Teen and Child Therapy Denver
“You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation” - Plato
You may be feeling totally overwhelmed by your child’s emotional needs and like the behaviors they are showing you now will never shift, and we are here to help.
When it comes to kiddos, we specialize in working with sensitive and gifted children ages 2- 12 who are experiencing big feelings of anger, sadness, or anxiety. We often offer specific expertise in supporting sensitive children process traumatic events.
We also support sensitive teenagers struggling with issues of self esteem, identity development, and relationship to Self & Other.
If you’re ready to feel more connected to your child and bring your family closer together, schedule a consultation today.
“I believe that therapy allows a child’s inner light to shine so that they can dismantle walls of shame and fear in order to continue to connect more deeply with themselves and with the loving people around them.” - Sophie Schauermann, LCSW | Founder Rooted Rhythm Therapy
Our approach to Child Therapy
As child therapists in the Denver area, we use play therapy methods that allow for a gentle healing process to unfold so that your child can communicate big feelings and challenges that are difficult to explain with words. We offer both directive and non directive evidence based techniques to support children in processing life events that they have experienced and understanding themselves more deeply.
It is our belief that when children have space to fully express what is happening in their inner world with the support of an attuned therapist, healing unfolds that creates more ease for the whole family.
It is also our belief that the most important attachment figures in a child’s life are their parents. For this reason, we support parents in their own learning throughout the process with check ins at every session.
We have also developed an incredible learning tool for parents to engage in self led growth, while their child is in the therapy process. Many parents of children working with us choose to enroll in the TUNED IN parenting course to learn how to best support the highly sensitive child.
Throughout the child therapy process, we communicate with parents frequently, and every child therapy session includes 10 minutes of parenting support. We will share themes with you that your child is showing in therapy and provide parenting tools for you to support your child at home. Learn more about our holistic approach to parent coaching here.
We understand that taking the step to find emotional support for your child is a big deal. We work closely with parents to help you understand your child’s needs more clearly and learn concrete tools to be more comfortable facing overwhelming emotions so that you can teach your child to do the same! Together, we will work towards a greater understanding of the large and small shifts that will provide effective support for emotional needs of your child and harmony for the entire family.
THE ROOTED RHYTHM®CHILD THERAPY AND PARENT COACHING PROGRAM:
Parent orientation:
After establishing connection through a phone consultation with us, we will work together to schedule a 90 minute intake session. This is an opportunity for you (parents) to connect with your therapist, to share background on your child, and to get to know our therapy process. Some parents prefer to meet for their first sessions separately and in the case of divorce or separation, we do recommend each scheduling a 50 minute intake session. Your therapist will help with next steps for setting this up following your free consultation.
Child therapy sessions:
Over 3 months, your child will meet with their Rooted Rhythm® therapist weekly for twelve 50 minute in person sessions. The last 10 minutes of these sessions will include a parent update and support for you.
Parenting support:
Throughout your child’s therapeutic experience, you have the opportunity to engage in your own healing and growing as caregivers, if you choose to take the TUNED IN parenting course and attend optional weekly ROOTED RISING parent connection calls with our lead parent coach, Sophie Schauermann LCSW. These weekly calls (on Wednesdays at 12pm MT) give you an opportunity to ask questions, get support, and feel connected to like minded parents. You can also set up individual parent coaching sessions as needed
Parent closing session:
Your family’s process will close with a final 50 minute session with your therapist in which we will review your child’s process, come up with a sustainable plan for your family’s future and celebrate the growth that has occurred on both an individual level and for the entire family system.
Ongoing support:
Once you have joined the Rooted Rhythm family, we don’t forget your story. Although most families feel so very much at ease after the process and thus no longer in need of support, we often welcome kiddos and parents back for “tune up” therapy or parent coaching sessions…and you are welcome to continue to attend our weekly group parent coaching calls if that support feels good for you!
