Child & Adolescent Therapy
PAC specializes in the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) and Tourette’s in children with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For children ages 6 and under, therapy involves working primarily or entirely with parents. For children ages 7 to 11, therapy involves play-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and regular check-ins with parents; at times, therapy may alternate between parent and child sessions. For adolescents, offering a confidential, safe space is imperative and therapy is driven by the adolescent with updates regarding treatment goals and progress provided to the parents. At times, family sessions are incorporated into therapy or parents are referred to their own therapist for parent support. When a child or adolescent is not motivated to engage in therapy, therapy can be effectively conducted with the parents instead. The following evidence based-therapies for children and adolescents are used at PAC:
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD
- CBT for Anxiety Disorders, including Separation Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism, Specific Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- The Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) model for BFRBs, including Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) and Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder
- Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) for Tic Disorders, including Tourette’s
- CBT, including Behavioral Activation, for Depression
- Trauma-Focused CBT for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) Treatment
- Parent Management Training (PMT) for parents of children with challenging behaviors
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills
Read more about evidence-based therapy for children and adolescents at: