We Help Children With:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression
- ADHD
- OCD
- Emotional Regulation
- Behavioral Challenges
- School Refusal
- Separation Anxiety
- Social Anxiety
- Selective Mutism
- Autism Spectrum Support
- Low Self-Esteem
- Family Conflict
- Grief & Loss
- Life Transitions
- Perfectionism
- Stress Management
Our Approach to Child Therapy for ages 4-12
No two children are exactly alike.
That’s why every treatment plan is personalized while remaining grounded in approaches that research has consistently shown to be effective.
Our therapists primarily use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help children understand anxious thoughts, build healthier coping skills, and gradually face fears rather than avoid them.
For younger children, therapy incorporates play-based techniques that make learning emotional skills natural and engaging.
When anxiety begins affecting the whole family, our SPACE therapists work directly with parents to reduce accommodation patterns that unintentionally reinforce anxiety.
Parents remain active partners throughout therapy. You’ll receive practical strategies you can use between sessions so progress continues at home—not just in the therapy office.
You don’t have to navigate this alone. Whether your child is struggling with anxiety, ADHD, depression, OCD, emotional regulation, behavioral challenges, or school difficulties, our experienced child therapists provide personalized, evidence-based care designed to help children build lasting skills and confidence. We proudly serve families in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Jose, and throughout California via secure online therapy.
Treatment Approaches
Evidence-Based CBT & Exposure Therapy
We use CBT to help young clients identify and challenge anxious thinking patterns. For children who avoid feared situations, exposure therapy gradually builds confidence and tolerance — teaching the brain that feared outcomes don’t materialize and that anxiety is manageable.
Play Therapy for Younger Children
Young children often can’t express their struggles in words. Play therapy provides a natural, developmentally appropriate way for children to process emotions, build coping skills, and engage with the therapeutic process in a language that feels natural to them.
Family & Parent Support
Anxiety and emotional difficulties affect the whole family. We offer parent guidance sessions and family therapy to help caregivers understand their child’s challenges, implement supportive strategies at home, and avoid accommodation behaviors that can keep anxiety entrenched.
Why Families Choose Palo Alto Therapy
Evidence-Based Treatment That Works
Every child deserves therapy that’s backed by research. Our therapists use evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, SPACE Treatment, play therapy, and parent coaching. We don’t rely on outdated approaches or open-ended talk therapy—we focus on practical skills that help children make meaningful, lasting progress.
Specialists in Child Mental Health
Our child therapists have specialized training in working with children experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, emotional regulation difficulties, behavioral challenges, school refusal, autism spectrum concerns, grief and loss, and family transitions. During your free consultation, we’ll carefully match your child with the therapist whose expertise best fits their needs.
Therapy Children Feel Comfortable Attending
Children learn best when they feel safe, understood, and engaged. Our therapists know how to build trust with children while creating sessions that are both developmentally appropriate and goal-oriented. Many children who are hesitant about therapy quickly become comfortable and look forward to coming back.
Convenient Care for Busy Families
We offer child therapy in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Jose with weekday, after-school, evening, and Saturday appointments. Secure telehealth is also available throughout California, making it easier for families to access high-quality care that fits their schedules.
With convenient office locations in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Jose, we proudly serve the entire Silicon Valley community – from Stanford University and the Peninsula to the South Bay, offering easy access for tech professionals, students, and families.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Therapy
Every child has difficult days, but if your child’s emotions or behavior are consistently interfering with school, friendships, family life, or daily activities, therapy may help. Children often benefit from therapy when they’re experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, emotional outbursts, behavioral challenges, school refusal, or difficulty coping with life changes. If you’re unsure, our complimentary 15-minute therapist matching consultation can help you decide whether therapy is the right next step.
Our Child Therapy program is designed for children ages 4–12. If you’re looking for therapy for a teenager, we also offer a dedicated Teen Therapy program with therapists who specialize in adolescent mental health.
The first session is focused on getting to know your child and understanding your family’s concerns and goals. Depending on your child’s age, the therapist may meet with both you and your child before developing a personalized treatment plan. You’ll have plenty of time to ask questions and discuss the best approach for your child.
