Counseling For Kids and Families
Research shows that kids who attend counseling show an improvement in mood, self-esteem, and overall life satisfaction.
We work with kids ages 8 and up.
Sometimes we find that kids and families get stuck and simply can’t seem to find a way forward. Our office provides individual counseling kids and tweens.
We are experienced counselors who have worked with kids and families who are looking for help. We know what you are going through and we know how to help. Counseling is a safe and non-judgmental space to develop strategies that can improve your life. You are provided with exercises aimed to help you overcome challenges and meet your goals.
Common questions about counseling…
How can counseling help my child with their mood?
Kids often deal with anger, anxiety, depression, and up and down mood swings in different ways. Sometimes the anger comes out with yelling or physical aggression. Therapy helps kids learn to understand why they are experiencing frustration or “unwanted” feelings, what their triggers are, and how to manage their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. During counseling sessions, your child is able to reflect on experiences that resulted in a struggle to manage their mood. The counselor is able to support this by developing creative and healthy tools aimed to help your child overcome challenges.
What age range of children does your counseling practice typically serve?
We work with kids ages 8 and up.
What kinds of children’s mental health issues do you address in your practice?
At our counseling practice, we offer counseling services for children starting as young 8 years old, depending on their developmental needs. Therapy for young children often involves techniques like play therapy, which is specifically tailored to their age and developmental level. As children grow older, we provide more structured therapy sessions that can help with emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges.
Common mental health areas that we work with include:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- School Performance
- Social Skills Development
- Bullying
- Getting along with peers and making friends
- Peer pressure
- Body Image and Self-Acceptance
What type of training do counselors hold and how much experience do they have in treating children seeking counseling?
Counselors at Santos Counseling are trained in the following clinical areas aimed to enhance effectiveness when working with children and minors:
- Play Therapy
- DBT
- CBT
- Trauma Informed Care
- Person Centered Care
- All counselors hold a minimum of a Masters Degree in the counseling and mental health related field
- All counselors have completed graduate-level practicum and internship
- All counselors engage in yearly ongoing education
- Social and Emotional Skill Development
How much will I be able to help set treatment goals for my child and participate in the treatment?
We welcome parents in the participation of counseling treatment for their child.
At Santos Counseling, we aim to create a safe and non-judgmental space where kids and families can engage in counseling. As you start counseling, the counselor will create a purposeful space to involve you in the counseling process.
The goal is to ensure that parents feel welcome to participate in the counseling treatment of their child.
Are session in the office or virtual?
Counseling sessions are confidential and private both in-person and online. Your therapist will discuss details regarding confidentiality in more detail during your session. Our counselors utilize HIPAA compliant systems aimed to provide high standards for confidentiality and privacy. In addition, our counselors are able to provide therapy online in the State of North Carolina. Our counselors are licensed in North Carolina and can provide online therapy to anyone in the state. This includes Wilmington, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Winston-Salmen, Burlington, Asheboro, and every other city in North Carolina. We are here to help.
What type of therapy does Santos Counseling provide?
Our counseling office has a pretty amazing group of counselors. Together we focus on specialties that range from play therapy to Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Our counselors are diverse, compassionate, and can provide therapy in English or Spanish. When it comes to being there for you, we take time to understand your needs in order to provide the best approach possible.
How many session before we see results?
Counseling can help people overcome challenges, build healthy habits, and overall have better life satisfaction. When you start counseling your therapist will work to understand your concerns and develop goals aimed to support you in overcoming them. Over time you will start noticing positive changes when applying clinically effective strategies learned in sessions. Results vary from person to person. Some see it right away others it takes a little more time. Overall, we are here to help you along the way.
Do you prescribe medication?
Our counseling office has strong connections with amazing providers in the community that can support with providing medication. When you start counseling with our office, we can work together to understand if the medication route is a good option. It’s really up to you. We will help you in finding a medication provider in the community that can help.
How often do sessions take place?
