Big feelings, small body
Anxiety, frequent meltdowns, fears that won't settle, or worry that shows up as tummy aches and trouble sleeping. Emotions can be a lot to hold when you're small.
Child therapy in Laguna Beach.
Kids don't explain. They show you.
Warm, developmentally-attuned counseling for children, in Laguna Beach or by telehealth. Find the right fit with a free call.
A young child rarely walks in and says, I've been feeling anxious since the move. They don't have those words yet. Instead it comes out sideways: the stomachaches with no cause, the meltdown over the wrong-colored cup, the sudden clinging, the trouble at drop-off. A child's first language isn't conversation. It's behavior and play.
So we don't sit a seven-year-old down for a talk. We meet them in the language they actually speak. Through play, drawing, and stories, a child will show you what they can't yet tell you, and slowly build the words for it. What looks like acting out is usually a kid saying something important in the only way they know how. Our job is to listen in their language, not demand they learn ours first.
How child work looks
Therapy that looks a lot like play
If you pictured a tiny client on a couch, picture something warmer and more hands-on. For a child, play is the work, not a distraction from it.
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We build safety first
Before anything else, a child needs to feel that this is a safe, unhurried place with a grown-up who is genuinely on their side. Nothing useful happens until that's real, so we never rush it.
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We work through play, not lectures
Games, art, and make-believe aren't filler. They're how a child processes big feelings at a size they can handle. A lot of real change happens on the floor, not in a chair.
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We build their toolkit gently
Naming feelings, calming a stirred-up body, handling a hard moment at school. We help a child grow these skills at their own pace, in a way that feels like discovery rather than instruction.
What brings kids in
When a little one is struggling
A change that rocked their world
A move, a divorce, a new sibling, a loss, a scary event. Children feel these seismically, and they often need help finding words for a change they didn't choose.
We support the parents, too
Here's something we tell every parent: you are not being graded, and you are not the problem to be fixed. A child's therapy works best when the grown-ups around them are part of it. So alongside the child's sessions, we coach parents on what's going on underneath the behavior and how to respond in a way that actually helps. You know your child better than anyone. We just add a set of tools.
Children's work here is a particular focus of Rozy, one of the associate therapists Kay personally supervises. On your free call, we'll make sure your child is matched with the right fit, so the very first session lands.
Some of this work happens outside. Sand Castle Therapy is our nature-based play therapy model, where a child builds a castle on the sand and builds resilience while they're at it.
Where to go next
Related ways we can help
Family therapy
A struggling child is often the most sensitive part of a stressed family system. Sometimes the whole family benefits from the work.
Family therapyStart with a free call
The fastest way to find the right fit for your child is a short conversation. We'll match you thoughtfully, no pressure.
Get startedQuestions parents ask
Child therapy, answered
What does therapy even look like for a young child?
For children, therapy often looks like play, art, and activity rather than sitting and talking, because that is how kids naturally express what they feel. The therapist builds trust first, then helps the child work through what is going on in a way that fits their age. We help children with anxiety, big feelings, family changes, grief, and school stress, and we keep parents involved throughout. [Book a free consultation](/get-started).
My child can't sit still and talk about feelings. Can this really help?
Yes, and honestly, that's most kids. A young child's first language isn't conversation, it's behavior and play. The meltdown over the wrong-colored cup, the tummy ache with no cause, the clinginess at drop-off, these are often a child saying something important in the only way they've got. Our job is to listen in their language rather than demand they learn ours first. Sitting and talking comes later, if at all.
Will you work with me, the parent, or just my kid?
Both, and the parent part matters more than people expect. A child's therapy works best when the grown-ups around them are part of it, so alongside your child's sessions we help you understand what's underneath the behavior and how to respond in a way that helps. You are not being graded, and you are not the problem to be fixed. You know your child better than anyone; we just add some tools.
Worried about your child?
Trust that parent instinct. A free 15 to 20 minute call is a low-pressure way to talk through what you're seeing and see whether we're the right fit for your family.
Book a free call
Free and confidential. Be seen within 24 hours.
Navigating Life's Waves Together