Empower Your Children to Thrive!
Therapy with young children can take many forms. At Wave, our clinicians provide client-centered, trauma-informed care while creating a safe space where children can be open and honest. Therapy for children supports emotional growth, strengthens relationships, and helps kids feel more confident navigating their world.
What Is Children’s Therapy?
Children’s therapy services are designed to meet kids where they are developmentally, using age-appropriate approaches like play, creativity, and conversation. Instead of relying only on words, therapy for children often includes games, art, and storytelling to help kids communicate what they’re feeling.
Therapy for kids focuses on helping children understand emotions, build coping skills, and improve how they interact with others. Over time, this can reduce anxiety, improve behavior, and support overall emotional development both in person and through online therapy for kids.
Research Shows Children’s Increasing Need for Social Support
Studies show that US kids need far more emotional and social support to address loneliness and isolation. Therapy can be a crucial piece in that web of support.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2025/04-05/teen-social-emotional-support
Who Is Children’s Therapy Good For?
Children’s therapy is helpful for kids experiencing anxiety, behavioral challenges, school difficulties, or changes at home. It can support children navigating grief, social struggles, big emotions, or transitions like divorce or moving.
Therapy for kids is also a great fit for children who may not yet have the words to explain what they’re feeling but instead express it through behavior, withdrawal, or emotional outbursts.
What to Expect During Children’s Therapy
At Wave, children’s therapy is warm, collaborative, and tailored to each child’s unique needs. We focus on creating a safe, engaging environment where children can explore, learn, and practice new skills in ways that feel natural to them.
Consultation
The first session includes reviewing the intake form and meeting with caregivers to understand the child’s history, current concerns, and goals. This helps build a thoughtful and supportive foundation for care.
Establish Goals
Goal-setting is an important part of therapy for children. In session, therapists can support goals such as improving emotional regulation, building social and friendship skills, increasing confidence, and strengthening family relationships.
Sessions
Sessions are typically 45–50 minutes and may occur weekly depending on your child’s needs. Therapy can include play, guided activities, and supportive conversations where children practice skills in real time. Caregiver involvement is included when helpful to support progress outside of sessions.
Get Connected
Support Should Be Simple
We make getting started is easy, so you can focus on what matters most — feeling better.
01
Complete Intake
Tell us what you’re looking for and what support you need
02
Get Matched
We’ll connect you with a therapist who’s the right fit.
03
Start Therapy
Schedule sessions that work for you — virtual & convenient.
04
Feel & Grow
Build tools, gain insight, and create lasting change.
Types of Children’s Therapy
Play Therapy
Uses play as the primary way children express thoughts and feelings, supporting emotional processing, communication, and problem-solving in a developmentally appropriate way.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Helps children identify unhelpful patterns and build coping strategies for anxiety and stress.
Child-Centered Therapy
Creates a supportive, non-judgmental environment where the child leads, helping build self-esteem, autonomy, and emotional expression.
Attachment Based Therapy
Focuses on strengthening the child-caregiver relationship, supporting trust, safety, and emotional connection within the family system.
Family Therapy
Involves caregivers in sessions to improve communication, boundaries, and overall family dynamics while supporting the child’s growth.
Art Therapy
Uses creative expression like drawing and painting to help children process emotions that may be difficult to put into words.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Supports children in understanding, expressing, and regulating emotions while strengthening connection and emotional safety with caregivers.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Teaches age-appropriate skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and managing behaviors in a practical, supportive way.
Children’s Therapy Therapists in San Diego and Orange County
Our therapists providing children’s therapy services are licensed professionals who use evidence-based approaches. We offer in-person as well as online therapy for kids across California.
Benefits of Children’s Therapy
Children’s therapy offers many benefits that support emotional and developmental growth, including:
- Identifying and expressing emotions in healthy ways
- Building emotional regulation and coping skills
- Improving communication, boundaries, and social skills
- Strengthening confidence, self-esteem, and problem-solving
- Developing empathy, connection, and distress tolerance
Why Choose Wave Therapy
Wave Therapy provides thoughtful, individualized care that supports both children and their families through every stage of the therapy process.
In-Person and Virtual Sessions
We offer flexible options, including in-person sessions as well as online therapy for kids to meet your family’s scheduling needs.
Insurance Accepted
We work with a variety of insurance providers, helping make mental health therapy for kids more accessible and reducing barriers to consistent care.
Holistic and Compassionate Care
Our therapists take a whole-child approach, integrating emotional, relational, and developmental needs while creating a safe, engaging space for growth and healing.
Get Connected with Wave Therapy in San Diego and Orange County
You Deserve to Feel Like Yourself Again
If you’re looking for therapy for children, Wave Therapy offers compassionate, effective care both in-person and online. Connect with our team to schedule an appointment and get started with children’s therapy services today.
- Experienced Professionals
- Virtual and in-person sessions available
Frequently Asked Questions
Can parents sit in on therapy sessions?
Parent involvement in therapy for kids depends on the child’s age, needs, and goals. For younger children, parents are often included in initial sessions while rapport and trust are built, as well as being regularly updated (with discretion). For older children, therapists may balance parent involvement with the child’s need for privacy. Many therapists use a collaborative approach, involving parents while still creating a safe, confidential space for the child.
What does therapy for kids look like?
Therapy for kids is often interactive and engaging. Sessions may include play therapy, art, games, and age-appropriate conversation to help children express feelings and build skills. The therapist creates a safe, supportive environment where kids can explore emotions, process experiences, and feel understood.
What kind of things do kids learn in therapy?
In kids therapy, children learn emotional awareness, coping skills, and healthy ways to express feelings. They may build skills in problem-solving, communication, emotional regulation, and self-confidence. Therapy can also help kids understand their experiences and develop resilience.
Why do kids need therapy?
Children may benefit from therapy for kids when they are struggling with anxiety, depression, behavior challenges, school difficulties, or social issues. Therapy can also support kids through life changes such as divorce, grief, trauma, or family stress. Early intervention helps children build strong emotional foundations, improve behavior, and develop skills that support long-term mental health and well-being.
What is children’s ADHD therapy?
Children’s ADHD therapy is a supportive form of mental health therapy for kids that helps them build focus, emotional regulation, and behavioral skills. It often includes strategies for managing impulsivity, improving attention, and strengthening routines at home and school. Therapy for children with ADHD may also involve parent support to create consistent structure and reinforce skills outside of sessions. Through kid talk therapy, play-based interventions, and evidence-based approaches, children learn practical tools to better understand their emotions, increase confidence, and succeed in daily environments.