Children’s Therapy in Kirkland, WA
In-Person in Kirkland · Telehealth Across Washington State
Childhood is hard. Even kids in stable, loving homes face real stressors—social struggles, school pressure, big emotions they don’t yet have words for, and experiences that stay with them longer than adults expect. When a child is hurting, it rarely looks like sadness. It looks like tantrums, withdrawal, defiance, or a kid who just seems… different lately.
At Thrive Counseling Kirkland, our children’s therapists are trained to meet kids exactly where they are—and help them find their way through.
Signs Your Child Might Benefit from Therapy
Children often can’t explain what’s wrong—they show it. If you’ve noticed changes in your child’s behavior, mood, or daily functioning, it may be worth talking to a therapist. You don’t need to wait until things reach a crisis point.
Parents often reach out when their child is experiencing:
• Persistent sadness, worry, or anxiety that doesn’t ease up
• Anger outbursts, emotional meltdowns, or difficulty calming down
• Withdrawal from friends, family, or activities they used to enjoy
• Changes in sleep or appetite—sleeping too much or too little, appetite shifts
• Declining school performance or refusal to attend
• Bullying—whether your child is being bullied or bullying others
• Difficulty adjusting to a major change: divorce, a move, a new school, loss of a loved one
• Talk of self-harm or feeling like they don’t belong
• Signs of trauma following a distressing experience
If your instinct is telling you something is off, trust it. Early support makes a real difference.
What Children’s Therapy Looks Like at Thrive Counseling Kirkland
There’s no single formula for working with kids. Every child is different—in temperament, in how they process emotions, in what they need from a therapeutic relationship. Our therapists adapt to the child in front of them.
For Kids Who Can Talk About It
Some children are verbal and ready to engage. For them, therapy may look more like a structured conversation—exploring feelings, identifying patterns, and building coping strategies they can use at home and school.
For Kids Who Show, Not Tell
Many children—especially younger ones—don’t have the language to describe what they’re experiencing. They act it out instead: through tantrums, shutting down, aggression, or clinginess. This is where play therapy comes in.
Play therapy uses a child’s natural language—play and creative expression—to give therapists a window into their inner world. Through toys, art, sand tray, and imaginative play, children can process experiences, express emotions, and begin to heal without needing to find the “right words” first. It’s not just fun—it’s clinically meaningful work.
Approaches We Use
Our children’s therapists draw from evidence-based frameworks tailored to each child’s age and needs, including:
• Play Therapy — child-centered and directive approaches
• Sand Tray Therapy — for processing experiences that are hard to verbalize
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) — for children who have experienced trauma
• Child-centered CBT — for anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges
• Attachment-based approaches — especially for children whose early experiences affect current behavior
What We Help Children With
Our therapists work with children across a wide range of concerns, including:
• Anxiety and excessive worry (social anxiety, school anxiety, separation anxiety)
• Depression and low mood
• Trauma and PTSD from abuse, neglect, accidents, or adverse childhood experiences
• ADHD—emotional regulation, focus, and behavioral support
• Grief and loss
• Divorce and family transitions
• Bullying and peer relationship struggles
• School refusal and academic stress
• Behavioral challenges and emotional dysregulation
• Adjustment difficulties following major life changes
Not sure if what your child is going through qualifies? Reach out anyway. We’re glad to help you think it through.
Supporting Parents and Families
Children don’t exist in isolation—they’re part of a family system. And parenting a struggling child is exhausting. The outbursts, the defiance, the withdrawal, the not knowing what to say or do—it takes a toll.
At Thrive Kirkland, we see parents as partners in the therapeutic process. Depending on your child’s age and needs, this might look like:
• Parent coaching sessions to understand what’s driving behaviors and how to respond effectively
• Regular check-ins so you’re informed and aligned with the work happening in session
• Family sessions when the whole system would benefit from support
The goal isn’t just to help your child feel better in the therapy room. It’s to help your whole family function better at home.
Why Families Choose Thrive Counseling Kirkland
• Therapists with diverse training and specializations in child and adolescent mental health
• Play therapy and sand tray options for children who struggle to verbalize emotions
• Trauma-informed care for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or adverse experiences
• In-person sessions in Kirkland and telehealth available throughout Washington State
• Parent coaching and family involvement built into the treatment approach
Serving families in Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, Woodinville, and the greater Seattle area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age children do you work with?
We work with children starting around age 3 through adolescence. For very young children, much of the work involves parent coaching alongside play-based sessions. For older children and teens, sessions tend to be more verbal and structured.
Will my child’s therapist tell me what they talk about in sessions?
Therapists maintain confidentiality with children, which helps kids feel safe enough to open up. However, your child’s therapist will share general themes and progress with you, and will always break confidentiality if there is a safety concern. For younger children, parents are typically more involved in the process.
How long will my child need therapy?
It depends on the child and the presenting concerns. Some children do focused, time-limited work over 10–12 sessions. Others benefit from longer-term support. Your child’s therapist will talk with you about goals and timeline from the beginning and check in regularly on progress.
My child doesn’t want to come. What do I do?
Resistance is common, especially at first. It helps to frame therapy as a place to talk—not a punishment or a sign something is “wrong” with them. Our therapists are skilled at building rapport with reluctant kids. Most warm up within a session or two once they see what it’s actually like.
Do you offer telehealth for kids?
Yes. We offer telehealth for children and adolescents throughout Washington State. It’s especially useful for teens, who are often more comfortable on a screen, and for families managing busy schedules. Play therapy components can also be adapted for telehealth with some creativity.
Does insurance cover children’s therapy?
Many insurance plans do cover children’s mental health services. We recommend contacting your insurer to confirm your benefits before starting. We’re happy to provide documentation to support reimbursement claims. Reach out to discuss rates and options.
Your Child Doesn’t Have to Figure It Out Alone
Kids are resilient—but resilience isn’t something they build in isolation. It grows with support, with safety, and with someone in their corner who knows how to help.