Littleton is a fun, family friendly suburb nestled south of Denver and has lots of great open spaces, parks, and places to explore. A high scoring school system and active recreational district draws many young professionals to the area to raise their children.
However just because you have access to plenty of family friendly activities and a growing community of other families with children doesn’t mean that family life is always easy! Sometimes you do not want to be in a place where everybody knows your name when your child is having an epic meltdown or moment of flat out disobedience! If you have found yourself in one of those moments when the small community feels too small but finding a mental health professional to help feels too difficult, I would like to help you navigate our small community to find the right person to help you make BIG change for your child and your family.
Which mental health professional is the right type of child therapist for my child in Littleton, CO?
Finding the right mental health professional to help you navigate the day to day challenges of raising children can be a bit overwhelming. Often it is hard to know if your child’s behaviors are typical and just part of growing up or if there is something else going on for your child that effects their mood, relationships, and learning. There are so many different types of professionals to choose from! Finding the right fit for your child and your family depends on the type of challenges you are facing and the outcomes you want to achieve. Here is a brief description of some of the common mental health professionals you might find in your search:
Counselor (LPCC, LPC): Typically this is an individual who has a masters in counseling and they work with individuals, groups, or families. Counselors help people cope with their problems, and develop skills to address challenges. Counselors are trained in a variety of therapy modalities as well as to assess for mental health disorders. Many counselors who work specifically with children obtain additional training and pursue becoming registered play therapists. Counselors do not provide diagnostic testing or medication evaluation/monitoring. For these specific needs counselors refer to Psychologists, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), or Psychiatrists .
Therapist (LCSW, PsyD, LMFT, PMHNP, MD): Therapists provide support and guidance. Therapists have a range of educational backgrounds and experience in the types of interventions they use to support clients in working towards the decrease of mental health concerns and increase of day to day functioning. You may find a therapist with masters degree in social work (LCSW), psychology (PsyD) marriage and family counseling (LMFT), Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)and psychiatry (MD). Many therapists who specialize in working with children obtain additional training to become Registered Play Therapists or Registered Play Therapy Supervisors. All of these professionals are trained in the identification, assessment and treatment of common mental health disorders. Some may do formal diagnostic assessment or testing. Only a few such as PMHNP or Psychiatrists are able to perform medication evaluations, and then prescribe/monitor medications.
Registered Play Therapist (RPT) /Registered Play Therapy Supervisor (RPTS): A registered play therapist is a licensed mental health professional who has pursued additional training and certification in play therapy theory, child development, assessment, and intervention. While it may seem like play therapists only work with children, the training to become a play therapist includes extensive learning about working with parents, care givers, and families as a whole unit. A registered play therapy supervisor has completed the training and hours to become a RPT, practiced as an RPT for a period of time and now is certified to supervise other therapists who are in the process of obtaining RPT credentials.
Psychologist (PsyD): Psychologists are not medical doctors. They have education in psychology ranging from bachelors to doctoral degrees. Psychologists provide counseling/therapy to support mental health and well being. In addition, clinical psychologists are also trained to complete diagnostic testing, evaluations, (ranging from IQ tests, learning disabilities, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and other areas of mental health functioning), and research. Psychologists are not able to prescribe medications and would refer clients to either a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric and coordinate care.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: PMHNP’s provide a range of services that can include assessment, diagnosis, treatment of mental health concerns. PMHNP’s may provide therapy services as well as medication evaluation and monitoring.
Psychiatrist: A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who pursued specialization in psychiatry (the study of mental health and mental disorders) and is able to prescribe /monitor medications. Some psychiatrists also engage in providing therapy however it is more common for them to coordinate with therapists for the social/emotional, behavioral, and coping skills intervention and support their patients need.
Child Therapy Consultation in Littleton, CO
I hope this helps you find the right mental health professional in Littleton, CO. If you are still feeling stuck, I encourage you to schedule a 20 minute video consultation today. As a social worker at heart, I thrive when I am listening to caregivers describe the current challenges they are facing, and then connecting them to the appropriate resources to bring some hope and ease into the day to day experience of raising kids. If you are looking for help with your child’s challenging behaviors or BIG emotions, you can read more about how I help .