— All services available in English and Spanish.
— Medicaid and some private insurance is accepted. Please call to verify insurance coverage.
— We adjust fees to ensure all families can afford the services we provide.

Individual and Family Therapy

Individual Therapy provides children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with behavioral or emotional challenges an opportunity to work one-on-one with a trained therapist in a safe and caring environment.

Family Therapy focuses on helping a family unit function in more positive and constructive ways by exploring patterns of communication and providing support and education.

What is the goal of Individual & Family Therapy?
The goal of Individual and Family Therapy is to improve a child’s ability to identify and cope with emotional and/or behavioral health challenges and decrease symptom severity that interferes with their level of functioning in school, at home, and in the community. An important objective is to build positive relationships between children and parents/caregivers to reduce stress and decrease instances of negative experiences.

How long will my child receive Individual & Family Therapy?
Every child is different, but the typical length of treatment is 9 – 12 months. Children attend 45-minute weekly therapy sessions. It’s important to understand that progress does not usually move in a straight line. Your child might show quick improvement and then plateau for a while, and then observe a sudden leap forward. Try to be patient and remember that treatment can work to improve your child’s overall mental health and well-being.

How do I know if my child needs help?
All children have mood fluctuations. They get sad, or angry, or anxious. They procrastinate and become forgetful. This is all perfectly normal. It’s part of growing up. However, when unhealthy behavior or an unhealthy emotional state persists and begins to negatively impact your child’s ability to function in one or more settings (self, family, school, or community) you should consider seeking professional help. It’s important to understand that many children need help with their mental health and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, one in every five children in the U.S. has a diagnosable mental health condition that requires treatment.

Group Therapy

Group Therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which there are multiple participants led by one or more therapists. It uses the power of group dynamics and peer interactions to improve social skills, peer relationships, problem solving, and team building skills. There are many types of group therapy offered at Mid Fairfield:

  • Outdoor Adventure Groups are run by licensed therapists and combine clinical therapy with nature-based activities such as hiking and kayaking. Offered during summer break, these groups provide children access to activities they may not normally be exposed to. They also provide them with opportunities to accept personal differences and improve social skills, peer relationships, problem-solving, and team building skills.
  • Therapeutic Art Groups focus on self-exploration through art. Participants are guided with verbal prompts and hands on materials to create drawings that reflect various aspects of their emotional inner world. This provides an opportunity for participants to non-verbally examine their thoughts and feelings, and how they envision their therapeutic journey.
  • Social Skills Groups are designed to address vital social skills such as engagement, accepting differences, communication, conflict resolution and team building. Skills are taught in a fun and interactive setting.
  • Parenting Groups are designed for parents/caregivers and help to address parenting issues and parent management skills. The group is facilitated in an educational and supportive environment and provides a safe space for parents to disclose similar shared experiences.
  • Girl TALK is designed to help young girls better cope with self-esteem, personal hygiene, emotion regulation, healthy relationships, and interpersonal issues. Topics are developmentally age-appropriate and addressed through the use of skills training and psychoeducation.

Evidence-Based Practices

After an initial assessment of your child, our clinical team will recommend which type of therapy they believe would be most helpful. We offer many types of talk therapies including variations of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as well as evidence-based therapies including:

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is for adolescents who present with high-risk behaviors and/or have a history of past suicide attempts, self-injurious behaviors, maladaptive coping skills, previous behavioral health hospitalizations, sexualized behaviors, trauma, and/or substance abuse and/or meet criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. Adolescents do not have to meet all of these criteria in order to receive DBT services. Adolescents referred to the program undergo a thorough intake assessment with a DBT-certified clinician in order to determine whether DBT is the most appropriate form of treatment to address their symptoms and needs.

Format of Treatment
Once engaged in the DBT Program, adolescents are expected to attend weekly individual sessions with their DBT primary clinician (45 minutes/per week). Parents/caregivers and adolescents are expected to attend the Multi-Family DBT Skills Training Group for a total of 16 weeks (2 hours/per week). After the 16-week session, it may be determined that additional support/treatment is needed (based on needs, trauma history, and symptoms); if this is the case, the adolescent may continue to engage in individual DBT sessions.

Phone Coaching and Medication
During treatment, DBT clients can contact an on-call DBT therapist for support when emotionally dysregulated. Phone coaching is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Another component of the Center’s DBT program is medication management, which is offered by the Centers’ APRN, who has also received extensive DBT training. If it is determined that medication is needed, the adolescent and parents/caregivers meet with the Centers’ APRN regularly to monitor medication compliance.

Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) helps children and adolescents to process traumatic experiences and memories in a calm and relaxing setting while reducing trauma-related symptoms. TF-CBT teaches specific skills to effectively manage difficult emotions and reduce problematic behaviors resulting from traumatic events.

MATCH-ADTC (Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems) is an evidence-based treatment designed for children ages 6 – 15.  MATCH is designed to treat four of the most common mental health concerns among children: anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and behavior problems.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is primarily used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but has also been employed for various other mental health conditions. Using EMDR, the therapist helps the individual process distressing memories by using bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements or other forms of rhythmic, left-right stimulation. During the treatment, the individual is guided to revisit distressing memories while simultaneously focusing on external stimuli that facilitate bilateral stimulation. The goal is to help the person process traumatic memories and alleviate associated emotional distress.

Psychiatry

Psychiatry Services include psychiatric evaluation and medication management. The specific nature of the therapy and its frequency will be determined based on the needs of the child and their family. Where appropriate, referrals are made for additional services, e.g., care coordination. Our psychiatric team includes two board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists and three Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (APRNs) who perform psychiatric assessments and provide therapeutic and medical management.

Will medication be prescribed for my child?
Your child’s therapist will schedule a session with you if he/she believes medication could be helpful. With your consent, your child would then be evaluated by a member of our team of dedicated doctors and advance practice psychiatric nurses to determine if medication is warranted, and with your consent, prescribed. Of note, your child must be actively engaged in therapy in order to receive medication management.