Therapy for Children, Adolescents and Parents

At Storytellers Child and Family Therapy, our team specializes in supporting children and teens (ages 5–18) who are navigating life’s complexities, big feelings, and relational dynamics. Whether a young person is working through the deep impacts of trauma—such as exposure to violence, abuse or neglect, adoption, and developmental trauma—or navigating common developmental hurdles like school stress, relationship challenges, identity development, and major life transitions, our clinicians are here to support them.

We are a relational, heart-centered team. We believe that empathy, compassion, and feeling truly heard are the absolute foundation for growth and lasting change. By partnering with children, teens, and their families, we collaborate to build meaningful, client-driven goals that empower young people to discover their inherent strengths and resilience.

Children and teens rarely sit on a couch, maintain eye contact, and talk through their concerns. We use creative, brain-body modalities to help them express big feelings, process challenging events, and learn to regulate.

Play is a child’s natural language, and toys are their words. Through play and creative expression (drawing, crafting), youth safely explore complex feelings like anxiety, anger, or grief when talking feels too overwhelming.

Using a specialized tray of sand and miniature figures, children and teens build "worlds" that mirror their internal experiences. This powerful, non-verbal tool provides a safe distance to process tough memories and trauma without having to vocalize them right away.

Especially for youth navigating trauma or anxiety, understanding the body's response is key. I teach practical, somatic (body-based), and mindfulness tools to help youth recognize their fight/flight/freeze responses and learn how to calm their nervous systems.

At Storytellers, we view parents and caregivers as essential partners in the therapeutic process. We recognize that every child, family structure, and clinical need is unique—which is why we do not enforce a "one-size-fits-all" model for parent participation.

While we honor and protect the privacy and therapeutic trust necessary for a child or teen to feel safe, we also know that lasting healing happens within the context of supportive relationships. Rather than viewing parent involvement as all-or-nothing, we work along a continuum of care tailored to your child’s developmental stage and clinical goals:

Caregiver Collaboration & Consultation:

Most typical for older adolescents (e.g., high schoolers navigating adjustment, identity, or emotional regulation).

• Caregivers are involved during initial intake, handling scheduling and logistics, and are always invited to utilize parent-only/caregiving consultation sessions to explore strategies or receive guidance on supporting their teen at home.

Hybrid Care & Periodic Parent Sessions:

Most typical when individual therapy is primary for the child or teen, but ongoing family alignment is important.

• While the youth attends regular individual sessions, parents/caregivers participate in dedicated caregiver sessions every 4 to 6 weeks. These check-ins allow us to share general progress, align on goals, and equip caregivers with supportive strategies to foster connection at home.

Dyadic & Family-Centered Therapy:

Most typical for younger children, early childhood developmental work, or targeted family therapy.

• Dyadic: A  primary caregiver is consistently present in the therapy room with their child. Together, we work in real-time to build secure attachment, practice co-regulation, and help caregivers learn how to hold and bear their child's challenging experiences with compassion. 
• Families meet as a whole in the therapy room to work towards treatment goals. 
• For both dyadic and family therapy, caregivers may also receive dedicated parent-only appointments to help them explore strategies.

No matter where your family lands on this continuum, our goal remains the same: to provide confidential, high-quality care to young people while fostering deeper connection, understanding, and healing within the home.