Child & Adolescent Services

 

Links to
SPECIALTY AREAS

Psychoeducational Testing

Autism Spectrum

ADHD

Anxiety Problems

Mood Problems

School Problems

Medical & Physical Challenges

 

Our Approach

At Norford Psychological Associates we view therapy with children and adolescents in the context of parent consultation. In our experience parents are looking for insight and guidance as to how they can help their children. Although individual time is spent between the therapist and the child, a parent is usually included in part of every session and guidance and feedback is provided. With parent approval, we also speak with school staff, pediatricians, and anyone else involved in your child’s care. When needed we also meet in a family therapy format in which parents and children/adolescents meet together to work on their relationships and the problems they are encountering. In other families, therapy with adolescents may be more productive when conducted in a more private and individually-oriented manner.

 

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use the following quick links:

 

 

 

Common questions
of new families:

  • "What do we do the first session?"

  • "Will my child be comfortable coming in?"

  • "I want to know what is going on and to get some direction for myself—what should I be doing differently?"

  • "I just want my child to open up more with me and not keep so much inside."

  • "Do we come with or without our child for the first session?"

  • "I don’t want my child to feel stigmatized by coming in. What do you do to keep that from happening?"

  • "We see some symptoms but we would like to know if our child actually has a psychiatric diagnosis."

First Appointment

The first appointment provides an opportunity for you and the therapist to get acquainted and to begin the process of discussing the issues of concern to you. By the end of the initial appointment there should be direction and planning for how therapy can be of benefit to you. You should have a good sense when you leave the first session that your therapist can help you. Ongoing therapy sessions are typically scheduled once a week or once every other week in the early months. Often sessions then move to a less frequent basis so that there is more time to track improvement is going between sessions.

 

Families with children 12 years of age and younger: Typically, the first appointment is with parents only. This provides an opportunity for parents to meet the therapist and see the office setting in advance to ensure that they feel confident and comfortable in bringing their child. It also allows for an open discussion of concerns without leaving the child feeling embarrassed or "ganged up on" by the grown-ups.

 

Usually, the second session is primarily with the child to establish rapport, to get their take on school, home, and friends, to discuss the areas of concern, to consider alternative diagnoses, and to get started with interventions. Although children and adolescents are anxious upon arriving they are usually comfortable within a few minutes and are willing to return for the next appointment.

 

Adolescents: Typically teenagers and parents attend the first appointment together. Everyone puts forth their concerns and a plan is developed. An effort is made to get all family members "on the same page" and working together. Often there is some time for the adolescent to speak alone with the therapist about any additional concerns.

 

Emergencies: If there is a very urgent situation, such as a child experiencing severe anxiety or not being able to attend school we schedule the first session ASAP and have the child/adolescent attend that first appointment with their parents.

 

 

Common referral questions:

  • "My child has so much energy I can’t seem to get him to listen to me."

  • "We are trying to figure out if our son has autism."

  • "We are going through a divorce and need ideas for helping our children with the changes."

  • "The pre-school wants us to get help for our son’s aggressive behavior."

  • "My child has a very hard time separating."

  • "I am having a lot of trouble managing my own anger when my children act up."

  • "We can’t get our son to sleep in his own bed."

 

Young Children

Behavioral consultation: Parenting challenges are a frequent focus in this age group. We work with parents to develop effective behavioral interventions to reduce/eliminate behaviors such as hitting, biting, tantrums, and defiance. Counseling is also provided to help parents with separation anxiety, sleep problems, feeding issues, sibling conflict, divorce issues, and problems adjusting to day care or preschool.

 

Parent stress: We provide help for parents having difficulty managing their own anger, frustration, or the emotional distress they encounter as they try to cope with their children’s problems. For example, sometimes stress is caused by parents disagreeing with each other about how to handle certain situations with their child.

 

Special circumstances: Loss of a parent or sibling, adoption issues, trauma, and coping with serious medical issues are areas in which we provide support and guidance.

 

Diagnostic concerns: Parents and pediatricians sometimes have concerns that a child may have signs of psychological conditions such as autism, ADHD, learning problems, or bipolar disorder and would like an opinion and recommendations on these concerns.

 

 

Common referral questions:

  • "Our school staff do not seem to understand how to help children with Asperger Syndrome."

  • "We really need help with our child’s social skills and behavior."

  • "Our son is very unhappy and it seems impossible to get him to open up."

  • "Our daughter worries constantly and is developing unusual anxieties and behavior."

  • "My child has some learning and attention issues that really stress him out at school and make homework a nightmare for everyone."

  • "My son is a great kid outside the home but his anger and behavior are wreaking havoc on our family life."

