Individual Therapy
Individual Therapy
Child Counseling
Many parents seek out child counseling due to concerns about:
- defiant behavior at school or home
- aggression
- anxiety or worry
- getting frustrated or angry easily
- tantrums or difficulty controlling their emotions
Counseling for children looks different than traditional counseling for adults. Many children are not yet developmentally ready for traditional talk therapy and do better learning and processing through play or art. Parents and caregivers are also highly involved throughout the counseling process. We believe that parents ultimately are the most important people in their child’s life and have the opportunity to make the biggest difference. For that reason, individual therapy with children involves meeting with parents regularly to support lasting change at home. Depending on the age and needs of the child, that may involve you joining for part of each session or having regular parent meetings.
Child counseling sessions with your child will be tailored to meet your child’s needs and developmental level. With younger children, therapists will use play as a way to communicate and understand how your child is feeling. With older children, therapists may teach some skills or practice emotional regulation in session. Art and drawing are also excellent ways to encourage children to express themselves and to teach feelings identification, emotional regulation, and expression of needs and emotions.
Our counselors have years of experience working with children and families and will use evidence-based approaches that are tailored to your child’s needs.
Teen Counseling
Teens often come to therapy for issues of:
- anxiety
- depression
- school avoidance
- defiance
- self-harm
- aggression
- coping with life change
For teens, therapy looks a little different than therapy for adults or children. Teens are able to participate in more traditional “talk therapy” and usually come in with their own goals and needs in mind. Teens often need more control over the process and more privacy than younger children.
At Family Roots, we believe in continuing to involve parents in treatment during the teen years. Caregivers will be provided regular updates on treatment and general themes of how counseling is going, though details will not be shared in order to give your teen a safe space to talk with a trusted adult. You will also have input on your teen’s goals and treatment, and our therapists encourage regular communication between parents, teens, and therapists.
During therapy, we will support your teen in identifying ways to build on their existing internal and external resources, skills, and strengths. We may teach skills for regulating emotions, coping with emotions, or identify thought patterns and beliefs that are keeping your teen stuck. We focus on building trust and creating a supportive relationship where teens can feel safe and open up.
If you have a teen who is struggling, please reach out and schedule an appointment.
Perinatal Counseling
Pregnancy, birth, and parenthood are huge adjustments that come with their own unique challenges as we navigate the journey of parenthood. Trauma, loss, grief, and identity shifts can occur throughout this journey in addition to the experience of postpartum depression or anxiety that many experience after the birth of a new baby. Symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety can appear any time during pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth, and can last beyond that. The symptoms are not always obvious.
- It can look like anger, irritability, or feeling disconnected from the baby or your partner.
- It can involve persistent thoughts and worry of harm coming to the baby.
- It can include feelings of low self-worth, believing you are not enough, feeling as though you don’t have the ability to parent your child, or as though you should never have become a parent.
- It can include feeling as though you are “out of control” or “going crazy.”
When parents need individual counseling to address postpartum depression or anxiety, we provide a safe, welcoming space. You are welcome to bring the baby with you to sessions.
Perinatal counseling typically involves working with those navigating pregnancy, birth trauma and loss, fertility challenges, and who have recently given birth. We support you in learning to identify, challenge, and control anxious thoughts, learning to seek and ask for support from those around you, and having a safe space to talk with a professional. Many of our therapists are trained in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International. If you are struggling and feel you would benefit from additional support, or just not feeling like yourself after having a baby, reach out to schedule an appointment or consultation with a perinatal specialist today.
Additional resources for postpartum parents:
7346 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213
1235 SE Morrison St Suite 200
Portland, OR 97213
