Child Psychologists and Child Therapists in West New York, NJ.

Whether your child is experiencing anxiety, frequent tantrums, challenges in school, changes in their mood, friendship difficulties, trauma, low self-esteem, or they are processing family changes, I can help. I have extensive experience working with children in mental health clinics and in school settings. I’ve completed intensive postgraduate clinical training in Child and Adolescent Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. I have advanced training in Play Therapy, and I hold certificates in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and the Creative Arts Therapies. But most importantly, I can help your child express their feelings, uncover bravery, and begin to heal.

Small children aged 3 to 8 typically do not participate in family therapy because the vast majority of therapists consider such children too young to articulate their feelings or understand complex patterns of behavior. Butler thinks otherwise, as she perfects her skills using an approach called narrative therapy. Often described as “post-modern,” narrative therapy allows clients to put away old, tired versions of the stories they tell themselves [and everybody else] about their lives. Playing more to the clients’ strengths than their weaknesses, the approach urges clients to see themselves as much more than the presenting problem and to identify ways in which they are already taking steps

Dr. Joel and Dr. Sara provide comprehensive and educative consultations with parents to better understand their children's conflicts and self-destructive tendencies. As experienced, licensed and board certified clinical psychologists--who hold advanced degrees and certifications in clinical child psychology, Dr. Joel and Dr. Sara strongly believe that, for children to improve, the initial step has to involve their parents working with compassionate, high-level psychologists who can clarify for and guide them. Although Dr. Joel a and Dr. Sara do not presently accept children as direct clients, they will help you to find appropriate referrals for individual child therapists when necessary.

Is your child bullied or isolated from others? Is your child reluctant to go to school, has trouble making friends, or seems withdrawn and lonely? Many children have trouble with self confidence, anxiety or social skills. Improving self esteem, emotional regulation, and social skills deficits in the younger years reduces difficulties later. We all want the best for our children, and as a parent myself I know how it can hurt to watch your child suffer and not know how to help. Find out how your child can be helped by in-person counselling, online coaching, or online educational programs.

When a child is presented for treatment barring organic causes, the first question one asks, " Who has the problem?" Is it the child, parents, school or the interactions of all?" After interviewing the child and parents (conducted in both family and individual sessions), I present the parents with an evaluation. Dependent on the severity of the child's problems and the ability of the parents to mobilize their parenting skills, it is decided to address the presenting problems with individual sessions as well as family sessions. My attempt is to minimize the treatment of the child and enable the parents to learn to parent through "Creative Loving" (a program that Dr. PItta created).

Young children in particular need to feel safe and have fun to be interested in psychotherapy. If not, they do not relax and open up. Instead, they spend their sessions avoiding and denying their problems. Often, the therapist and parent spend wasted time pleading, prodding, and cajoling the child to participate in an honest thoughtful manner. My child-friendly methods are purposely compelling to young children. Many are so excited to come to therapy they run up the stairs and and through the hallway to my office; necessitating me to accommodate other tenants by posting signs discouraging such behavior.

We all have one common goal for our children, we want them to be happy. My work with parents and children include: provide emotion coaching for the parent and child strengthen the marital relationship in order to provide a model for healthy communication and stress management explore the impact of the parents' own childhood struggles on their capacity to parent effectively create an atmosphere where the parent and child feel respected, understood and validated improve parental understanding of their child's development designing effective behavior plans for increasing a child's positive emotions experiences and behavior