For Children and Teens

 Play Therapy

Many children experience difficulty managing emotions or behavior at some point. When the struggle seems to be more than a passing developmental phase, short-term play therapy can make a world of difference. Children ages two through twelve use play in the way adults use language. They communicate their fears, hopes and conflicts not by talking directly about them, but by playing about them. A skilled child therapist can use art materials, games and pretend play to understand, interpret, and guide a child to have a better sense of what is going on in their inner world. This in turn helps difficult behaviors to settle as the child feels seen and heard. In addition to the child’s individual sessions, parents can join in meetings with the child and therapist together. Since play therapy is a collaborative process, parents will also work with the child’s therapist to better understand and support their child. Play therapy can address issues such as separation issues, intense sibling rivalry, resistance to toilet training, anxiety, and processing divorce or separation. Through the language of play, cognitive strategies and parent involvement we help you to help your children through a difficult time.

Informal Play Assessment

Sometimes parents are concerned that their child is struggling with a developmental vulnerability or a behavioral/emotional issue, and they are not sure how to address the situation. It can be helpful and reassuring to schedule a combination of a child play observation and parent feedback sessions with a child development specialist. These sessions can determine the nature of the issue, and the best strategy for how to deal with the problem sensitively. If play therapy or parent guidance would be helpful, we can provide those services here at Soho Parenting. If we determine that a referral to another professional or service is needed, such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, educational guidance, or a formal developmental evaluation, we will facilitate these referrals.

School Observation

Second to being at home, children spend the majority of time in their school environment. If your child’s school raises a concern, it is often hard to know if your child is struggling with behavior or learning issues, or if the expectations at school are too high. The best way to ascertain what factors are at play is to have an impartial child development professional from outside the school do a thorough observation in the classroom. Much can be learned from a visit to the classroom: social interaction with peers, academic work, the relationship between your child and the teacher, and the fit between your child and the school culture.

Soho Parenting provides an initial parent meeting, a two hour observation which includes classroom time and transitions to capture the breadth of your child’s experience at school, contact with school director and teachers, and a follow up session with recommendations.

Therapy for Teens

Teenagers are experiencing record levels of mental health issues. Increased academic expectations, our culture’s obsession with college admissions and the impact of social media intensify normal adolescent angst into meaningful levels of anxiety and depression. All of this pressure comes at a time when teens are naturally trying to be more autonomous from their parents, yet still need mature guidance and support.

A sensitive therapist—not a family member, not a peer—but a grounded guide, who can give perspective, tools for managing anxiety and a wise sounding board can make these years easier. We offer a combination of modalities like supportive talk therapy, mindfulness, cognitive therapy, art therapy, EMDR and IFS. Therapy at Soho Parenting can help a teenager feel understood, learn from their necessary mistakes, and listen to their own wisdom as they grow and change.