Therapy for Children & Adolescents in Santa Monica & Online Throughout California
Cultivating a safe, supportive space for young people to better understand themselves, their emotions, and the world around them.
Growing up can be complicated. Children and adolescents are developing their sense of identity, relationships, independence, and place in the world while often navigating experiences they don't yet have the words to explain.
Therapy can offer a space where a young person doesn't have to have everything figured out. Through curiosity, creativity, and a trusting therapeutic relationship, we can make room for what they're experiencing and help them develop greater emotional awareness, confidence, and connection.
In-person therapy for children and adolescents in Santa Monica & West Los Angeles, with online therapy available throughout California.
The Children & Adolescents I Tend to Work With
I work with children and adolescents who may be experiencing anxiety, sadness, emotional overwhelm, difficulty regulating their emotions, changes in relationships, questions around identity, or challenges at home or school.
Some young people arrive knowing exactly what they want help with. Others may not be sure why they're in therapy at all. Children, especially, may communicate what they're experiencing through behavior, play, withdrawal, irritability, or changes in the ways they relate to the people around them.
I work well with thoughtful, sensitive, creative, and deeply feeling young people who may have difficulty putting their inner experiences into words. My goal is to create a therapeutic relationship where they can feel known without feeling judged, while developing the language and tools to better understand themselves.
I also recognize that therapy with a child or adolescent involves their larger relational world. When appropriate, I collaborate with parents and caregivers to better understand what a young person may be communicating and to support the relationships and environment around them.
What Brings Children & Teens to Therapy
Anxiety & Emotional Regulation
Children and adolescents may experience anxiety through worry, perfectionism, avoidance, irritability, physical symptoms, difficulty separating, or feeling overwhelmed. Therapy can help young people recognize and understand their emotional experiences while developing ways to regulate and cope.
Self-Esteem & Self-Worth
Growing up involves constantly developing a sense of who we are. Therapy can provide space to explore self-criticism, comparison, perfectionism, confidence, body image, and the beliefs young people may be developing about themselves.
Relationships & Attachment
Relationships with parents, siblings, peers, and other important people shape how young people experience themselves and the world. We can explore friendship dynamics, conflict, belonging, attachment, boundaries, communication, and changes within important relationships.
Life Transitions & Change
Transitions can be difficult at any age. I work with young people navigating changes in family structure, school, friendships, identity, relocation, adolescence, loss, and other experiences that can leave them feeling uncertain or disconnected.
Trauma & Difficult Experiences
When a child or adolescent has experienced something overwhelming, their emotions and behaviors may change in ways that are difficult for them or the people around them to understand. A trauma-informed approach creates space for safety, stabilization, understanding, and—when appropriate—trauma processing.
Identity & Self-Discovery
Adolescence can bring important questions about identity, belonging, relationships, gender, sexuality, values, and who a young person wants to become. Therapy can offer a space to explore these questions with curiosity and without judgment.
School, Social & Family Stress
Academic pressure, friendships, social dynamics, family conflict, and the expectations placed on young people can contribute to significant stress. Therapy can help them develop greater emotional awareness and find healthier ways of navigating these experiences.
A Developmentally Attuned & Relational Approach
My approach is trauma-informed and person-centered, with the therapeutic relationship at the center of our work. I meet children and adolescents where they are developmentally, adapting therapy to their age, personality, communication style, and individual needs.
With younger children, therapy may incorporate play, creativity, storytelling, mindfulness, and age-appropriate activities as ways of helping them express and understand experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
With adolescents, therapy often becomes more conversational and collaborative, creating space for greater independence, self-reflection, identity development, and exploration of the experiences that matter most to them.
My work may draw from psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, mindfulness-based, trauma-informed, EMDR, and other evidence-based approaches, depending on the young person's needs.
I also draw from feminist and gender-affirming perspectives, and I welcome queer, LGBTQ+, and gender-expansive young people. I believe young people deserve a space where they can explore who they are without being asked to conform to someone else's expectations.
Working With Parents & Caregivers
Supporting the young person while respecting their developing autonomy
When a child or adolescent begins therapy, parents and caregivers are an important part of the process. At the same time, young people need a therapeutic space where they can develop trust and feel comfortable speaking honestly.
I aim to balance these needs thoughtfully. Depending on the child's age, developmental stage, and circumstances, parent involvement may include periodic check-ins, collaborative conversations, or support around understanding and responding to what may be happening beneath a child's behavior.
Confidentiality is discussed clearly at the beginning of therapy, including what parents can expect to know and the circumstances in which information may need to be shared for safety.
In-Person Therapy in Santa Monica & West Los Angeles
I offer in-person therapy for children and adolescents in Santa Monica, serving families throughout the Westside and surrounding Los Angeles communities.
Online Therapy Throughout California
Online therapy is available throughout California for adolescents when clinically appropriate. Together, we can determine whether telehealth is a good fit based on the young person's age, needs, and circumstances.
FAQs
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I work with children and adolescents across different developmental stages. The approach and structure of therapy are adapted to the young person's age, developmental needs, personality, and goals.
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I work with young people experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional regulation difficulties, self-esteem concerns, perfectionism, relationship and attachment issues, trauma, grief, life transitions, identity development, school and social stress, and other emotional or relational concerns.
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Yes. Anxiety can look different in adolescents than it does in adults and may show up through worry, perfectionism, avoidance, irritability, physical symptoms, social concerns, or feeling overwhelmed. Therapy can help teens better understand what they're experiencing and develop healthier ways of responding.
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Yes. Children don't always have the language to explain what they're experiencing. Therapy may incorporate play, creativity, storytelling, mindfulness, and other developmentally appropriate approaches to help children communicate and process their experiences.
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Yes, when appropriate. Parent involvement depends on the child's age, developmental stage, needs, and the circumstances bringing them to therapy. I may incorporate parent check-ins or collaborative conversations while also protecting the young person's need for an appropriate level of privacy and autonomy.
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Confidentiality and its limits are discussed at the beginning of therapy. Young people need a space where they can develop trust and speak openly, while parents and caregivers also need appropriate information about their child's treatment and well-being. If there are concerns about safety, confidentiality may need to be broken in accordance with ethical and legal requirements.
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Yes. I welcome LGBTQ+, queer, and gender-expansive young people and approach identity development from an affirming, feminist, and culturally responsive perspective. Therapy can provide a space to explore identity, relationships, belonging, and self-understanding without judgment.
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Yes. I offer online therapy throughout California for adolescents when telehealth is clinically appropriate. We can discuss whether online therapy is a good fit during an initial consultation.
Curious if we might be a good fit? Let’s connect!
Finding the right therapist for your child or teenager is personal. A brief consultation gives us an opportunity to talk about what you're noticing, what you're looking for, and whether my approach may be a good fit for your family.
How to contact me:
info@therapywithsloane.com
(424) 788-0885
1460 7th St #300
Santa Monica, CA 90401