The frequency of counseling sessions depends on what is taking place in the life of your child and family. Often high-risk situations such as a child struggling with suicidal thoughts may engage in sessions more frequently compared to situations that are lower risk. During the first session, the counselor will work with you, parent and child, to understand why you are seeking counseling, challenges that you are having, and developing goals.
Are Online Sessions Confidential?
Yes! Counseling sessions are confidential and private. Your therapist will discuss details regarding confidentiality in more detail during your session. Our counselors utilize HIPAA-compliant systems aimed to provide high standards for confidentiality and privacy. In addition, our counselors are able to provide therapy online in the State of North Carolina.
Paying For Counseling?
Counseling payments and insurance can be difficult to understand. Each clinician at Santos Counseling has their own policy for which insurance they accept or do not accept. We encourage you to contact the counselor that you wish to work or check with your insurance company prior to your first session to discuss payment. To help with the process please feel free to call our office and we will walk you through the process.
Complete The Form Below To Start The Scheduling Process
Reasons Kids Start Therapy…
- Bottling up feelings.
- Excessive conflict with family or at school.
- Problems with school or sports performance.
- Struggle to focus and stay on task.
- Depression: sadness, excessive crying, low-esteem, low-confidence
- Experiencing bad thoughts or anxiety
- Separation anxiety
- Isolation from others
- An outburst of verbal or physical aggression
Concerns Parents Have…
- Struggle to understand what’s taking place in your child’s life.
- Excessive conflict with your child.
- Noticing that grades are dropping over time.
- The family has recently undergone a transition. This can include but not limited to becoming a blended family, moving, experiencing loss, trauma, or divorce.
- Feeling stuck and not sure what to do when it comes to helping your child.
- Noticing that your child has let go of their past routines or social circle.
Your Child Can Be Excited About Counseling
We know that your child is important in your life and we promise to do our best to help.
Counseling can be exactly what your child would like it to be. Our counselors take time to create a supportive and fun environment aimed to help your child in improving their behavior, mood, and sense of worth.
At the end of the day, our goal is to support your child in learning how to overcome challenges, build happiness, and develop healthy coping skills. As you start counseling, there will be sessions that focus on your child and if applicable, sessions that focus on the parent. This way healing and growth take place from both ends.
Does your child have difficulty managing their emotions?
Often kids may find themselves struggling to express their feelings in a healthy way. Play therapy is a great way to support your child in learning how to navigate their feelings in a healthy way. Click here to learn more about play therapy. At home, this may be seen as anger from your teenager or quietness from your 8-year-old. Therapy provides your child with space in learning how to express thoughts and feelings in a healthy and constructive manner versus keeping everything inside or using unhealthy practices like fighting or substance use. At the same time, our counselors help parents learn how to create spaces at home that promote positive behaviors.
Are you looking for parenting support?
When your child starts counseling, our counselors take time to help as much as possible. We work with you child to understand the challenges they are facing and provide them with effective tools to manage emotions and overcome difficulties. At the same time, we give a little bit of homework to parents. We help parents learn how to create a system at home that promotes positive behaviors, reduces conflict, address tension, and that can become a safe place for everyone.
Has COVID impacted your child’s emotions, behaviors, or social skills?
Life today is very different. Kids are going to school with face masks and often doing much if not all of their school work online. Your child may have their own unique reaction to COVID. For some kids, it’s a change in their anxiety or depression.
Your child may have a higher level of anxiety due to worry about, what will happen if they or someone in their family contracts the virus. Other kids feel sad or depressed because they cannot play or hang out with friends. Counseling helps kids understand how COVID has impacted their mood, thoughts, and feelings while also building healthy tools to overcome the challenges.
Is your child experiencing bullying?
Bullying takes place in and out of schools. Often kids keep things to themselves because of internal worries or peer pressure. As such, your child may struggle to tell you that they are being bullied. A key skill that counseling provides for kids is that of vulnerability and being a strength. Our counselors take time to help kids build confidence in their voice.
We take special pride in showing children that they are loved and capable of anything they put their minds to. The transformation that comes from counseling help kids builds the inner vulnerability to express how they feel and finally put a stop to bullying.
