CHILDREN & ADOLESCENT THERAPY

Counseling for School Aged Children (7 to 17 years old)

At our Chicago practice, Emerge helps children find effective ways to approach their mental wellbeing. Whether a child is facing social and behavioral problems or simply needs a space to be heard, we assist them through the process of communicating their emotions and adjusting their behavior. Our clinicians make sure children and parents across the Chicago area never face these difficulties alone. Our goal is to have your child learn to recognize challenges and gain the tools to verbalize and process their emotions.

Child and adolescent therapy, sometimes called child counseling or talk therapy, is a form of individual counseling built around the developmental stage a young person is in. It gives children and teens a safe space to name what they feel, understand their experiences, and learn coping skills they can carry into adulthood. Depending on the child's age and needs, sessions blend play, conversation, and evidence-based methods, with parents and guardians involved along the way.

Children may struggle to understand why they feel differently from others. Anxiety, depression, and ADHD are hidden factors that a child may be unable to communicate with family members.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, of children aged 3 to 17 in the US, from the year 2016 to 2019:

• Roughly 9.8% of children were diagnosed with ADHD

• 9.4% of children were diagnosed with Anxiety

• About 4.4% of children were diagnosed with depression

Signs Your Child or Teen May Benefit from Therapy

Every child has hard days. What matters is the pattern. If you notice several of these signs lasting for weeks, or getting worse, it may be time to reach out to a clinician.

• Sudden changes in behavior, mood, or personality

• A drop in grades or loss of interest in school

• Pulling away from friends, family, or activities they used to enjoy

• Persistent sadness, worry, or irritability

• Trouble sleeping, changes in appetite, or frequent physical complaints like headaches or stomachaches

• Difficulty concentrating or sitting still

• Talk of self-harm, or signs of self-injury

• Angry outbursts, defiance, or other disruptive behavior that feels out of character

You know your child better than anyone. If something feels off, trust that instinct. Our clinicians can help you understand what your child is going through and find the right next step.

Teen and Adolescent Counseling: understanding their mental health needs

Adolescents evolve from the role of a child and face issues about their identity and their place in their family, friend groups, and society as a whole. We understand that this time period is not just confusing but equally stressful, which is why our clinicians aim to guide adolescents so they learn healthy ways to approach new situations. As children grow, pressure mounts from all sides, education gets increasingly difficult, families may require them to take on more responsibility, and peer groups become more intricate. All these factors can lead to difficult outcomes, and in a world where peer pressure can lead to self-destructive behaviors, it remains important that adolescents have methods to effectively evolve.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the US, from the year 2018 to 2019:

• 15.1% of adolescents had a large depressive episode

• 36.7% of adolescents experienced long-lasting feelings of hopelessness

• 8.9% of adolescents had self-injurious thoughts and behaviors

Our Approach to Counseling for Children and Adolescents

Working with elementary school aged children, teens, and adolescents at Emerge Psychology Group is an age-appropriate collaborative process between the clinicians, children, teachers, parents/guardians, and other healthcare professionals if applicable. Many may think that young people lack the capacity to feel intense and debilitating emotions. However, children can feel anxiety and depression just as deeply as any adult. At Emerge Psychology Group, we understand how valuable therapy can be to help young people work through their challenges and form a strong psychological foundation for success in their adulthood.

During the initial intake, we ask that parent(s) and child attend together so that we can gain all perspectives to learn more about what the presenting issues are. After this initial session, we ask that the children attend sessions individually. Parents are encouraged to still be involved via sessions that help develop specific parenting skills or insight to provide support to their children.

Throughout ongoing sessions, we will explore the issues children face that contribute to their story, teach new coping strategies, using both play and verbal approaches to understanding the unique psychology of the child, and provide a safe space so that young people can talk about their concerns openly. These may include family and social issues, emotional and relational challenges, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, eating disorders, trauma, self-injury, neurodiversity, identity, depression, and anxiety issues among others.

Additionally, our clinicians can help teens manage the responsibilities and pressure associated with growing up and will discuss healthy separation from their parents, dating and sexuality, peer pressure, and planning for life after high school, which often includes preparation for college and work, and moving away from home.

Our approach to children and adolescent therapy may draw from various evidence-based treatment modalities that can help them work through their life challenges. Different modalities work well in different circumstances and will be decided after the intake process and communicated with you.

Evidence-Based Modalities We Use

The right approach depends on your child's age, needs, and what they are working through. After the intake, your clinician will explain which methods fit and why. Here are the main ones we draw from:

• Play Therapy. Younger children often show what they feel through play before they can put it into words. Using toys, art, and games, a therapist helps a child express emotions, work through experiences, and build coping skills in a way that feels natural to them. This works well for elementary school aged children and for kids processing anxiety, grief, or big life changes.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT helps children and teens notice the link between their thoughts, feelings, and actions, then practice changing patterns that keep them stuck. It gives concrete tools for managing anxiety, depression, and worry, and suits older children and adolescents who can reflect on their own thinking.

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). TF-CBT is a structured approach for children and teens who have been through trauma, abuse, or loss. It combines the skills of CBT with careful, paced work on the traumatic memory, and involves parents or caregivers so they can support their child at home.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT teaches skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships. It helps adolescents who struggle with mood dysregulation, self-injury, or self-destructive behavior, giving them practical tools to steady themselves in hard moments.