Elementary School Age Children

Behavioral consultation: Handling problems at school, homework stress, worrying, peer acceptance, sportsmanship, divorce, managing impulses, handling bullying, loss, and sleep problems are common areas of concern for which we provide counseling.

 

Intervention for psychological conditions: Therapy is provided for the full range of emotional, behavioral, and neurological problems including Anxiety, Depressed mood, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, OCD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and Autism Spectrum disorders including Aspergers Syndrome.

 

Family and parenting challenges: Parenting and family therapy are utilized in many sessions to help with issues such as family stress, parent-child conflict, communication breakdown, sibling conflict, stress for children caught up in marital discord/divorce, and defiance of household rules.

 

 

Common referral questions:

  • "I am worried about my teenager and really need a therapist with a lot of experience with adolescents."

  • "I’m worried about the friends my child is hanging out with."

  • "My son/daughter cannot keep up with their schoolwork."

  • "My child’s study habits are really a problem".

  • "My daughter has such awful mood swings! Could she have bipolar disorder?"

  • "My child has no friends."

  • "Communication between me and my teenager has really broken down."

Middle School and High School age

Intervention for psychological conditions: Therapy is offered for the full range of emotional, behavioral, and neurological problems including Anxiety, Depression, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, ADD/ADHD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and Autism Spectrum disorders.

 

Adjustment issues: Stress, family conflict, perfectionism, procrastination, loneliness, school apathy, organization, indecision about colleges, declining grades, uncertainty about the future, peer issues, motivation, game addiction, handling stress, and sleep problems are some of the more common issues we address.

 

Crises for adolescents: Our therapists regularly help teens with suicidal feelings, involvement in difficult romantic relationships, disengagement from parents, loss of close friendships, drug and alcohol use, conduct problems, school apathy, social rejection, bullying problems, and concerns about sexual orientation.

 

 

Common referral questions:

  • "The teacher is having a hard time helping my child. It seems like the plans being tried are not really working."

  • "Do we need to consider switching to another school?"

  • "I feel like my daughter’s issues are getting overlooked because she is not a behavior problem."

  • "We’re in trouble and need a quick consultation about what to do!"

  • "My son doesn’t seem to be able to connect with his classmates at recess and lunch."

 

School Liaison

Meeting with school personnel: All of our psychologists are experienced in helping families with challenges that they and their children may be experiencing at school. This includes meeting with teachers and school counselors to assist in the development and implementation of IEPs and 504 plans, as well as informal meetings to develop plans for assisting students struggling with ADHD, autism spectrum issues, anxiety, homework stress, bullying, isolation, and other school-related challenges.

 

Sometimes parents feel unsuccessful in advocating for their children at school and want additional backing and expertise to improve conditions. Our approach with schools is always respectful and collegial, but with a can-do insistence on finding a way to help out the student. We have worked with students and staff in nearly all of the local public and private schools. When issues are beyond our level of expertise we help families connect with well-qualified educational advocates.

 

Student observation: We provide unobtrusive observations of pre-school and elementary school students. Sometimes parents need information about their child’s behavior in the classroom or at recess especially regarding inattention, disruptive behavior, and social difficulties. Data and observation can then be used to help shape effective intervention during the school day.

 

Outside services: We help families to determine if neuropsychological, comprehensive psychoeducational testing, educational advocates, tutoring, medication consultation or other outside services are indicated. Some families seek guidance about whether or not there is another school in the area that might better meet the needs of their child/adolescent.

 

Crises: Occasionally, students/families/schools are in crisis and need rapid help beyond what the school can provide in stabilizing the student and/or situation. Examples include refusal to attend school, suicidal thoughts, severe bullying, and dealing with suspensions.

 

 

Common referral questions:

  • "We are trying to figure out if our child has a learning disability."

  • "We want to get a second opinion on the testing that the school did for our child."

  • "I need to get private IQ testing for my child."

  • "The teacher thinks my child has ADHD. Is this true, and what can we do about it?"

Psychoeducational Testing

Psychoeducational testing refers to a psychologist meeting one-to-one with a child or adolescent to assess intelligence, academic functioning, and possible learning disabilities. A formal report is prepared for the parent to submit to the school district at their discretion.

 

We have a Certified School Psychologist on staff which allows for school district requirements for testing to be met.

 

A typical testing would include:
      -Intelligence (IQ) testing
      -Formal Achievement testing
      -Assessment of visual-motor functioning
      -Behavior rating forms

 

Additional measures such as memory testing can be added to address specific concerns. In instances where more specialized testing than we are able to provide is indicated, we will help you to get connected to local psychologists or neuropsychologists with those specialties.

 

Gifted testing (or IQ testing) is requested for admission to private schools and for parents wanting a second opinion of intelligence for Challenge type programs in the public school. This would only include IQ testing and a report.