Child Therapist Colorado Springs
At Polaris Wellness Group we have several counselors who are trained at working with kids (5 and older). If you are considering therapy for your child, rely on us for transparent, trusting services with professionally trained therapists here to help your child thrive.
At the core of our treatment is an understanding with the parents. Before we begin with any child, we will discuss with you important steps, like your involvement, sitting in on sessions, and how we handle confidentiality with children. We’ll also work with you to develop tools to take home with you, and what kind of methods might be best for your child.
Ready to get started? Contact us any time with any questions you have about our process.
Our Kid-Focused Therapists
Benefits to Therapy for Kids
Therapy plays a vital role in children’s development and wellbeing. Here’s why it matters:
Emotional Development
Children are still learning to identify, process, and express their emotions. Therapy gives them a safe space and tools to understand their feelings — reducing outbursts, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.
Early Intervention
Addressing mental health challenges early — like ADHD, anxiety, depression, or trauma — prevents them from compounding over time. Problems caught in childhood are generally much easier to treat than the same issues in adulthood.
Building Coping Skills
Therapists teach children age-appropriate strategies for handling stress, conflict, peer pressure, and difficult life events. These skills become lifelong tools.
Processing Trauma & Transitions
Kids often lack the vocabulary or perspective to process difficult experiences — divorce, loss, abuse, or major life changes. Therapy helps them make sense of what happened without internalizing blame or shame.
Behavioral Support
For children struggling with aggression, withdrawal, school refusal, or defiance, therapy identifies root causes rather than just addressing surface behavior. This leads to more lasting change.
Communication & Social Skills
Therapy — especially play therapy and group therapy — helps children develop empathy, learn to read social cues, and build healthier relationships with peers and adults.
Supporting the Whole Family
Child therapy often involves parents, helping families develop better communication patterns and giving parents strategies to support their child at home.
Reducing Stigma Early
Introducing therapy as a normal, healthy resource early in life helps children grow up without the stigma that prevents many adults from seeking help when they need it.
What Are Some Signs My Child Needs Therapy?
If your child is experiencing any of the following: persistent sadness or anxiety, sudden behavioral changes, declining school performance, sleep problems, social withdrawal, or difficulty coping with a specific event.
If you’re considering therapy for a child, a pediatrician or school counselor can be a great first step toward finding the right support.
Play Therapy Colorado Springs
Expressive Arts
- Drawing, painting, or collaging feelings they can’t verbalize
- Sand tray therapy — arranging miniature figures in a sandbox to create scenes from their inner world
- Clay or playdough sculpting to express emotions physically
Dramatic & Symbolic Play
- Puppet shows — using puppets to act out emotions, conflicts or scary situations with distance and safety
- Dollhouse play — re-enacting family dynamics or traumatic events through figurines
- Superhero/role play — taking on powerful roles to process feelings of helplessness
Games with Therapeutic Purpose
- Therapeutic board games designed to prompt conversations about feelings, anxiety, or grief. There are a number of different board game options that a therapist might use, for different purposes. Chutes and ladders, for example, can be used to explore cause and effect issues within the child.
- Storytelling games where the child and therapist co-create narratives. Much like dramatic play, storytelling allows the child to explore complex emotions and/or situations with separation.
- Card games that involve sharing emotions or experiences (like “Ungame“)
- Even video games have a place in play therapy, often used to observe how a child manages frustration, or builds teamwork skills.
Child-Centered Free Play
- The therapist observes and follows the child’s lead with minimal direction, reflecting feelings back (“It looks like that character is really angry”)
- Building with blocks or LEGOs: can reveal themes of control, order, or chaos. This type of play therapy gives the child problem solving solutions, in addition to emotional regulation.
Bibliotherapy
- Reading picture books about themes the child is working through (loss, divorce, anxiety), then discussing or playing out the story
Movement-Based
- Balloon volleyball or cooperative physical games to build trust and regulation
- Sensory play (kinetic sand, water tables) to help with emotional grounding
Key therapeutic approaches that use these techniques include Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), Theraplay, Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT), and Trauma-Focused approaches.
The common thread is that play gives children a safe, symbolic distance to process difficult emotions and experiences at their own pace.
Insurance Accepted
PWG is proud to accept the following insurance providers:
Aetna and First Health, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and Evernorth, Kaiser Commercial, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Tricare (Including Tricare Select, Tricare Prime, and TriWest), United Healthcare and UMR.
We do not work with or accept court ordered clients. Thank you for your understanding.
Want to find out how to become a Polaris Wellness Client?
A Safe and Inclusive Place
PWG is passionate and committed to helping all clients. We offer a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment to culturally diverse and LGBTQIA+ clients. We are dedicated to providing culturally competent, quality wellness services with providers who are supportive, aligned, and accepting.
