We work with children, adolescents, and their parents using a collaborative, individualized approach to treatment. Research suggests that parent involvement is an essential component of a young person’s therapy. The degree of parental involvement is determined together in the early stages of treatment and is dependent on the child’s or adolescent’s age and needs.

Parents often ask, “Is this challenge part of normal child development or is it something we need to treat?” Although many areas of struggle are not uncommon, we focus on whether a young person’s ways of thinking and acting are creating distress or dysfunction. Learning more helpful responses to challenges can reduce suffering and help the child thrive. Our work with young people is aimed at promoting independence, resilience, and value-based choices as well as creating an environment at home and school that cultivates these. We focus on mindful parenting — which helps parents respond from their values instead of reacting automatically. Positive parent-child relationships arise out of enhanced understanding and moment-to-moment awareness. In some cases, parents may choose to consult with us independently without their child’s participation in therapy.

TRAUMA-INFORMED TREATMENTS

When working with very young children who have experienced stressful and traumatic events, Child-Parent Psychotherapy seeks to help children heal, feel safe, and make meaning out of what has occurred while supporting and strengthening the child-caregiver relationship. When working with older children, our therapists are trained in Trauma-Focused CBT. TF-CBT was developed to help children and adolescents who have experienced single or multiple traumas and includes parents and caregivers in the process. Children and adolescents receive targeted care for trauma-related challenges by utilizing specifically designed interventions.

The “SPACE” Model in CBT for Children and Families

For families navigating anxiety or OCD-related challenges, we offer SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), an evidence-based treatment delivered directly to parents. SPACE focuses on supporting children by empowering parents to make meaningful, sustainable changes in how they respond to anxiety. Many well-intentioned parental behaviors—such as providing reassurance, adjusting routines, or helping a child avoid distress—can unintentionally reinforce anxiety over time. In SPACE, parents learn to identify these patterns, reduce accommodations that maintain anxiety, and make gradual, supportive shifts that encourage their child’s ability to face discomfort.

At its core, SPACE balances empathy with confidence-building. Parents learn how to communicate both understanding (“this is really hard”) and encouragement (“we know you can handle this”), while setting clear, consistent boundaries that reduce avoidance and support independence. Rather than focusing solely on changing the child, SPACE recognizes that meaningful change often happens through shifts in the family system. By equipping parents with practical tools and strategies, children receive consistent support in their everyday environment—effectively increasing the “dose” of treatment beyond the therapy room. SPACE can be used on its own or alongside treatments like exposure-based CBT, and we often connect families with additional SPACE resources to reinforce learning and progress outside of sessions.