Palo Alto Therapy is a private-pay practice and is not in-network with insurance plans. As a courtesy, we electronically submit claims to insurance companies for many clients with out-of-network benefits, making the reimbursement process as simple as possible. During your consultation, we’ll explain how out-of-network reimbursement works and answer any questions about fees or insurance.
Parents play an important role in helping children succeed in therapy. Depending on your child’s age and concerns, treatment often includes parent guidance sessions where you’ll learn practical strategies to support your child’s progress at home. We believe children make the greatest gains when parents and therapists work together as a team.
Our therapists primarily use evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), play therapy, and parent coaching. Treatment is individualized based on your child’s age, developmental level, and specific concerns.
Yes. Our child therapists work with a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns, including anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD, OCD, emotional regulation difficulties, behavioral challenges, school refusal, separation anxiety, social anxiety, low self-esteem, grief and loss, family conflict, and life transitions. During your consultation, we’ll match your child with the therapist whose expertise best fits their needs.
It’s very common for children to feel nervous before their first appointment. Our therapists are experienced in helping children feel comfortable, safe, and understood. Rather than forcing children to talk, we meet them at their developmental level and build trust at their own pace. Most children become much more comfortable after the first few sessions.
Every child is different, so the length of therapy depends on your child’s goals and the concerns being addressed. Because we use structured, evidence-based treatments, therapy is focused on helping children develop practical skills that lead to meaningful, lasting improvement rather than remaining in therapy indefinitely.
Yes. Secure telehealth appointments are available throughout California when clinically appropriate. During your consultation, we’ll help determine whether in-person or virtual therapy is the best fit for your child’s age, needs, and treatment goals.
Yes. With your written permission, we can collaborate with teachers, school counselors, pediatricians, psychiatrists, or other professionals involved in your child’s care when coordination will support your child’s treatment and progress.
The first step is scheduling a complimentary 15-minute therapist matching consultation. We’ll learn about your child’s concerns, answer your questions, explain how therapy works, discuss fees and insurance, and recommend the therapist who is the best fit for your child’s needs.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
Palo Alto Therapy does not just provide talk therapy, but focuses on teaching skills to maintain therapy. You have a genuine interest in the client’s well-being and you offered a new way of thinking about or means of addressing my issues.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
I liked the emphasis on doing concrete things to get results-writing down negative thoughts, trying to say things to counter those thoughts…Thank you for helping me make my life better.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
I found the homework exercises to be very helpful to me. I’ve been able to use techniques I have learned from those exercises to slow down my thoughts when problems arise and work through whatever the issue may be, OCD or otherwise.
Meet our Child Therapists who specialize in helping children ages 4–12 using evidence-based approaches including CBT, SPACE Treatment, play therapy, parent coaching, and exposure therapy. During your free consultation, we’ll recommend the therapist whose expertise best matches your child’s needs.
Kelli Morton, LMFT
Lani Gingras, AMFT | Anxiety & Depression Therapist
Hope Son, AMFT | Couples & Individual Therapist
Hong-Ha Vuong, AMFT, APCC
Hannah Bodin, AMFT
Sarah Partridge, ASW
Sarah Chelew, AMFT
Jacquelyn “Jacqui” Lewis, LMFT, ATR-BC, CCTP, ACCTS
Michael Tran, LMFT
Sarah Covert, AMFT
Amanda Stewart, LMFT
Laura Tolle, LMFT
We connect you with a therapist who specializes in child & teen therapy—no guesswork. You get the right support immediately, before things get worse.
We track outcomes starting with your first session. Therapy success means concrete progress in weeks, supported by clear, measurable evidence.
Skip the waitlists and insurance runaround. We match you with a specialist who fits your needs — and a real person walks you through every step.
Palo Alto Therapy is a private-pay practice. As a courtesy, we electronically submit claims for many clients with out-of-network benefits.
Ready to Get Started?
Your child doesn’t have to keep struggling. With the right therapist and the right tools, they can stop avoiding, start enjoying life again, and feel like themselves.