Find a Child Therapist Near Me in Parker, Colorado: Expert Child Therapy Services
You’ve noticed something’s different with your child. Maybe they’re more anxious than usual, struggling in school, or their behavior has changed in ways that worry you. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone. Seeking help from a child therapist isn’t a sign of failure—it’s one of the most loving, proactive steps you can take to support your child’s mental health.
At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions in Parker, Colorado, our experienced team specializes in helping children navigate emotional and behavioral challenges. Whether your child is dealing with anxiety, behavioral issues, trauma, ADHD, mental health issues, or difficult transitions, we provide compassionate, evidence-based child therapy tailored to your child’s unique needs. Serving families throughout the Denver metro area through Colorado Springs, we offer both telehealth and in-person therapy options.
Ready to find the right child therapist for your family? Contact us at 720-766-7290 to schedule a consultation.
Understanding When Your Child Needs a Therapist
Deciding when to seek therapy for your child can feel overwhelming. While every child is unique, certain patterns suggest professional support might be beneficial.
Common signs include persistent changes in mood or behavior, difficulty managing emotions, withdrawal from activities they once enjoyed, significant changes in eating or sleeping patterns, academic struggles tied to emotional issues, frequent physical complaints without medical cause, difficulty with friendships, excessive worrying or fearfulness, and behavioral issues that haven’t improved with typical parenting strategies.
Seeking help early can prevent small challenges from becoming larger problems. Child therapy provides children with tools and coping strategies they can use throughout their lives. Many parents find that personal counseling services for themselves can also be beneficial as they support their child through difficult times.
Trust your parental instincts. If you’re concerned, a consultation with a child therapist can help determine whether therapy is the right next step.
Common Mental Health Concerns We Address in Child Therapy
Child therapy addresses a wide range of mental health concerns and behavioral challenges. At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions, our therapists have experience helping children work through various issues that impact their daily lives and overall well-being.
Anxiety and fears are among the most common reasons parents seek child therapy. Childhood anxiety can manifest as excessive worrying, separation anxiety, specific phobias, social anxiety, or general fearfulness that interferes with school, friendships, or family life. Our anxiety therapy services include specialized approaches for childhood anxiety, helping children identify triggers and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Depression and mood disorders in children often look different than adult depression. Children may become irritable, lose interest in activities, or experience changes in appetite or sleep. Therapy helps children process emotions and develop strategies to improve their mood.
ADHD and focus challenges can significantly impact a child’s academic performance and self-esteem. Therapy teaches children organizational skills, emotional regulation, and strategies to manage impulsivity and inattention.
Behavioral issues including aggression, defiance, tantrums, or oppositional behavior often signal underlying emotional struggles. Child therapy helps identify what’s driving these behaviors and teaches children more effective ways to express their needs.
Trauma responses from experiencing or witnessing frightening or violent events can shatter a child’s sense of security. Our trauma therapy services provide specialized support to help children process traumatic experiences in age-appropriate ways.
School-related stress, social difficulties, and grief and loss also benefit from therapeutic support. For families dealing with grief, our grief counseling services provide compassionate support tailored to help children process loss at their developmental level.
How Child Therapy Works: What Parents Can Expect
If you’ve never been involved in child therapy before, understanding the process can help both you and your child feel more comfortable.
The journey begins with an initial consultation or evaluation. During this first meeting, a mental health professional will meet with you and your child to understand what brings you to therapy. This evaluation helps us understand your child’s strengths, challenges, and current concerns so we can create an individualized treatment plan.
Age-appropriate therapeutic approaches form the foundation of effective child therapy. We don’t expect children to engage in therapy the same way adults do. Younger children may spend sessions playing, drawing, or using creative activities, while older children and adolescents may engage in more traditional talk therapy combined with interactive exercises.
Parent involvement is critical to successful child therapy. While your child’s sessions provide a confidential space, we believe parents are essential partners in the therapeutic process. Parent sessions help you understand what your child is working on, learn strategies to support their progress at home, and address any parenting challenges you’re facing.
Confidentiality with children requires a delicate balance. We want children to feel safe sharing with their therapist while ensuring parents have the information they need. Our therapists maintain this balance while always discussing our approach to confidentiality at the outset.
Session frequency and duration varies based on your child’s needs. Most children attend therapy weekly, at least initially, with sessions typically lasting 45-50 minutes.
Ready to learn more? Schedule a free consultation by calling 720-766-7290 or requesting an appointment online.
Evidence-Based Approaches to Child Therapy
At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions, we use research-backed therapeutic approaches proven effective for addressing childhood mental health concerns. Our therapists tailor these evidence-based methods to each child’s developmental level, personality, and specific needs.
