Supporting young people as they grow and change
Individual Therapy
We offer therapy to children ages 10-18. Whether your teen (or preteen) wants to play, or be treated like an adult, we can accommodate that need. Supporting young people as they grow and change can be extremely beneficial to their future as adults, especially if they have experienced trauma or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
As with anything, the social and regulation skills learned at a young age are often the skills used in adulthood. For young people, having the opportunity to learn skills to manage interpersonal relationships, challenging behaviors, and school concerns can have a profound impact on their ability to function comfortably in the adult world. We will explore their personalities, minds and assets that make them unique and awesome.
Everyone is different and we treat them as such. Adapting to meet the needs of each person who comes through our doors is our commitment to care. We use role play, talk therapy, expressive arts, games and movement to make the therapeutic experience more engaging for people of any age.
Adolescents and Teens
Adolescents and teens are a special group of people to Pulse Wellness. It can be uncomfortable for people ages 10-18 to talk about their lives and feelings (and for adults too!), we want to change that. With so much of their lives changing all of the time, not to mention their brains and bodies, it can be challenging for them to stay afloat. We want to provide as many young people as possible with the tools they need to be successful. We aim to support them in identifying what success means to them and creating a plan to achieve it. We hope to create a place where people of all ages feel comfortable exploring themselves, their lives and experiences.
School
Parents often have concerns about how behavior may affect school performance and how a school’s culture can affect their child. School provides kids and teens with structure, responsibilities, social learning, and formal education amongst many other things. The time people spend at school during their formative years deeply impacts how they relate to the world.
School is a place where learning can happen, but only if it feels safe.
Safety can be impacted by bullying, threats to community or school security or confusing interactions with others.
In our sessions, we can discover how the culture of your child’s school affects them and how they, in turn, impact the culture of their school. If there are concerns about grades or specific behaviors, we will address them by learning more about why they are occurring, and how to support your child as they continue to navigate the educational system.
Friendships
Friendships are challenging. They can be especially difficult while you’re growing up. With everyone changing so quickly, and the ever-present pressure to fit in, it can be hard to maintain close friendships.
Bullying in-person and online can significantly impact a person’s understanding of relationships and world view. Very often our interactions with others are affected by our perception of the situation and emotions behind those thoughts.
We will talk through difficult conversations, address negative and positive interactions with peers and their impact on your child’s thoughts and feelings. By helping young folks navigate these friendships, we hope to support self-exploration and positive interpersonal relationships in their lives moving forward.
LGBTQIA youth
We work with many children and teens who are questioning their sexual orientation, sexuality/asexuality and/or gender identity from early ages, to late bloomers. Young people especially are subject to shame, humiliation, bullying, violence or threat of violence for exploring queerness and expressing these key aspects of their identity. We provide a safe haven for your child to express themselves and we help them to navigate systems of safety and support.
Transitions
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. Change can be one of the most disruptive things in anyone’s life and kids are no exception. Changes in school, schedule, activities, household dynamics, relationships, and transitions between activities are just a few examples of things that can rock their world.
We are here to help. We can support young people in learning skills to manage emotions when change happens in their lives.
