Children & Youth
Services
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We provide therapy services to stimulate self-growth through individual, family, and group therapy.
Therapy sessions emphasize on positive development toward an optimistic present and future for each of our clients. Through treatment, clients get to know themselves further by understanding their own thoughts and feelings. Clients identify and learn holistic positive coping methods to achieve a fulfilling and balanced life through the eight dimensions of wellness.
Client’s treatment plans are developed individually based on their unique needs. Common goals among children and youth consist on achieving emotional and behavioral regulation, improving self-esteem, improving communication skills, dealing with current trauma or grief and stimulating healthy development.
It is essential parents engage in the therapy process to provide the support client’s need, by actively contributing on reinforcing methods to help clients achieve treatment objectives.
Specialized treatment for specific conditions
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Behavioral issues
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Conduct problems
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Anger management
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Adolescent issues
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Grief
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Low self esteem
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Overeating
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Self-injurious behaviors
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Isolation
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School Difficulties
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Anxiety
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Fears
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Substance use
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Poor concentration
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Lying, Manipulating, Stealing
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Irritability
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Adjustment to significant life changes
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Adjustment to loss
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Loss of appetite
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Depression
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Loneliness
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Withdrawal
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Bullying or being bullied
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Stress
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Being exposed to sexual and physical abuse or neglect
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Blended Family transitions
Modalities
We provide a wide range of therapeutic modalities. Our unique and holistic approach integrates a variety of evidence-based practices, along with expressive arts techniques designed for each client according to their developmental stage. The goal is to reduce age-appropriate distress or more troublesome symptoms in order to reach one’s true and healthy self.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This model establishes the importance of identifying the thoughts and actions that influence mood. In this manner, the child/youth learns to gain control of his/her feelings by replacing negative thoughts with more positive thoughts.
Behavioral therapy
Behavioral Therapy consists of helping children and youth identify everything that they do, what they choose not to do, and understand the core reasons. Clients learn new behaviors to promote positive change and identify the outcomes of each behavior so that they know and understand the impact of their actions. The goal is to help clients learn to respond to situations more effectively and healthily.
Dialectical behavioral therapy
The purpose of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is to help youth and their families create and maintain a variety of safe and healthy behaviors. Clients identify their goals, what they are already good at, and what might get in the way. We call the behaviors that get in the way “target behaviors.” The idea is for clients to build on what they already know and learn new skills that will help them reduce target behaviors and ultimately, reach their goals. DBT focuses on helping each client get along better with others. It helps them understand and learn how to manage emotions and strong feelings. Further, they learn skills to get through difficulties and learn to choose behaviors that work.
Trauma focused behavioral therapy
TF-CBT is a treatment model that incorporates elements of various psychological approaches; such as CBT, humanistic, attachment, empowerment, and family therapy models. This therapy is an evidence-based practice developed to address trauma symptoms in children, adolescents, and parents.
Play therapy techniques
Play Therapy Techniques aid younger children in healing from painful experiences. Through play, kids can re‐live painful events, and produce a release. Repetition through play is needed to assimilate the thoughts and feelings about the event. Children gain insight from play, not from interpretation.
Expressive arts techniques
Expressive Arts Techniques help children and youth express themselves through various artistic outlets such as art, writing, drama, music, and dance. The right use of these modalities helps clients improve their overall well-being. It provides developmental benefits, such as learning to regulate emotions and behaviors through enjoyable activities, enhancing self-awareness and self-esteem, and improving physical, social, and cognitive skills.
Mind fulness & Meditation
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Mindfulness is a practice about consciously having a sense of being in the present moment. It involves paying attention to our senses, feelings, and thoughts - without trying to push them away or judging them. We use mindfulness techniques in treatment to help clients reduce their anxiety levels by enjoying one day at a time and ultimately, increasing positive emotions.
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Meditation is a mindfulness practice about self -awareness that helps achieve mental and emotional stability. Meditation in treatment aims to help clients improve attention and perception, reduce stress, reduce levels of anxiety, reduce depression, reduce traumatic symptoms, and achieve an overall higher state of well-being. We use various types of meditation based on the client’s needs.
Testimonials
“I used to be sad and I used to hate my mom. After I started a therapy session, I started learning things I never knew before. I started learning how to be respectful and understanding. Now, I am more responsible and more successful in life. I understand why my mother wasn’t there for me and now I know how to be happier. I look forward into completing all of my goals because I know I can do it. I don’t get in trouble anymore because I realized how I can calm myself down, so I don’t say anything disrespectful. I think that anyone that was affected by something should take therapy, because it will help them become their true self, just like it helped me.”
14 year old
“My son has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and he also experienced the lengthy divorce of me and my ex-wife. As a result, his schoolwork had suffered for an extended period of time, and I was struggling to help him.
I sought help through Lighthouse, and it has been a dramatically positive life experience for both, my son and me.
My son has been receiving therapy for a year. Lighthouse therapist approach has been perfect. The therapist established a trusting relationship with my son, and always listens to him and me to understand the circumstances. She helped my son Identify his emotions and deal with them in a positive and socially acceptable way. She is a great communicator and keeps me up to date on progress and approaches that I can use at home to reinforce my sons’ new positive behavior patterns.
Before working with Lighthouse, my son would shut down in class and refused to work. His grades suffered and he had plenty of C’s, D’s and F’s on his report card. However, since working with his therapist, I am happy to report that my son got all A’s and B’s on his last two report cards. It is the first time in his life that he got no grades below a B.
I fully support other parents to receive therapeutic treatment at Lighthouse.