FOR PARENTS OF TEENAGERS:
Our process for working with teens is different due to the very different developmental stage they are experiencing. Some key differences include:
Less parent involvement in therapy process
When working with teens, we meet for a single session with parents at the beginning of treatment, then prioritize trusting our teens to primarily guide their therapeutic process. It is both therapeutic and beneficial to communicate to teens that we trust them, by giving them space to be in their process with their therapist.
With that said, we often encourage teens to communicate their emotional needs more clearly to their parents and even invite parents into therapy when the time is right…but we give space for our teens to initiate parent involvement when they are ready. Our goal is to connect with parents for a 10 min check in at least every other week, with the permission of their teen.
Although it can be scary to unhook from our young teens, it is developmentally appropriate for teens to be creating some boundaries with their parents in this way, so they can form their unique sense of identity and belonging. A strong bond with a therapist during this time can insure that a safe adult is available to support this process.
A consensual agreement
We specialize in supporting highly sensitive teens who often need support with self esteem, identity development, sexuality, peer relationships, and healthy connection to their family. We do require the teens who work with us are choosing to engage in therapy themselves
Parenting support
Parents of teens also benefit greatly from diving into the TUNED IN course to support their own therapeutic work while their pre-teen or teen is working with our therapists. Additionally we are happy to offer 1 on 1 parent coaching or individual adult therapy to support parents as they navigate the challenging yet rewarding tasks of raising a teenager.
Varying lengths of time in therapy
Length of treatment also varies for our teenage clients. We recommend starting with weekly therapy for at least 8 weeks for your teen to build a connection with their therapist. Many teens benefit from longer term care following this initial connection period which would could look like weekly, biweekly, or eventually monthly therapy.
Want to know more and see if our programs are a fit for your family? Learn more about our therapists here and contact us for a free consultation here.
“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.” - Friedrich Frobel
Child Therapy Denver FAQs
What is play therapy?
Play is a child's most natural medium of self-expression and learning from the time they are born (think about a game of peek-a-boo as a child learns about object impermanence). So when a child shows us that they are struggling with an emotional difficulty, it only makes matters feel more overwhelming to pressure them to "use their words" to process what is going on under the surface. A trained play therapist can gently yet effectively support a child in exploring difficult emotions and address unresolved trauma. Play therapy allows a child to express themselves in their most natural means of communication...play! Ultimately, quality play therapy will help a child develop a stronger connection to him or herself and be able to both regulate and verbalize big emotions more effectively. Learn more on the Association for Play Therapy's website or set up a free consultation to ask how play therapy techniques might be personalized to support your unique child.
How will I be involved in my child’s therapy?
Parents are a crucial part of the child therapy process for kiddos age 2-12. You know your child better than anyone, and your child’s relationship with you is the most important one. We will work with you for 10-15 minutes at the end of each session to understand themes that your child is showing in play therapy and how to apply this information to supporting your child in daily life.
All families that work with us are also encouraged to take the TUNED IN parenting course to engage in a parallel healing process while their kiddo is going through therapy.
Sometimes your child may also want you to be involved in sessions which can be an opportunity to work on parent-child attachment patterns in real time. We will support you in this process and help you feel comfortable participating in sessions.
What are parent support sessions?
In addition to the parenting support that you will receive at the end of every child therapy session and the optional weekly group parent learning call available if you are enrolled in the TUNED course,, some parents choose to set up additional 1-1 parent support sessions. Parent support sessions include helpful information on child development and attachment behaviors relevant to the patterns that your child is showing. They also provide tools to be more comfortable facing overwhelming emotions so that you can teach your child to do the same!
Parenting has a beautiful way of showing you absolutely all of your blindspots! We are passionate about helping parents more deeply understand their parenting patterns and clear any blocks that prevent them from feeling confident to support their children with full consciousness and love.
Get help from a Child Therapist in Denver
Your child deserves to enjoy their life...and you deserve to enjoy parenting your child! We are here to help you create more space for loving connection between you and your child. Reach out for a free child therapy consultation so that we can get started.
Office location
1777 South Harrison Street, Suite 1200 | Denver, CO 80210