THERAPY FOR CHILDREN WITH ADHD AND OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE IN NORTH TEXAS
Child Behavioral Therapy Services
Proudly providing child and parent counseling services for children ages 7-12 and their families.
Children Deserve Support in Tough Times
For a child, big life changes can feel overwhelming. Whether your child is grappling with grief, behavioral issues, ADHD, anxiety, depression, or your family is navigating parental separation or divorce, the therapists at North Texas Adult & Child Counseling Center can help. We provide a welcoming therapy space for your child, and want them to know, above all, that someone is there for them.
Our Southlake child therapists work in a way that is client-centered and solution-focused, meaning we meet your child where they are, and work with them, and you as their parents, to get you all where you want to be, as a family.
We offer therapy support for children dealing with…
Defiance and behavioral issues
Grief and loss
Parental separation
Divorce
Anxiety and depression
ADHD
Emotional regulation
School issues and bullying
Self-esteem
Family conflict
Trauma
Behavior Management for Kids with ADHD
When a child comes to us with behavior management issues, whether due to ADHD or oppositional defiance, our behavior management specialists work to create a space in each therapy session to connect with them and provide guidance as a trusted adult in your child's world. Our approach prioritizes safety, both toward your child and from your child toward others. We believe in constructive, positive reinforcement of self-managed behavior, encouraging respect and consistency.
Your child’s therapist will show them a variety of systems to provide them structure and guidance; those they connect with, we use, and those they don’t, we let go and try something else. Our ADHD specialized therapists provide strategies, systems, and coping skills to help your child moderate their own behavior, encouraging work at home to extend the benefits of work in therapy.
Providing Emotion Regulation Skills to Help Your Child Cope
If your child is struggling with their emotions, due to grief, divorce, bullying, low self-esteem, etc., our child therapist specialists are equipped with a variety of therapy modalities to give them the support and skills they need to heal and thrive.
We offer your child a safe, caring space to open up about their difficulties. From there, we will work on skills building, education to help your child understand what they’re experiencing, and emotional processing support. Through therapy, your child and their dedicated therapist specialist will work together to bring them to a healthier, happier place.
Child Therapy
is Whole Family Therapy
Each therapy session, we’ll invite you as the parents to the last 10 minutes, so you can participate fully in their care. We will review what your child has learned in session, and go over ways to support using your child’s new skills, systems, and strategies at home and school, especially for ADHD and classroom behavior management strategies.
At North Texas Adult & Child Counseling Center, we consider therapy for a child to be a whole family effort, and take seriously our commitment to supporting your child, and you as parents. We are able to accommodate various family structures and schedules through a blend of in-person and telehealth sessions, to make sure both parents can attend as many sessions as possible.
Parenting Skills Training
As part of your child’s therapy, we also offer parenting skills training, using the Nurturing Parenting program. Whether your child’s therapist sees a need for extra support, or you express a desire for ideas on how to better parent your child, we can help.
We provide both in-session training to support ongoing goals for your child, as well as take-home information for you to use between sessions.
Our child therapists work with a variety of therapy modalities to best meet your child’s needs
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
EMDR
Solution-focused therapy
Parenting skills coaching
Therapy support with our ATD trained therapy dog, Ghost
Ghost, the Therapy Dog
We recognize that therapy can be a challenging space to relax into sometimes, particularly for children. To make therapy a consistently comforting space, our ATD-trained therapy dog, Ghost, is available for sessions.
Ghost brings unconditional love and a comforting presence to each therapy session, helping your child relax and more comfortably absorb and engage with their therapy work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? Here are answers for a few of the most common. If your question isn’t answered here, don’t hesitate to get in touch, our admin team at North Texas Adult & Child Counseling Center is happy to connect with you.
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Your child’s first session will include an assessment of what’s going on now for them, as well as a mental health history. From there, a diagnosis (if needed) and a plan of treatment will be created.
After your North Texas therapist creates a plan tailored to your child, future sessions will involve checking in on what has happened between sessions, helping your child make connections between therapy goals and what they experience in their day-to-day. Your therapist will then work with them on pre-planned coping skills or systems, incorporating age-appropriate activities to help your child learn and understand.
The last 10 minutes of each session will involve the parents, discussing the skills, strategies and/or systems worked on, and how they can be implemented in school or at home.
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It can be understandable for children to be unsure when starting therapy. Our trained child therapists make sure that our connection to your child is one of comfort and safety first and foremost, to create the trust necessary to help them.
We have also found that having Ghost, the therapy dog, in session creates an immediate sense of relaxation in the room, which is a definite boost in the usefulness of therapy for your child. Being relaxed and comfortable allows your child to open up, and put in the work to learn systems and skills to be the best versions of themselves possible.
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Therapy sessions are usually 55 minutes. However, flexibility is sometimes needed, such as for young children or other scheduling circumstances, so it can be arranged ahead of time to have sessions be 30 or 45 minutes.
Our Southlake child therapists typically see clients on a weekly basis. For shorter courses of therapy treatment, 8-12 sessions are the norm. However, some clients prefer to see me for longer-term care, or at different frequencies. This can be arranged as the treatment plan for your child is developed.
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Parental involvement is key to a child’s success in therapy. While it may seem like a substantial time investment early on, the time you put into learning and reinforcing the skills and systems taught to your child in session will pay off long term.
You’re already investing time in helping your child cope while they’re struggling with grief, anxiety, or other difficulties. Investing time in therapy for your child shifts how you spend your time, from struggle into success.
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Visit our frequently asked questions page for answers about therapy in general.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re concerned about your child’s emotional or behavioral wellbeing, know that the therapists at North Texas Adult & Child Counseling Center are here for them. We offer child therapy that supports whole family wellbeing and are invested in making sure your child gets the care they need to help them flourish.