Denver Child Therapy
For Happy, Healthy Kids
acknowledge. assist. adapt.
It can be painful to watch your child struggle with worries, meltdowns, withdrawal, or changes you cannot quite explain, and even harder to know how to help. At Birch Psychology, our 18 child clinicians offer compassionate child therapy in Denver and will help your family find support that feels like the right fit.
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Childhood can be full of joy, discovery, and change, but it can also bring struggles that are difficult for children to understand and hard for parents to watch. When your child is dealing withanxiety, intense emotions, challenging behavior, grief, trauma, or a major transition, the effects often ripple through the entire family.
At Birch Psychology, we offer child therapy in Denver that meets children at their developmental level and helps families better understand what is happening beneath the surface. Through play, evidence-based approaches, and close collaboration with parents, we help children express what feels hard, build emotional skills, strengthen important relationships, and feel more secure in who they are.
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Children come to therapy for many different reasons, and there is no single sign that a family should reach out. We support children and caregivers navigating:
Anxiety, frequent worry, perfectionism, or school refusal
Meltdowns, aggression, defiance, or difficulty with transitions
Sadness, irritability, low self-esteem, or pulling away from things they once enjoyed
Early childhood trauma, medical trauma, abuse, or other painful experiences
Grief and loss, divorce, blended families, moving, or welcoming a new sibling
ADHD, autism, learning differences, giftedness, and twice-exceptionality
Parent-child relationships that feel tense, disconnected, or stuck
Your child doesn’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Many families reach out because something feels different, harder, or simply not quite right, and they want support before those concerns become more overwhelming.
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Children need different kinds of support at different ages. What helps a six-year-old feel safe and understood may look very different from what helps a twelve-year-old open up. That’s why our child clinicians use developmentally informed, evidence-based approaches tailored to each child’s needs, personality, and stage of growth.
Depending on what your family is navigating, therapy may focus on:
Understanding what your child’s behavior may be communicating
Building emotional awareness and regulation skills
Strengthening the parent-child relationship
Processing trauma, grief, or major transitions at a manageable pace
Giving caregivers practical strategies they can use at home and at school
We don’t treat children in isolation. Parents, caregivers, and, when helpful, teachers are often part of the process because meaningful progress is supported by the relationships and environments surrounding a child.
How child therapy works at different ages
Play Therapy (Ages 5-8)
Child therapy often involves play therapy, given that children don't communicate their distress in the same manner as adults. Play therapy is a structured and evidence-based approach to helping children overcome psychological distress resulting from, but not limited to, previous trauma (e.g., school bullying, harmful experiences), anxiety, depression, emotional intensity associated with intellectual giftedness, and behavior problems (through collaboration with parents/schools and the utilization of behavior management strategies and techniques). Not all children rely on play to engage in therapy. Older children and adolescents may utilize talk in therapy, similar to the way in which adults can.
Individual Child therapy (AGES 9-13)
Older children and adolescents are able to engage in psychotherapy that primarily involves talk therapy. Models such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, psychodynamic therapy can all be used (or integrated) to support a child or adolescents development. Clinicians in our practice offer a variety of different specialties including health psychology, depression and anxiety management, trauma therapy and emotion regulation.
Individual Teen Therapy (Ages 14-17)
Older adolescents are able to engage in similar forms of talk therapy as adults. Clinicians in our practice who work with teenagers offer a variety of different specialties including identity development, LGBTQ support, life transitions, social anxiety, future planning, relational issues, and stress management.
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Child therapy at Birch begins with a free 15-minute phone consultation. From there, your clinician will meet with the parents or caregivers first, giving you space to talk openly about your concerns, your child’s history, and what has been happening at home or school.
Your clinician will then spend two to three sessions getting to know your child, building trust, and developing a clearer understanding of what they may need. After that, you will meet for a planning session to discuss goals and the path forward together.
Ongoing sessions typically last 45 to 50 minutes and may help your family:
Better understand what is driving your child’s behavior
Build skills your child can use at home, at school, and with friends
Strengthen communication and connection between caregiver and child
Create changes that continue beyond the therapy room
Progress happens both during sessions and in everyday life, which is why caregivers remain an important part of the process throughout treatment.
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Reaching out for support can bring up a mix of emotions—worry, guilt, uncertainty, and sometimes even relief. Those feelings are understandable, and asking for help doesn't mean you have failed your child. Our intake team can answer questions about fit, scheduling, fees, sliding-scale options, and availability, then help connect your family with the clinician who feels like the right match.
