CHILD THERAPY IN CARLSBAD

Support for Children and Their Families

We specialize in child therapy for elementary-school-aged children. Our child counselors understand that emotional and behavioral challenges at this stage are often rooted in complex family dynamics, developmental transitions, or neurodivergent needs. Our therapists are trained to work directly with children while also partnering closely with parents to create lasting change and emotional well-being.

Expert Therapy For People Who Expect Results.

Expert counseling and therapists serving Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Leucadia, La Costa, Encinitas, and San Diego County.

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What Is Child Counseling?

Child counseling in San Diego County is a specialized form of therapy focused on helping children navigate emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges. Our approach includes:

 

  • Play Therapy: Utilizing play to help children express feelings and process experiences in age-appropriate ways.
  • Parent-Child Work: Strengthening the parent-child relationship through joint sessions that enhance attachment and communication.
  • Family Therapy: Addressing family dynamics, communication issues, and family stressors that impact the child's well-being.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helping children develop coping strategies for childhood anxiety, emotional regulation, and behavior problems.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Assisting children in processing trauma, PTSD, and difficult memories.
  • Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Interventions: Teaching children calming strategies to manage emotions, build focus, and reduce stress.

Our licensed child therapists in Carlsbad tailor these methods to each child's unique needs, ensuring a personalized and effective treatment plan.

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Take the first step towards a healthier and happier life. Share your concerns with us and let's embark on a journey of growth and healing together. Schedule a free consultation today.

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Common Issues We Address in Child Therapy

We support children dealing with a wide range of emotional and behavioral challenges, including:

  • Childhood Anxiety: Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and school-related stress.
  • Grief & Loss: Coping with the death of a loved one, divorce, or other life transitions.
  • Behavioral Problems: Disruptive behavior at home or in school, including tantrums, defiance, and aggression.
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): Persistent anger, rule-breaking, and conflicts with authority figures.
  • Childhood Trauma & PTSD: Recovering from abuse, accidents, or ongoing stress at home.
  • Emotional Regulation Difficulties: Helping children manage big emotions and build resilience.
  • ADHD in Children: Struggles with attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and school performance
  • Neurodivergent Support: Providing therapy for children with autism, sensory sensitivities, and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Our Carlsbad child therapy services take a holistic view of each child’s world to uncover root causes, not just treat symptoms.

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Client Success Stories

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The Role of Parents in Effective Child Counseling

Parental involvement is essential to successful child therapy outcomes. Our family-focused child counseling in Carlsbad includes:

  • Education: Helping parents understand developmental stages, emotional triggers, and family relationship dynamics.
  • Empowerment: Teaching parenting strategies that align with the child’s temperament, needs, and neurological profile.
  • Collaboration: Working together to build a treatment plan that creates harmony at home and supports long-term growth.

By working as a team, parents become part of the healing process, improving not just the child’s life but the entire family’s emotional health.

Why Choose New Growth Counseling?

When it comes to child counseling in Carlsbad, New Growth Counseling stands out for our combination of advanced training, real-world experience, and compassionate care:

  • Highly Trained Therapists: Our clinicians are experts in child development and therapy models including CBT, EMDR, play therapy, and family systems.
  • Personalized Treatment: We don’t use one-size-fits-all approaches—every plan is tailored to your child’s unique temperament, symptoms, and family system.
  • Collaborative Team Model: Therapists consult weekly with colleagues, so your child benefits from the collective insight of an experienced group.
  • Low Caseloads, High Attention: Our private-pay model allows us to focus deeply on each client rather than rush through high volumes.
  • Warm, Relatable Care: We choose therapists who are down-to-earth, nonjudgmental, and great at connecting with kids of all personalities and backgrounds.

We believe therapy should feel safe, encouraging, and hopeful. That’s what we strive to create in every session.

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Evidence-Based Therapies We Use with Children and Families

We draw from several powerful and developmentally appropriate therapy models:

  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions – Help teens manage anxiety, impulsivity, and strong emotions through present-moment awareness.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Builds skills to identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors.
  • Family Systems Therapy – Examines how family dynamics shape individual behavior and supports healthy relational changes.
  • Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) – Strengthens emotional bonds and improves communication between family members.
  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) – Effective for teens struggling with trauma, anxiety, or emotional dysregulation.

Each treatment plan is tailored to the child and their family—because one size never fits all.

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Our Team

Our team is dedicated to providing you with the help you need with the results you desire. With a combined many decades of experience in counseling and therapy, our team aims to partner with you towards a better future.

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Jussi Light

Licensed MFT

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Bryson Greaves

Licensed MFT

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Iliana Arick-Harvey

Licensed MFT

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We Are Board, Licensed Therapists & Associates

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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions
Do you offer in-person or online sessions?
We provide both in-person counseling in Carlsbad and secure telehealth options for maximum convenience.
How quickly can I schedule my first appointment?
How do I choose the right counselor?
Are evening or weekend appointments available?
Insurance Questions
How does insurance work with New Growth Counseling?
Many people have insurance plans that reimburse them for payments made to out-of-network providers – New Growth is an out-of-network provider. New Growth does not accept insurance, does not bill insurance companies, nor file claims. If you decide to see one of ur therapists, you pay the fee discussed at the beginning of therapy and seek reimbursement by filing a claim directly with your insurance company. We provide a monthly “super bill” that has the necessary information for you to complete your claim.
What are the steps?
What about Medicare?
Good Faith Estimate
What Is Good Faith Estimate?

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your mental health care may cost. Since we do not accept insurance, New Growth is required to provide an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your New Growth therapist for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.

It is not possible for a psychotherapist to know, in advance, how many psychotherapy sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given person, relationship issue, or diagnosis. Psychotherapy is talk-therapy and involves an ongoing conversation that involves the participation of one or more people for the sake of achieving a goal or goals. In relationship counseling (couples or parent-child), it is impossible for a therapist to know each person’s motivation to creating change—people in distress often feel uncertain about how they wish to proceed at times and their ambivalence affects the length of therapy. Since the therapist relies on people’s motivation and follow-through as necessary components to achieving treatment goals, the therapist cannot predict how long therapy will take. The same is true for individual counseling which often involves inner conflicts that pull a person in more than one direction at once. The therapist cannot make choices for an individual, and so relies on that individual’s free will to achieve an outcome—the therapist cannot predict how long that will take.

While the “No Surprises Act” requires a good faith estimate, the above discussion illustrates how difficult that is to provide. However, all of our therapists reveal their hourly fee before therapy begins. Your total cost of services will depend upon the number of psychotherapy sessions you attend, your individual circumstances, and the type and amount of services that are provided to you. This estimate is not a contract and does not obligate you to obtain any services from the provider(s), nor does it include any services rendered to you that are not identified here.

Good Faith Estimates are not intended to serve as a recommendation for treatment or a prediction that you may need to attend a specified number of psychotherapy visits. The number of visits that are appropriate in your case, and the estimated cost for those services, depends on your needs and what you agree to in consultation with your therapist. You are entitled to disagree with any recommendations made to you concerning your treatment and you may discontinue treatment at any time.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, please visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Can I use my insurance?

New Growth is out-of-network and does not accept insurance.

PPO plans allow you to go out-of-network and will reimburse according to your plan.