difficult topics they are experiencing. It’s not that they don’t trust their family, but many times teens need a private, non-judge mental space of their own to gain insight. I have extensive experience working with teens and children, even those resistant to therapy. I specialize with teens managing high academic & athletic achievement. Through therapy teens will learn to manage their emotions, reach goals, and grow into healthy young adults.
Child Therapist
Diane Thorp, MSW, LCSW
Licensed Psychotherapist
In 91106 - Nearby to La Palma.
Young children greatly benefit from play therapy, which is a professional form of psychotherapy. I work with children ages 3 puberty and up that will significantly restructure behaviors that will provide relief to parents and caregivers. Structure & consistency is key and disclipline needn't be cruel or overly harsh as many parents have questioned to me through the 30+ years that I have worked with their children. My techniques are based on research with what is called in psychotherapy, evidenced-based-practices; this allows relief knowing that your child will receive help from procedures & practices that have been proven to work, as long as parents or caretakers are invested towards change.
Child Therapist
Kimberly Koljat, LMFT, LIMFT-S, RPT-S, RDT
Licensed Independent Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor
Available for Online Therapy
Many therapists share they use play therapy in their practice with children, but have not taken further training on its use in therapy. I am a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, which means I completed 3 years and 3000 additional hours of practice after licensure, clinical supervision, consistent continued education courses, and significant focus in at least two play therapy evidence based practices. I utilize Child Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Digital Play Therapy, and Prescriptive Play Therapy to address children's needs in addition to creative arts therapies (Drama Therapy, Art Therapy interventions).
Child Therapist
Amie Lowery-Luyties, MFT, PPS, MS
Marriage and Family Therapist
In 90807 - Nearby to La Palma.
For about 7 years I only worked with children in my practice. The rest of my practice has been split working with adults and with kids. With kids, its all about their instinct and comfort. If they sense that the therapist isn't comfortable or experienced with kids, they won't engage in the therapy process. I use a variety of techniques working with children, depending on their age. For smaller children, art therapy and play therapy can be very successful for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that it takes the focus off of them and they feel more at ease to talk and be open. For older children who can handle "talk therapy", using simpler language can be effective.
Child Therapist
Joelle Allman, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
In 90703 - Nearby to La Palma.
Young families today have a lot of challenges living in Southern California due to the high cost of living, pressures of family life, and the demands of working. All of these responsibilities can contribute to a high level of stress and anxiety for parents. Many parents also deal with additional issues as having a special needs child, a family member experiencing trauma, divorce and blended families, a defiant child, and possibly marital problems. These circumstances can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with. You may feel alone and hopeless regarding your situation. Isolating, avoiding the problem, and repeating old arguments will not change the circumstance.
Child Therapist
Jeanne Clevenger, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
In 91106 - Nearby to La Palma.
The inner world of a child is rich with emotion and depth. It can be difficult to watch your child struggle, whether it is socially, academically, or in the home. Child therapy can be beneficial in not only providing current support and problem-solving, but can also serve to be preventative for potential longer-term issues. Young children in particular have a language of their own -- play! I will work with your child using play and art therapy techniques to communicate and develop more effective coping tools to thrive in his or her environment and family.
Child Therapist
Schwarz and Associates, Rebecca L Schwarz, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
In 90703 - Nearby to La Palma.
Many times parents are at a loss on how to help their young children. Sometimes the parents are worn out from trying to deal with a "Strong Willed Child" and so either become too strict or become too passive. Neither approach helps to raise a child to be a grown adult that you are proud to claim as you child. In our work here at Schwarz and Associates we strive to take a balanced approach to helping parents to learn skills to parent in a way that truly helps them become the adults God wants them to be and you will be proud of!
You have found the top therapists in La Palma, CA who specialize in helping children.
Thank you for visiting our California page of licensed child psychologists and child therapists in La Palma, California who are trained and experienced in helping children and youth. Working with children requires a different skillset from other types of therapy and here you will find therapists who are skilled, patient and experienced. Please note that while all therapists here work with children, not all may be a registered psychologist. You can easily verify this on each profile. Reach out to a child therapist or child psychologist in La Palma today, our contact forms are "open" 24/7.
La Palma is located in Orange County, California. It has a land area of 1.78 square miles and a water area of 0.02 square miles.  The population of La Palma is 15,904 people with 5,043 households and a median annual income of $82,304. .
Therapy Affordability Meter for La Palma, CA
Mostly Affordable
Establishing weekly sessions with a professional therapist is considered affordable in La Palma for the average family. While sustaining a commitment to therapy is usually not an issue, if mental health treatment feels like a burden please ask your counselor about accepted insurance plans or sliding scale fees. Low cost counseling and affordable therapy are also sometimes offered by listed city and university level clinics, check with your local La Palma public health department.