Child & Teen Counseling

At our locations throughout Alabama and online, Garrett Counseling provides mental healthcare to children and teens.

What Can Garrett Counseling Help Your Child or Teen With?

Garrett Counseling can help children and teens with a variety of mental health and behavioral concerns including:

• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Divorce of Parents
• Family Conflicts
• School Concerns
• Self Esteem
• Stress
• Trauma / PTSD

*Our team can coordinate with school systems and community agencies (such as Alabama Department of Human Resources) as needed.

Why Choose Garrett Counseling For Your Child?

Our Alabama counseling team is specially trained to provide quality mental health care to clients who are under the age of 18. We know that children and teens often prefer to communicate in nonverbal communication, so we often incorporate the use of play therapy in our sessions. Play therapy is one of our passions, and we see regularly how much it can aid children and teens in healing and becoming more mentally well. All counselors on the Garrett Counseling team are Level II trained in Sandtray, a form of play therapy, for working with children and teens.

Garrett Counseling is an AutPlay Certified provider. With this certification, we are uniquely trained in working with neurodivergent children and teens, and their families. Our team also has extensive ongoing education in the area of ADHD. This speciality has allowed our team to provide extensive assessments of ADHD in children and adults. 

Our Alabama counseling team uses a variety of therapeutic methods in working with children and teens. These methods include, but are not limited to:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a common form of talk therapy. With CBT, clients will work with their counselor to uncover negative thinking and work to view circumstances in a healthier way. CBT is used to treat a variety of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.

Play Therapy

Play Therapy is a form of therapy where play is the primary method of communication. At Garrett Counseling, we believe play can benefit clients of all ages – even adults! Play therapy can be beneficial in treating behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, trauma, and more. Play therapy incorporates toys, games, role-playing, and other elements in the sessions. Garrett Counseling is a Certified AutPlay Therapy providing making us specially trained to work with neurodivergent clients and their families.

Client Centered Play Therapy

Client Centered Play Therapy uses play to create a safe environment where the child can process their feelings and experience understanding and empathy. Client Centered Play Therapy is especially beneficial for children and teens experiencing social, emotional, behavioral and relational disorders.

Sandplay Therapy (All counselors at Garrett Counseling are trained at Level Two Sandtray for working with children)

Sandplay Therapy incorporates the use of sand and toy figures in the therapy sessions. The client will use the figures to create scenes in the sandtray, and the scenes and figures serve as a way for the client to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and understanding of their world. Sandtray can be especially beneficial for clients who have experienced trauma, as well as those with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.

Get Help Today

The Garrett Counseling team knows that parenting and providing care to children and teens is not without its challenges. If you find that you hit a bump in the road, experience a crisis, or just want to provide your child with additional support, we encourage you to contact us today!