Child Therapy Los Angeles
“Play allows the child to make the unmanageable, manageable” -Gary Landreth
Welcome to Sophie Pierce, Psy.D. We are Child Therapists in Los Angeles (Silverlake/Los Feliz).
You may be here because you’re at a loss for understanding your child’s behaviors or because changes in their behavior have you feeling worried and overwhelmed. I’m here to sit with you and support you with understanding and connecting to your child.
We help children feel seen and understood, enhance their self-esteem, and learn to tolerate and embrace difficult emotions.
If you’re ready to help your child, schedule a complimentary consultation with me today.
Our Approach to Child Therapy
As a child therapists in Los Angeles, we provide a safe, warm space for children to explore and master their inner experiences through play therapy. Our work is based on a deep belief in a child’s capacity for resilience. We love meeting children on their level and developing a relationship where a child is wholly accepted and delighted in. We utilize client centered play therapy, as play is a child’s natural language and how they communicate about their world, experiences, and feelings. Play provides children with the safety of psychological distance to process through their problems. Through the power of play, combined with the therapeutic relationship, children will learn: that their feelings are acceptable, to express their feelings responsibly, to become creative problem solvers, to be self-accepting, and to make choices and to own their choices.
If you are interested in working with me, you can head over to the contact page, or email me to schedule a free phone consultation.
During your complimentary phone consultation, I can answer any questions you may have, and see if we’re a good fit for child therapy.
After we’ve established we are a good fit, we will send you paperwork and schedule an initial, caregiver(s)-only intake session. From there, your child will begin therapy.
Once your child begins therapy, you can expect that their sessions will be filled with warmth and fun, where they will be exploring their feelings and learning important skills. Additionally, your therapist will be meeting with you along the way to help you make meaning of your child’s behavior and practice skills outside of therapy to decrease symptoms.
If you have any other questions about what therapy may look like for your child, please reach out! I’m happy to help.
Child Therapy FAQs
Does my child need therapy?
Children who benefit the most from therapy are those whose mental health is getting in the way of their day-to-day functioning. This may include children who are experiencing excessive worry, sad feelings, or lowered self-esteem. Children may also benefit from therapy after major life transitions, such as parental divorce, moving to a new city/home, traumatic/scary events, or the loss of a loved one. Additionally, parents often refer their child to therapy after noticing drastic changes in their “normal” presentation. This may include more frequent or more intense tantrums, developing rigid routines, school refusal, or changes in their social interactions.
How do I tell my child about therapy?
For younger children, it can be helpful to share with them that therapy is a place where children go and are allowed to say anything and play with almost anything. You can tell them that usually after children play with their therapist they feel more calm and relaxed, and they might even learn how to solve some problems. If your child wants to know why they are coming to therapy, you can share a short, general statement such as “I ‘ve noticed that you seem more stressed out after school and your play therapist has a special way of playing with kids to help them feel more relaxed.” The more casual and neutral your tone is about therapy, the more open your child will be to meeting a new helper!
Will I be participating in my child’s therapy?
It is recommended that parents are involved in their child’s treatment. Your level of involvement in your child’s therapy will depend on your child’s age, and why they were referred to treatment. Typically, I will debrief with parents at the end of each session in order to gather updates, provide support, and offer tools to practice throughout the week.
What is Child Centered Play Therapy?
Child Centered Play Therapy, as defined by its creator Gary Landreth (2012), is “a dynamic, interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy techniques, who provides carefully selected play materials and facilitates the development of a safe relationship for the child to fully express and explore feelings, thoughts, experiences, and behaviors through play, the child’s natural medium of communication, for optimal growth and development.”
Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a play-based therapy for children who are between 3 and 10 years old. Child Centered Play Therapy can be useful to help children improve their behavior, social skills, and emotional regulation. This type of therapy facilitates a child’s healing from the inside out, while re-wiring the child’s brain. While play therapy may appear to be “just play,” it is a therapeutic intervention that uses the child’s natural language and the therapeutic relationship to help process the child’s inner experiences and feelings.
Get help from a Child Therapist.
I’m here to help you feel less overwhelmed, worried, and frustrated by your child by learning to make meaning of your child’s behavior. Through child therapy, your child will learn to explore and express their feelings, and ultimately, thrive. You can schedule your complimentary phone consultation by clicking the button below.