Therapy for Children on Long Island
Do you know your child needs support but you’re not sure where to begin?
There’s no singular way forward when someone small is experiencing something really big and we’re happy to help you navigate your next steps.
Children are not miniature adults, yet they often feel emotions as all-consuming as we do in our adult lives. With different developmental stages and expression cues, supporting your little ones through their difficult feelings and challenging behaviors can feel scary or even downright impossible.
With expert therapists across each age and stage, we are here to help you find the Pathways back to “possible”.
No one got it wrong. No one missed a step.
Recognizing the need for additional support in your child is a powerful parental experience. You may be feeling overwhelmed or as if you’ve gotten something wrong, but the need for therapy is not borne from failure- not on your part, or the part of your child.
Sometimes, we just all need a little help in navigating what we’re feeling and how to process that. Giving your children the ability to recognize that need, ask for that support and work through their roadblocks with effective coping skills, developmentally appropriate tools, and a qualified expert to support them is a powerful way to show them you’re listening.
Celebrate your child’s ability to ask for help by responding to their needs.
Caring for the big feelings of our littlest loved ones
Play Therapy on Long Island
Most often used with children in middle developmental stages from ages 3 to around 12, play therapy capitalizes on the ability of abstract informational exchange to help your child engage in emotional processing through a less invasive lens.
Play therapy works by bridging the gap between the way adults communicate and the way children do.
By bringing play to the forefront of navigating complex emotional experiences, we can not only support but actively help children feel their feelings in a way that makes sense for them.
How it works:
Our kids process the world through play. Good or bad, their toys and imaginations represent - either literally or symbolically- the shape and feeling of the world around them.
Through play therapy, we join the child in their world through their play. As we play and engage with the world at their level, they may become less guarded and create space for us to bridge the gap in communication styles as they act out their inner emotions and experiences in real-time.
Each therapist has a unique way of engaging in a child’s world, and each child will require a different combination of those methods. Through observation and re-assessment, the therapeutic plan will be a living document that responds to your child’s needs.
Play therapy will be tailored to the child, the experiences they’ve had, and the way they’re feeling in that moment. Healing and skill-building will take place with a treatment plan outlined from what the therapist learns and build upon how they can best help the child through any and all variables that may occur. Progress may look slow, or grow by leaps and bounds quite quickly, depending.
Privacy & Parent Engagement in Child Therapy
At Pathways Within, we recognize that effective therapy for children involves both respecting their need for privacy and actively engaging parents in the therapeutic process.
Child Privacy
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of effective therapy. Children are more likely to open up and engage in the therapeutic process when they feel their privacy is respected. Therapists are committed to maintaining this confidentiality, sharing information with parents only when necessary, such as when there are concerns about the child's safety.
Parent Engagement
While respecting a child's privacy, we also believe in the importance of parental involvement. Parents are encouraged to participate in the therapeutic process, collaborating with therapists to support their child's progress. This partnership ensures that therapeutic strategies are reinforced at home and that parents are equipped to assist their child effectively.
By balancing confidentiality with active parental involvement, we aim to create a supportive environment that fosters healing and growth for your child.