Help for Children and Adolescents
General Approach
My approach with children and adolescents is to help them understand what is going on with their emotions so they can enjoy life, make better decisions, and stop worrying as much. Worry, or anxiety, can cause many secondary symptoms and problems, such as behavioral problems, poor performance at school, low moods, low self-esteem, and irritability.
Getting Started
Child and adolescent therapy usually begins with the therapist meeting a child's parents in order to gather background information. This allows us to understand the problem and determine how best to address it. After an initial assessment, I make recommendations regarding what type and frequency of therapy would be most helpful. This may be individual therapy for the child along with collateral visits with parents to discuss parenting issues, or family therapy. Some issues may be best addressed with a combination of these interventions.
Parenting is Difficult
Some parents worry about their parenting skills. They may feel they should be able to handle all of a child's problems themselves. In fact, parenting is a very challenging task, and it is quite normal to have difficulties and struggles with children.
How it Works
Child therapy is similar to adult therapy with one major difference. Instead of simply talking about one's thoughts and feelings, like in adult therapy, children express their experiences though other means such as art, play, or stories. Children's play tends to reflect their inner experiences. As a therapist, I help children understand their inner emotional world and help them make sense of it so that they may continue their natural development.
Adolescents use a mixture of play therapy and talk therapy, depending on their age and the issues they need to work through. Whatever they bring in, it is my job to understand the meaning of what they are communicating and convey that to them. This usually serves to untie the knots that are causing them problems.
Help for Parents
I also often share insights with parents about what I believe the child is going through, so that parents can help their children effectively navigate their child's struggles.
Oakland Office:
John A. Lundin, Psy.D. Psychologist
445 Bellevue Suite 202
Oakland, CA 94610
San Francisco Office:
John A. Lundin, Psy.D., Psychologist
1774 Union St. Suite 2
San Francisco, CA 94123
License# PSY19824
Office phone: 510-495-5228
Email me