Welcome to our dedicated space for supporting children in Tampa and Jacksonville on their journey towards positive mental health.
As empathetic therapists specializing in child psychology, we understand the importance of nurturing the emotional well-being of young minds.
Our goal is to provide supportive guidance and effective strategies to help children flourish emotionally, socially, and academically.
Many parents do not understand the difference between everyday behavior and a child who is having depression, anxiety or trauma symptoms.
Understanding Child Mental Health
Childhood is a critical stage of development, characterized by rapid growth and exploration. While children may face various challenges that impact their mental health, they also possess remarkable resilience and potential for growth. At our practices in Tampa and Jacksonville, we are committed to helping children navigate these challenges with compassion and expertise.
Our Approach: At our practices, we take a child-centered approach to mental health care. We believe in creating a warm and inviting environment where children feel safe, valued, and understood. Through age-appropriate therapy techniques and play-based interventions, we empower children to express their thoughts and feelings, develop coping skills, and build healthy relationships.
Strategies for Positive Mental Health:
Emotional Regulation Skills: We teach children effective strategies for identifying and managing their emotions in healthy ways. Through activities such as breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques, children learn to regulate their emotions and reduce stress.
Social Skills Development: Building strong social skills is essential for children's overall well-being. We help children develop communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills to navigate social interactions confidently.
Cognitive Behavioral Interventions: Using evidence-based approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), we help children challenge negative thought patterns, develop positive self-talk, and cultivate resilience in the face of adversity.
Parental Support and Guidance: We recognize the crucial role parents play in supporting their child's mental health. We offer parent education and guidance to help families create nurturing environments at home and reinforce therapeutic goals.
Collaboration with Schools and Community Resources: We collaborate with educators, pediatricians, and other community resources to support children's holistic development. By fostering partnerships within the community, we ensure children receive comprehensive support across all domains of their lives.
Children are developing a sense of worth.
Your child may be just starting school, gaining new friends and learning to feel useful. Learning that they can accomplish things is wonderful. However, they are also being influenced by multiple people and friends are starting to become more important to them.
Children can start to develop confidence. Their self esteem is starting to grow in areas related to social skills, academics and after school activities. Without much confidence many children do not achieve developmental milestones needed to grow.
Kids can be taught new and healthy ways to describe how they are feeling, and how they are thinking. Through therapy we can target their actions and help shape what they are doing.
Children can begin to show more empathy for others and concern for others. This empathy can help them make social connections and improve communication with others. Therapy for kids can help show them how to better express emotions, change thoughts, improve communication, gain confidence and healthy friendships. Children who are mentally healthy can expect to have easier transitions, more success and a better support system.
At Serene Mind Counseling, we recognize the critical importance of helping children develop a strong sense of worth and self-esteem. From a young age, children begin to form perceptions about themselves based on their experiences, interactions, and environment.
Our approach to therapy focuses on creating a supportive and nurturing space where children feel valued, accepted, and empowered to explore their unique identities. Through compassionate guidance and evidence-based interventions, we help children cultivate a positive self-image, recognize their strengths, and embrace their worthiness. By fostering a sense of belonging and competence, we lay the foundation for healthy emotional development and resilience in children. Our goal is to instill in every child the confidence and belief in themselves to navigate life's challenges with courage and optimism.
Does your child’s behavior worry you?
Kids are learning new behavior everyday. They copy our every move, rehearse our every saying, they absorb everything from the environments they live in. We may not realize how influenced children are by the world around them.
Children want to establish independence and do not yet know how. They do not have a full understanding as to how consequences work and have difficulty understanding some behaviors have lifelong impacts. They can be more impulsive at times and make decisions based on a sporadic thoughts, without fully processing their choices.
You may see your child act overly worried, sad, angry or just not like themself. As their behavior grows more concerning you may be worried if you know how to help guide them. This lack of confidence in yourself as a parent may be impacting your family dynamic and your relationship with your child.
At times children can think they are being rational and acting in a rational way. This is due to what they have learned, ideas they have formulated and the way they see their world. Your child’s rational thought may not be rational to you. That is typically how an anxious thought works.
Although kids are learning what limits are, behavior associated with unwanted behavior and testing the limits can sometimes be triggered by depression, anxiety, trauma or related symptoms. Addressing any depressive, anxious or traumatic thoughts related to school or home life may prevent your child from rationalizing and attempting to make a healthier, safer or more sound decision.
Our Therapists Are Here to Help
Through counseling your child can learn to better express how they feel, think and make better decisions. This can help guide your child to transform how they behave. We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (a fancy way of saying we help your child change their thoughts) Play Therapy, Art Therapy techniques and more to help kids process feelings and make more rational decisions.
Our therapists use techniques such as art and play therapy to connect with your child. This provides a safe environment for them to be kids and explore any thoughts they have. Our therapists use board games, art activities, fun games and writing activities to help children gain control of their behavior. Many children enjoy coming to therapy because they do see it as play time, not realizing that they are actually learning new patterns and ways of thinking.
We find that at times kids may not feel as confident discussing hard topics with a parent of guardian. Your child may not be telling you something since they feel they will burden you, make you cry, make you feel guilty or angry for their behavior. For this exact reason therapy works. By coming to therapy your child can talk to a non-biased professional in a safe space. As therapists we are trained to keep our own views to ourselves, listen and guide your child to making their own choices. This empowerment and insight is really what therapy is all about.
Will I be able to join my child’s therapy session?
Yes, we invite parents to join part of the first therapy session, to help establish rapport and meet and greet everyone. We enjoy working together, alongside you all in therapy.
After the initial therapy session, we will focus on your child and working one on one with them in therapy. If your child would like to invite you into their counseling session, we ask for them to make that choice. As therapists, we do this to show your child healthy boundaries and empower them to make independent choices.
If you would like to meet again with your child’s therapist, we can schedule a separate therapy session to discuss any concerns or parenting tips.
Please remember not all our therapists offer family therapy services at this time. If you are in need of a family therapist please let us know before scheduling your first session.
Our Therapists Request Participation in Therapy
Before you book your session, we do ask that your child be in agreement of coming to therapy. We will not be able to work with a child who refuses to participate in therapy. We also ask that all guardians, also be in agreement and willing to participate in counseling.
Not all kids want counseling. Remember that as a parent you can help guide them and point them in a better direction. If your child or teen is unsure of counseling, remember that it is normal. Anything new can be scary for ANYONE.
Please empathize with them, and ask them what they know about therapy? Maybe all they need is for your to normalize it and not make it a punishment. Therapy is a safe space for your child to talk, not to punish or get them in trouble. They can talk freely in therapy about any topic with no judgement.
Our therapists would love to support you + your child.
If you're a parent seeking support for your child's mental health in Tampa or Jacksonville, we're here to help.
Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation and take the first step towards a brighter, happier future for your child.
