Expert support for your child or teen’s emotional wellness
Top Rated Teen & Child Therapists in Danbury
Over 10 years of experience
Capable of growing with your child and adjusting the treatment approach with their age
Trauma-informed and neurodivergent inclusive private practice
Attachment Informed Treatment
Skilled at treating the chronically overwhelmed and perfectionistic
Inclusivity is a mission that drives our practice
We prioritize growth and take trainings all year round in order to consistently improve
OON and not limited by insurance companies desire to keep costs low at the expense of optimal care for clients
Conceptualize symptoms within an attachment and trauma lens and understand that all behavior (even the less desirable acts) were functional in the context in which they were learned.
Seek trainings to specialize further in our client's mental health needs:
Eating disorders
OCD
Rigid thinking and perfectionism
High functioning anxiety
Panic
Mood instability or reactivity
Self-harming and Suicidality
Trauma and Attachment healing
And more every month
Integrated modalities that ensure the best therapeutic fit. We pull from CBT, DBT, ACT, IFS, iCBT, ERP, art therapy, and other approaches as needed
About Cope & Calm Counseling
We are all driven by a passion and fascination for psychology and counseling. We have found moments of enlightenment in our study and firmly center our practice approach in the concept of healing through learning and self-discovery. We view ourselves as compassionate listeners who can shepherd you through your own mind, allowing you to develop self-compassion, understanding, and effective coping skills.
Meet our top-rated Danbury child & teen therapists
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1. Danielle Sterry
Danielle is a highly relatable and disarming therapist. This combination makes her a natural at building rapport and trust with teens. Danielle wants to empower clients. She can provide a warm and supportive environment, but also challenges her clients to review their patterns and where they have control in their lives. This allows her to foster accountability that leads to independence for a strong foundation in young adulthood. Her work with young adults prioritizes self awareness and ensuring that their actions are in alignment with their values, ensuring a fulfilling life.
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2. Ashley DeFreitas
Ashley is highly skilled at treating children and young people. In addition to talk therapy, Ashley implements play therapy and art therapy into her counseling services. Play is a language that allows children to communicate their stories. Play therapy utilizes a child's strengths to develop effective communication about their well-being and develop coping strategies. Ashley likes to have a collaborative role with family members and is happy to provide support in the school environments. Ashley also supports her clients as they age and go through their teen years. She is able to support them with communication issues, low self esteem, and conflict within their family system.
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3. Amber Young
Amber got her start in counseling as an elementary school counselor and provides a unique understanding of how mental health problems can impact academic growth and school performance. Although she is no longer taking on young clients, she provides active supervision to her therapists in the areas of play therapy, Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT), and the benefits of family therapy for supporting children and teens.
How to get started
Reach out
Looking for child or teen therapy Danbury? Ready to meet your therapist? The first step is to connect. You can call or text our intake coordinator at (475) 251 7441. Or you can submit a request on our website, and she will reach out to you.
Consultation Call with our Intake Coordinator
To make sure we provide the right therapist, we will collect some information about you. We want to make sure that we are fully capable of treating you for your specific goals. Our intake coordinator uses this information to match you to the best-fit therapist. Then she will share a bit about our practice, so that you can decide if we are a good fit for you. This is a great time to ask any questions that you may have.
Pick a time
On that very same call, you can book your first appointment with your therapist. Once booked, you will receive some paperwork via email needing some easy e-signatures. Then you are good to go!
Get started
You will receive a warm welcome and competent support from a highly trained therapist that is able to teach mature coping skills and insights to last a lifetime while understanding the current developmental needs of your child. Then you can rest-assured knowing that you have taken important action to meet your child's needs. We know you want the best for them, now go celebrate your efforts that support them.
Why choose us for teen & child counseling in Danbury, CT
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We know that it takes a village. As a mental health provider, we know that our support is just one pillar supporting your child. In order to provide the highest quality care, we need to be available to collaborate with other stake holders in your child's network. Whether that is requesting an observation in the school, sending coping skills to the teacher, or checking in with your pediatrician, we are here to support all of your kiddos needs in the ways that we can.
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If it isn't fun, they aren't going to learn. Kids are used to white knuckling through classes and other commitments that they aren't excited to participate in, and we don't want them exercising that skill in the therapy room. For the younger kids, there will be tangible items to help ground them in the treatment goal identified for the day. To identify tension at school a therapist might provide illustrations showing children on a playground with angry faces, and then have their client write a story about what they think is going on. To work on selective attention and impulse control, they can play Jenga or "red light, green light" while chatting about how busy their body feels in class. To learn new strategies, they can practice animal walks or yoga. To tell a difficult story, they can act it out in our sand tray. These are just a few examples of how we can accommodate our younger clients.
