Child Psychologists and Child Therapists in Pico Rivera, CA.

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!

Young children get scared and anxious, too. They express it differently from the adults. So you may see stomach aches, headaches, crying, worry, shying away from interactions, being afraid to go to school, or even school refusal. With the help of child friendly language, I use a program to help children 6-12 overcome their fear and anxiety. Excessive fear and anxiety is not just a childhood thing that they will outgrow. If their fear seems more than normal, please take action on their behalf. You may save them years of suffering.

Children grow and change on a daily basis, which can be a difficult process not only for the child but for the parents as well. I assist children in learning how to express themselves through fun, creative outlets that are both age appropriate and applicable across multiple settings. Such settings may include home, school and multiple social avenues.

The goal is to help your child identify and cope with any issue or issues they are experiencing in a healthy way.Many of the issues these children face mimic the issues adults face in their day-to-day lives. Some of these common issues include anxiety, depression, and grief. The goal of child counseling, however, is to break down problems into manageable parts, so children can better understand and cope with them.

Stress for young children can often be challenging to discern. Parents may notice that their child begins to experience a greater incidence of tantrums and/or angry outbursts, but often attribute such changes to growing up. Children may also demonstrate strict rules for their play and become upset when their schedule is changed without warning. Sometimes parents may not be able to identify obvious signs of stress in their children, but recognize that their child has encountered a number of stressors. In any of these cases, children can benefit from therapy wherein they can explore how to express their feelings and learn to process their emotions in a safe non-judgmental environment.

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.

From 0 to 5 years, children are at a pivotal age for therapeutic intervention. Children are growing in many important areas, especially in their social and emotional development. Family therapy can help to enhance child development and parent-child relationships. Through guided therapeutic interactions, such as art and play therapy activities, parents can enrich their bond with their child.

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.

When children feel accepted the way they are, they are free to change. I create a safe place in which a child can express his or her emotions and feel understood and valued. Opportunities within the session for responsibility, decision-making, and control help children trust and accept themselves. In therapy, play is for children what words are for adults. Children work through and reveal their thoughts and feelings through their play. Lacking the extensive vocabularies and associations of meanings that adults have, children often are more comfortable exploring and expressing themselves through play, games, and art.

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.

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.

One of my specialties is working with elementary age (and adolescents). A child or young person's struggles with difficult feelings and unhelpful behaviors can impact the rest of his or her life. Addressing these challenges during the child's critical developmental years can rebalance and set the stage for a happier and healthier future. I have a special feeling for young people in distress, and feel my professional and life experience has enabled me to be especially attuned to their feelings, needs, and pain. I have over 13 years experience working with children facing emotional and behavioral challenges. Please feel free to call.

One of the ways children improve behavior & make positive change is through play. Some of the ways I help kids make change is through: games, storytelling & artwork. I set clear expectations, & create a supportive, fun-loving atmosphere. I focus on strengths: I identify & address problems and then focus on what’s right & how to do more of it. I work with your family, teachers & others to make sure the improvements made are reinforced in all areas of life. Family members are taught tools to ensure your child continues using new, positive behaviors. I help with: Managing upsetting feelings & tantrums; using effective discipline; managing opposition & aggression; school challenges & more.

As young children in their elementary school-age years develop, their verbal abilities to communicate thoughts, feelings, and other material specific to their internal experience, are skills and capacities that are still emerging, skills that they are still learning. The universal language of children is play. It is through play that we communicate with children to help them: 1) process challenging material, 2) challenge negative thinking, 3) develop and build internal strength-based narratives, 4) capitalize on play interests to boost confidence, and 5) promote adaptive behaviors and ways of relating. We offer support for children ages 5-17.

Most of my work has been done with high schoolers and adolecents; however, I do have experience using play therapy and small groups with K-8th graders. As a mother of a child on the spectrum, I was trained in Greenspan's Floortime Approach. This later helped me with working with children of all ages. Play therapy helps children recreate the worlds they live in and helps me, the therapist, understand where they're coming from.

Parenting can be a wonderful experience and at the same time a difficult and even a daunting one. If you are overwhelmed at times, suffer from pangs of anxiety or guilt around being a good enough parent or need someone to just talk to about the daily/ weekly ups and downs of being a parent then counseling with Dr. Ellie can be of great support. Aside from being a counselor, I am also a mother of two and have personal experience with being a parent. I know how difficult it can be, but I also know what a difference it can make when you have the right kind of support.

Young children are one of the most complex groups to work with as a clinician. Children have a unique way of revealing very little, yet so much at the same time. As a clinician who regularly works with children, I have come to know the art of exploring beyond what a child may say, in order to understand the deeper context of what a child means. Working with young children offers an opportunity to embark on a unique therapeutic experience, one that clinicians typically don’t experience when working with adults. I appreciate you trusting your child’s therapeutic needs with me.

Child and adolescent counseling can play a very important role in the life of a child who is dealing with one or more of the wide area of childhood challenges and traumas. Children can become the unintended victims of parents who had little training to become parents, had little time to be parents or experienced separation, abandonment, divorce , a change in parenting, step-parenting, foster parenting as well were challenged by dysfunctional homes with addictions, emotional disturbances and instabilities, extreme fighting, arguing, violence and abuse, frequent moving, and being passed from one divorced parent to another or from family member to family memeber. All these and many additional growing up challenges and traumas can be potent and disturbing...(view profile to read more)

I have worked with young children, 4-12, for over 20 years in K-5 school settings, private practice and in a facility treating abused children. Whether using play therapy, sand tray or simply meeting a child at their level and engaging him or her, I create a sense of safety and trust that, by itself, can create change. An important aspect of working with children includes sessions with parents to better understand and develop new ways to deal with the concerns that brings you and your child in for treatment. See my website, Child-Teen-Counseling.com.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who is a passionate about children. I believe these little ones are unique beings, created by God. I utilize play therapy and help parents gain the insights they may need to help navigate their way with their young children. I help children through play therapy. Also, I have been trained to do EMDR with children.

I can work with children through many techniques. I am the best listener in the world using my intuitive skills as well as my classical training in how the brain works. Some children can just being in a healing space start changing. The children I see know that they are truly being SEEN sometimes for the first time. I know which learning and emotional stages they are in and find them progressing more quickly through them through Therapy.They never then see themselves in a one down or victim role.

No group of people is as subject to the power of others as young children. Often acutely aware of their situation, I position myself as an ally as they decide how they want to act in the face of this power. I view childrens' voices and creativity as major assets that, if given their due, will serve them well as the move through their teen years and into young adulthood.

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.

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.

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.