Child Therapist San Diego

Child Therapist helping anxious kids feel calmer and act braver in San Marcos, CA

You love your child, but you’re worried and frustrated.

You just want to help them be more confident and carefree.

It’s a real challenge to get them to try new things. You try to teach them to ride a bike and it ends in tears. You go to the beach and they refuse to ride on a boogie board or splash in the water. Their teacher tells you they rarely raise their hand even though they are doing well in school, and probably know the answer.

You are a loving, capable parent, but sometimes you fear you are failing.

Why can’t they just do it, whatever the “it” is? They are missing out on so much! When you talk to your child they can’t explain. Anxiety can be so difficult to put into words. Sometimes to us parents, it just feels like willfulness when actually it could be paralyzing fear.

There is no talking them out of that fear, as you well know. You are tired of the tug of war. So now you are thinking about therapy for your child or getting some parenting support. Just thinking about calling a therapist makes you feel nervous. I get that. I’m a parent.

Parenting is hard. I’m here to help. 

My name is Tami and I am a licensed therapist in San Marcos providing child therapy services. In therapy, my job is to make sure you and your kids feel safe and at ease. My style is calm, warm, and down-to-earth.

Together, we can identify goals for therapy. Your child can learn to become curious about what is going on with them, to notice their body responses, and to listen to the things they may be saying to themselves when they’re afraid. They can learn how to ground themselves, believe in themselves, feel calmer, and act braver.

I’m here to support you in this parenting dance with your child.

Incorporating a combination of art therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and therapeutic play interventions, I teach children to identify, cope with, and express feelings of fear. And other feelings as well in ways that don’t hinder them. The change will not happen overnight, but with consistent work in therapy, your child can feel calmer and act braver.

Your child doesn’t have to miss out on the freedom and joy of childhood.

They can learn to overcome challenges, instead of developing patterns of avoidance that will follow them into adulthood. I can’t promise that your child will become fearless.

They may always be cautious, but with my help and your support, your child can learn to face their fears. And that is an amazing feeling. 

If you are ready to help your child feel calmer and act braver, visit my contact page.

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