For our teens, we know that they will see through any facade we have on. So the first sessions are really focused on showing authenticity, demonstrating consistent respect and care, and thoughtfully reflecting observations to challenge limiting thoughts and actions. The adolescent years can bring some challenging coping. In our work we identify self-harm, anger reactivity, negative thoughts, and even substance exploration as an attempt at coping. From there, we can identify what they are trying to cope with and how they can respond in a more beneficial way.
As our clients age, we adapt our approach.
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It is so hard to see your child struggle. We know that you want to ensure that you are doing everything possible as a caregiver to develop healthy coping of emotions and stress. As a licensed professional, there are strict boundaries for confidentiality. However, we understand that we are only with them for 50 minutes a week and want to bring the parents into the fold to support the treatment plan at home. Depending on the client's needs, their therapist may send the parents home with a summary of new strategies to practice at home, identify specific behaviors or triggers to prompt implementing a new skill, or meet with the parent one on one to discuss their interactions with their child to identify what barriers may be impacting their communication and attachment. Parenting can be like art in that it is hard to have a solid perspective when we are too close. We provide individual counseling for children and client centered family therapy as needed.
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Our practice is set up to ensure that we can maintain smaller than industry standard caseloads. This allows us to have time to collaborate, prepare for session, and helps prevent against burn out. At Cope & Calm, we aim to keep our caseloads on the smaller side so that when we are with your child we are able to give them a fresh perspective and a the highest quality care. Our smaller caseloads also allow for more flexibility in scheduling, so if crisis intervention is required or we need to increase the intensity of care, we are able to meet that need.
Common reasons why people seek therapy for their child or teen
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As the demands of life grow and adolescent development approaches, it is common to see an onset of negative thoughts, depression, and anxiety. During the adolescent period children are at a higher risk for self-harm, suicidality, and substance abuse. Many find that finding a therapist to assist your children and inform your parenting is immensely beneficial.
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If your child has needed a higher level of care, we can provide therapy to help bridge the gap between an IOP, PHP, or Residential treatment. We know that this can be a high pressure transition and have extensive experience helping teens return back to their routines.
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It is still common for people to say that "I don't need therapy", and perhaps that is true that you are not in acute distress. However, life is hard and we all hit a bottom a few times in life. We all experience anxiety and low mood at times. Seeking appropriate mental health care can help prevent these normative experiences from becoming pathological mental illness. We don't wait for our teeth to decay before getting a cleaning or a serious illness to have our blood panels checked. Our mental health is responsible for the way that we see and navigate through the world and preventative care helps to ensure a safe, healthy, and fulfilling life.
When another practice might be a better fit for your family’s needs
FAQs about teen & child therapy
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a beneficial approach for kids and adolescents. Since this population is accustomed to a learning relationship, CBT will feel familiar to their academic background. Using different strategies, such as art, books, and worksheets, our therapists will outline what dynamics in their thoughts, feelings, and actions are working out for them and which ones we will work on shifting.
Play therapy is another common approach to utilize with children. Using play allows clients to communicate in a context that is familiar to them, resulting in a non-pressured exploration of experiences. We also use PCIT informed strategies to assist parents in connecting with their child and improving attachments between caregiver and child.
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A child psychologist is a doctoral level licensed professional. A child psychologist is able to provide extensive neuropsychological testing to inform treatment and identify needs unique to a child. Child Psychologists are able to provide therapy, but their educational background also had a large emphasis on conducting research and providing assessments.
A child counselor is a masters level licensed professional who specializes in the therapeutic practice. We have learned how to interpret research and how to implement best practices in the counseling space. Our educational training had a larger focus on experiential learning and putting research into action in a therapeutic context.
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In order to be efficacious in mental health counseling, we need the parents, school, and other stakeholders on board and willing to collaborate. Your child's therapist will ask you to keep them in the loop about what you are observing outside of session and to assist in prompting coping skills. Your therapist may refer you to specific books or other resources in order to inform your parenting approach or to help you better understand what your child is going through.
Start counseling for your child or teen today
Mental health counseling is a helpful support for those who are struggling with mental health concerns and beneficial enrichment service to provide your child. Behavioral health services can provide your child with the necessary education on how to regulate their emotions, improve their social interactions, and build a life of value and security.
If you are ready to give the gift of counseling services to your child, give us a call or text today!