Play therapy is highly effective for younger children, typically ages 3-10. Children naturally communicate through play. In play therapy, trained therapists use toys, games, and art to help children express feelings they may not have words for, work through difficult experiences, and develop problem-solving skills.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) adapted for children helps kids identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. Through stories, games, and creative exercises, children learn to recognize how their thoughts affect their feelings and behaviors. CBT is highly effective for treating anxiety, depression, and behavioral concerns.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy can be remarkably effective for children who have experienced trauma. Our EMDR therapy services use bilateral stimulation to help children process traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional intensity.
Family therapy integration recognizes that children are part of family systems. Many child therapy approaches include family sessions where parents and sometimes siblings participate, helping address family dynamics and ensuring everyone works together toward the same goals.
Behavioral interventions teach children new skills and help parents respond to challenging behaviors consistently and effectively. These approaches are particularly helpful for addressing ADHD symptoms, oppositional behavior, and other behavioral concerns.
Finding the Right Therapist for Your Child
When you’re searching for a “child therapist near me,” you’ll encounter various titles and credentials. Understanding the differences can help you find the right fit for your child.
Understanding professional titles: A child therapist is a general term for licensed mental health professionals who specialize in working with children, including Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT). A child psychologist typically holds a doctoral degree and can provide therapy as well as psychological testing and assessment. A counselor who works with children may have similar training to a therapist.
What credentials to look for include state licensure, specialized training in child and adolescent mental health, experience with your child’s specific concerns, and potentially additional certifications in specialized approaches like play therapy, CBT, or EMDR.
Questions to ask potential therapists should cover their experience working with children your child’s age, their approach to therapy, how they involve parents, their experience treating your child’s specific concerns, whether they accept your insurance, and their availability.
The importance of therapeutic fit cannot be overstated. The relationship between your child and their therapist is the foundation of effective therapy. Most therapists welcome initial consultations to see if it’s a good match.
CCS’s team-based approach provides families with options and flexibility. We have multiple experienced mental health professionals on our team who specialize in working with children and adolescents. This means if one therapist’s schedule is full or if a different therapist might be a better fit for your child’s specific needs, we have other excellent options available.
Geographic coverage: Comprehensive Counseling Solutions is conveniently located in Parker, Colorado, making us accessible to families throughout the Denver metro area, including Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Aurora, and south through Colorado Springs. Additionally, we offer HIPAA-compliant telehealth options for families throughout Colorado.
Child Therapy vs. Child Psychology: Understanding Your Options
As you search for mental health care for your child, you may wonder about the difference between seeing a child therapist versus a child psychologist.
Child psychologists are doctoral-level professionals trained in psychological assessment, testing, and therapy. One of the key services psychologists provide that most therapists cannot is comprehensive psychological or neuropsychological testing for conditions like ADHD, learning disabilities, or autism spectrum disorders.
Child therapists and counselors (including LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs) are master’s-level mental health professionals who specialize in providing therapy and counseling services. While they cannot conduct formal psychological testing, they are highly trained in evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
When you might need a psychologist for testing includes concerns about learning disabilities, when ADHD diagnosis requires comprehensive assessment, if autism spectrum disorder is suspected, when your child’s school requires formal testing for special education services, or if you need evaluation to understand complex behavioral issues.
When therapy or counseling is the right fit includes most situations where your child needs support managing emotions, developing coping skills, processing difficult experiences, or addressing behavioral concerns.
How services can complement each other: Many children benefit from both psychological assessment and therapy. A psychologist might conduct testing to provide an accurate diagnosis, and then a therapist provides ongoing treatment. At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions, if we believe psychological testing would benefit your child, we can provide referrals to trusted psychologists in the area.
Teen Therapy: Supporting Adolescents Through Challenging Times
While much of this article focuses on therapy for younger children, adolescence brings unique challenges that require specialized therapeutic approaches.
Common adolescent issues include depression and anxiety (which often intensify during the teenage years), identity exploration, peer pressure and social media stress, academic pressure, substance experimentation, eating disorders, family conflict, self-harm or suicidal thoughts, and trauma processing.
The therapeutic approach for teens differs from work with younger children. Teenagers typically engage in more traditional talk therapy while still benefiting from creative elements. Therapy respects their growing autonomy while involving parents appropriately. Confidentiality becomes even more critical with teens, as they need to trust that their therapist won’t share everything with their parents (except in safety situations).
At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions, our therapists are experienced in working with adolescents and understand the unique developmental needs of this age group.
If your teenager is struggling, don’t wait to reach out. Learn more about our individual therapy services or contact us to discuss how teen therapy might benefit your family.
Online Therapy Options for Children and Teens
The availability of telehealth has expanded access to quality mental health care for children and families throughout Colorado. At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions, we offer HIPAA-compliant virtual therapy sessions.
Benefits for busy families include eliminating drive time, making it easier to fit sessions into packed schedules. Children can attend therapy from the comfort of home, which some find less intimidating. For families with multiple children needing therapy, virtual sessions can be scheduled back-to-back without transit time.
Rural area access is another major advantage. Families living in areas where specialized child therapists are scarce can access our experienced team regardless of their location in Colorado.
HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions mean your child’s privacy is protected just as thoroughly as in-person sessions. We use secure, encrypted video platforms designed specifically for healthcare.
When in-person is recommended versus online effectiveness: For many children, online therapy is just as effective as in-person sessions, particularly for anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues. However, some situations benefit more from in-person work, such as very young children who may struggle with screen-based interaction, or play therapy for younger kids. Our therapists will discuss which format makes the most sense for your child’s age and needs.
Payment Options and Costs for Child Therapy
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Understanding the cost of child therapy and available payment options helps you make informed decisions about your child’s mental health care.
CCS does not accept insurance, and here’s why this benefits families: YOU and your therapist are in charge of goals, length of treatment, and therapeutic choices—not insurance companies. You pay less because we don’t spend valuable hours on insurance paperwork. Your confidentiality is protected, as insurance plans often require diagnosis labels that can follow you and potentially be used to your disadvantage should legal issues arise. There’s no insurance record created that could affect future employment or other opportunities.
Payment options at CCS include all major credit cards, checks, cash, and Flex/HSA medical payment cards. For your convenience, we offer Preauthorized Payment which securely stores your preferred payment method so you won’t need to process payment at each session—you can spend every minute of your therapy hour working on making positive changes for your child.
Cost-saving opportunities are available. CCS offers a 10% discount for 4 sessions paid in advance. If fees pose a financial strain, contact us to see if there is room in our schedule for a sliding fee scale.
Investment in your child’s mental health pays dividends throughout their life. The coping skills and tools children gain through therapy support their mental health for years to come. Early intervention can prevent small issues from becoming larger problems later.
Contact our office at 720-766-7290 to discuss payment options and session rates for child therapy.
Taking the First Step: Getting Started with Child Therapy at Comprehensive Counseling Solutions
Making the decision to seek therapy for your child takes courage. Taking action to support your child’s mental health is a powerful demonstration of your love and commitment to their well-being.
At Comprehensive Counseling Solutions, we’ve been helping Colorado families for over 18 years with therapy designed to create life balance, repair past trauma, build healthy relationships, understand emotions and develop coping techniques. Our team brings specialized training in evidence-based approaches including the Gottman Method, EMDR therapy, anxiety treatment, and trauma recovery.
Our child therapy approach focuses on meeting each child where they are developmentally and emotionally. We carefully assess your child’s unique needs, strengths, and challenges to create an individualized treatment plan. Whether your child needs help with anxiety, behavioral issues, trauma, ADHD, social skills, or navigating difficult life transitions, we have the expertise to help.
When you contact our office, you’ll speak with a member of our team who will ask basic questions about your child and your concerns. We’ll schedule an initial consultation where you and your child will meet with one of our therapists. This first appointment is an opportunity for us to understand your family’s situation and for you to see if our practice feels like the right fit.
Located in Parker, Colorado, our office serves families throughout the southern Denver metro area, including Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Centennial, and Aurora. We also serve families throughout Colorado Springs and surrounding areas. For families who prefer online therapy, we offer HIPAA-compliant telehealth sessions throughout Colorado.
Seeking help isn’t a sign of failure—it’s evidence that you’re doing everything you can to support your child’s well-being. Don’t let uncertainty prevent you from getting your child the support they deserve.
Ready to take the next step?
- Call us at 720-766-7290 to schedule an initial consultation
- Request an appointment online at parkercounselingsolutions.clientsecure.me
- Email us at info@parkercounselingsolutions.com with questions
Your child doesn’t have to struggle alone, and neither do you. Contact Comprehensive Counseling Solutions today to find the right child therapist for your family’s needs.
About Comprehensive Counseling Solutions
Comprehensive Counseling Solutions is located at 19647 Solar Circle B201, Parker, CO 80134. Our team of licensed therapists provides couples therapy, individual therapy, anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, trauma therapy, and child therapy to clients throughout the Denver metro area and Colorado Springs region. We offer both in-person sessions at our Parker location and telehealth options throughout Colorado.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 720-766-7290 or visit comprehensivecounselingsolutions.com.
