New Jersey
Child Therapy
Child therapy is quickly becoming one the most important lines of defense against the mental health crisis our children are facing today. According to data released by The Maternal & Child Health Bureau, a division of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in 2023, 1 in 5 adolescents were diagnosed with a current mental or behavioral health condition – an increase of 35% since 2016. At Behaved Brain, our goal is to reverse this trend and help every child in our practice to take charge of their mental health through effective therapy techniques as well as holistic wellness methods to improve mental and physical wellbeing.
Our Approach To
Child Therapy
At Behaved Brain, we utilize age-appropriate child therapy methods in combination with interactive therapy techniques to help children express themselves. Some of these techniques include play therapy, art therapy, storytelling or other creative child therapy methods to support communication and emotional development. Our approach to child therapy is custom-tailored to each individual, taking into consideration their symptoms, age, stage of development and environmental composition. Because of this, it’s important to involve the entire family in the therapy journey as well so that we can get a full picture of their ecosystem.
Types Of
Child Therapy
At Behaved Brain, we offer a range of therapy services for children through our therapists, psychologists, mental health counselors and support team. Each child is first evaluated to determine their symptoms, environment, and unique struggles. In addition to a customized therapy plan, each child is also guided through our holistic wellness program, “The 7 Foundations of Brain Health,” which focuses on improving environmental factors that lead to dysregulation. This combination therapy approach gives each child customized therapy, tools, and insight to dramatically improve overall mental health for a lifetime.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most utilized types of therapies in our practice for children and adults alike. It is fundamentally structured to help children identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. By helping children link their throughs and feelings to their actions, our therapy team can help the child recognize triggers and patterns that are leading to behavioral issues. This awareness, coupled with coping strategies and mindfulness techniques, helps children reprogram their responses in real time to diffuse behavioral struggles.
Play Therapy
Play Therapy helps children express their emotions, process experiences, and develop coping strategies through play. Therapists use toys, games, or activities as tools to observe and engage the child in a therapeutic manner. This can be an excellent child therapy method when children find it hard to address their concerns or experiences through direct conversation.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy involves working with the child and their families to identify ways to support positive behavior through reinforcement measures. This form of positive conditioning helps change the environment from what is often a negative atmosphere to one that focuses on positivity and improvement. At Behaved Brain, we feel strongly about communicating a “Can Do” dialogue versus a “Cannot Do” one, which often leads to oppositional defiance.
Family Therapy
Because the entire family unit is so important for individual improvement in child therapy, we almost always utilize family therapy sessions in a child’s treatment plan. This is important for improving family communication and family dynamics while addressing behavioral struggles in a supportive and open environment. With the support of our therapy team, families can communicate their issues while taking recommendations from our therapy team to help every family member’s emotional wellbeing.
Social Skills Training
For children who struggle with peer-to-peer interaction, our social skills training program teaches children how to interact positively with their peers and the adults in their life. Through role-playing, group exercises, and modeling, our team is able to help them develop positive communication and interpersonal skills.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Being a parent is tough and does not come with a rule book. When a child is having behavioral issues, we encourage parents to becoming involved in the therapy and healing journey. Through our Parent-Child Interaction Therapy sessions, we help parents to strengthen their bond with their child to improve behavioral issues. During these sessions, parents receive coaching to enhance their responses to their child’s behavior.
Children's Group Therapy
We have found that a group therapy setting, where children and adolescents can communicate amongst a group of their peers, offers some of the greatest therapeutic benefit. Our children’s group therapy provides a supportive environment for children to interact with peers facing similar challenges. Led by a therapist, group activities focus on social skills, emotional regulation, or shared experiences. At Behaved Brain, we offer weekly and monthly group activities which can be found on the “Courses” page of our website. Click here to view current groups.
School & Home
Observations
One of the very best ways that our team can determine the source of a child’s dysregulation is to perform home and school observations. This program that can be done in consultation format, or as a 1:1 home based therapy service for children. Our school observation program — which we can adjust based on district needs — focuses on group sessions that educate children on mindfulness, brain health, and utilizes evidence-based practices which can be paid for through grants and funding. Please contact kgately@behavedbrain.com for more information.
Additionally, we can provide observations, functional behavioral assessments, and consultations for children in school settings. These behavioral observations of students in schools are used in conjunction with home-based counseling treatment planning and collaboration to help your child succeed.
Family Dynamics
Therapy
Through family therapy and counseling, we can also help families and children build a foundation of tools to help them navigate their feelings and stresses with family dynamics therapy. Our family dynamic therapists will work on identifying treatment goals with families during their first family therapy appointment. Each session is typically 45 minutes, with a 15-minute parent feedback component. During this time, we brainstorm behavior plans and strategies to try at home, while also discussing environmental changes that parents can implement to maximize their child’s success.
Individual Parent
Coaching
When looking at attachment theory and brain development, it is clear that the way in which we respond and react to our children affects the way they learn to handle and navigate stressors themselves. Whether you are looking to improve your skills or need help navigating a challenging behavior struggle, we will meet with you 1:1 for parent coaching to set goals and support you in becoming the best parent you can be.
Part of our parent coaching strategies include working through your past experience to better understand how they might be affecting your parenting style. Our parental life coaching service also focuses on realizing that modern family stresses can make it difficult for parents to remain present and available to our children. We will support you in developing effective tools and systems to help your family feel more controllable and enjoyable, while looking to assist you in implementing our brain health model for optimizing your child’s brain development and emotional success.
Real Client
Testimonials
Start Your Child Therapy Journey
Behaved Brain Wellness Center is currently accepting new in-person and virtual clients. If you’d like to call to schedule a session at either our Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ or Midland Park, NJ location, click here!