Meet our Denver child therapy counselors
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Specialized care for infants and young children. Our founder completed fellowship training through CU’s Harris Program in Infant Mental Health, and our team includes rostered Child-Parent Psychotherapy clinicians with advanced expertise in the earliest years of development.
Therapy and assessment in one practice. Children who need psychological or educational testing can often receive both evaluation and ongoing therapy through Birch, reducing the need to start over with a separate provider.
A larger team with varied specialties. With multiple clinicians who work with children, we can consider your child’s age, needs, personality, and treatment goals when helping your family find the right fit.
Greater access to specialized care. Most of our therapists accept Medicaid through Denver Health, CoAccess, CCHA, and Health First. We also offer sliding-scale, pro bono, and reduced-fee services through our training clinic.
Experience navigating schools. Several of our clinicians are former teachers or trained school psychologists who understand IEPs, 504 plans, school testing, accommodations, and advocacy.
Specific, evidence-based treatment methods. Our clinicians have training in approaches such as PCIT, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, TF-CBT, EMDR, play therapy, SPACE, and R-PAS.
Caregivers remain part of the process. Child therapy begins with a parent-only session, and caregiver collaboration continues through coaching, check-ins, family sessions, or parent-child work.
Inclusive and culturally responsive support. Birch offers Spanish-language services and has clinicians with dedicated experience supporting immigrant, refugee, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ families.
Flexible ways to receive care. Families can access child therapy in Denver at 950 Logan Street, services in Centennial at 6881 South Holly Circle, telehealth appointments, and select community-based sessions.
Your clinician will then spend two to three sessions getting to know your child, building trust, and developing a clearer understanding of what they may need. After that, you will meet for a planning session to discuss goals and the path forward together.
Ongoing sessions typically last 45 to 50 minutes and may help your family:
Better understand what is driving your child’s behavior
Build skills your child can use at home, at school, and with friends
Strengthen communication and connection between caregiver and child
Create changes that continue beyond the therapy room
Progress happens both during sessions and in everyday life, which is why caregivers remain an important part of the process throughout treatment.
FAQs about child therapy
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Every child has difficult days, so one rough week doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. It may be time to reach out when changes in your child’s mood, behavior, sleep, appetite, friendships, or school experience last for several weeks or begin affecting more than one area of life. You may also notice withdrawal, frequent meltdowns, or less interest in things they once enjoyed. When something continues to feel off, it’s okay to trust your instincts.
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Children can begin therapy earlier than many parents realize. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers may benefit from parent-child sessions, play-based therapy, or caregiver coaching rather than traditional talk therapy. Our early childhood specialists work with very young children and their families, while older children may gradually use more conversation-based approaches as they develop.
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Child therapy is designed around your child’s age, developmental level, and needs. For younger children, sessions may include toys, art, movement, or imaginative play because play often helps children communicate experiences they cannot yet put into words. Older children may talk more directly with their therapist. Sessions typically last 45 to 50 minutes and remain structured, purposeful, and connected to your family’s goals.
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Yes. At Birch Psychology, the process begins with a parent-only session so you can speak openly about your concerns and your child’s history. Caregivers remain involved through parent sessions, coaching, regular check-ins, or therapy that includes both the child and caregiver. With younger children, parents may spend much of the session in the room. Your clinician will also explain how confidentiality works at the beginning of treatment.
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Most Birch Psychology clinicians are in network for therapy through Medicaid plans managed by Denver Health, CoAccess, CCHA, and Health First, as long as Medicaid is the client’s only insurance. We don’t participate directly with private insurance companies, but we can provide detailed invoices for families seeking out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage varies by plan, so we recommend confirming your out-of-network benefits directly with your insurer before beginning services.
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The right fit often depends on your child’s age, personality, concerns, and the type of support your family needs. Some families search for “child therapy near me” or a “child psychologist near me,” but location is only one part of the decision. Our intake team can help you consider each clinician’s specialty, approach, availability, and experience so your child is matched with someone who feels both qualified and comfortable.
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Try to keep the conversation simple, calm, and free from judgment. You might tell a younger child that they are going to a room with games and a grown-up who helps children with big feelings. An older child may understand therapy as a place to talk with someone whose job is to help people work through difficult things. Avoid presenting therapy as a punishment or suggesting that something is wrong with them. We have a full guide here.
