Metro Atlanta Counseling for Children and Adolescents

Being a kid in today’s modern world is no easy task. Rates of childhood depression and anxiety are at an all-time high, and children and adolescents face dozens of pressures related to academic performance, social anxiety and peer pressure, social media exposure, and more. Some children must also cope with internal challenges, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

At CNSL, we know that as a parent, it can be heartbreaking to watch your child navigate these challenges, especially when doing so causes mental health issues or behavioral problems. For compassionate, effective counseling for children and adolescents, call our experienced therapists today. We are here to support you and your family when you need it most. 

Common Reasons for Child Counseling

You may consider seeking counseling services for your child if they are facing a range of behavioral issues or mental health concerns. Some triggers that can lead to behavioral or mental health problems include: 

• Family issues, including fighting with parents or siblings, death of a family member, etc.; 
• School problems, including poor academic performance, social problems, feeling left out, etc.; 
• Bullying, either at school or away from school; or
• Health problems, such as struggling with a serious illness or disease.

These issues can lead to sadness, anxiety, feelings of social isolation, social anxiety, stress, worry, low self-esteem, grief, and depression. These feelings can also lead to more serious behavioral problems, including behavioral outbursts, bullying of other children, poor academic performance, and more.

How Therapy Works for Children and Adolescents

Kids and adolescents may need therapy when they are facing problems that they can’t cope with on their own. It can be hard for children—whose brains are still developing—to understand their emotions and manage their emotions in a way that is healthy and productive. Kids may need the structure and support of therapy to improve, and often, entire families can benefit from therapy together. 

While talk therapy may be a portion of a child’s or adolescent’s therapy experience, a therapist may employ other methods that are more appropriate for young minds. For example, playing and drawing may be effective options for young children. Other activities might include deep breathing and age-appropriate strategies for building mindfulness. Older kids may be asked to solve problems, either by talking through them or by role-playing.

Often, parents will join their children in therapy. It can be very helpful for parents to understand what their child is going through and learn strategies for working with their child. 

What to Expect When a Child is Scheduled for Therapy:

During the initial 60-minute intake appointment, the therapist will review important information about the therapy process, including their credentials, confidentiality, attendance expectations, your rights as a parent or guardian, and any limitations to confidentiality that apply when working with minors. The therapist will also spend time learning about your child’s history, current concerns, strengths, and any challenges they may be experiencing. Depending on the child’s age and needs, the therapist may meet one-on-one with just you, you and your child together, or just the child individually, for the initial intake session.

Prior to the appointment, please confirm with the therapist directly to confirm if you are permitted to attend/participate in the session. Using the information gathered during the intake appointment, along with the information provided in the intake paperwork, the therapist will work with you and your child to develop a personalized treatment plan. This plan will outline goals for therapy and help guide future sessions to support your child’s growth, well-being, and overall progress.

While you may begin discussing some of the concerns that brought you in, the first session is generally more focused on fact-finding and establishing a foundation for treatment rather than immediately beginning in-depth therapeutic work.

After the intake appointment has been completed, the Therapy Client Coordination Team will no longer be involved with scheduling. Any future appointments, scheduling changes, or treatment-related questions will be handled directly between your family and the therapist.

Parent/Caretaker Involvement:

Parents play an important role in their child’s progress. The therapist will provide regular updates, share insights, and sometimes involve parents in parts of the sessions or in separate parent meetings.

It’s normal if your child doesn’t talk much about sessions at first. Therapy is their private space to feel safe opening up at their own pace. The therapist will guide you on how to best support your child during this process.

While your child is in session: You are more than welcome to wait in the lobby or in your car while the session takes place. If you plan to drop your child off and leave the office during the appointment, please go inside with your child at the start of the session to ensure they are safely received by the therapist. If your child is driving to their own session, we would recommend checking in with the therapist by email, to ensure that they safely arrived at their appointment.

Registration and Communication Involving Minors:

Please note that clients under the age of 18 are considered minors and cannot be treated as adult clients. Accordingly, a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver must serve as the primary contact on the client’s account. All intake paperwork, scheduling, appointment notifications, and communication outside of therapy sessions will be managed through the primary contact listed in our system. Minors are not permitted to sign their own forms or handle their own scheduling.

Please be aware that our system allows only one email address and one phone number to be designated as the primary contact. As a result, all automated communications, including intake forms, appointment reminders, and check-in notifications, will be sent exclusively to that primary contact. Unfortunately, we are unable to send these automated messages to a secondary parent, legal guardian, or caregiver.

Maintaining a single primary contact helps ensure clear and consistent communication regarding the client’s care and appointments. It also helps prevent confusion or conflicting instructions, such as one individual confirming an appointment while another attempts to cancel or reschedule it.

Because only one individual can be designated to receive these communications, you may wish to manually forward any relevant emails or notifications to the secondary parent, legal guardian, or caregiver. However, due to the secure nature of some of our communications, we cannot guarantee that forwarded messages will be delivered successfully or function as intended.

Divorce and Custody Cases:

Our therapists are not custody evaluators and cannot make any recommendations on custody. If in need of these services or if going through a high-conflict divorce, we can refer you to a licensed professional who does work in these areas and provides custody evaluation if needed.

If applicable, at the first intake session we require a copy of any most current standing court order demonstrating the custodial rights of each parent and/or the parenting agreement that is signed by both parents and the judge. This copy can be sent to client.coordination@cnsl.com and to the rendering therapist. If there are changes or amendments to any parenting plans, then it is the responsibility of the parents to provide the new order to the therapist immediately.

In most cases we need to have contact and written/signed consent with/from both legal guardians before we see the child for counseling. In the case there is a final-decision maker on health-related issues who wants the child to be seen for counseling even in the case the other parent does not agree; it is to the discretion of your therapist as to whether the child will be seen.

We will be in contact with both parents who share in the legal custody of the child being seen for counseling and will offer and encourage opportunities for both parents to participate in parent consultations along the way.

Family sessions may be recommended and depending on the case, may need to see the child with each parent separately along with siblings and/or other significant family members who live in the homes where the child lives. This will be up to the discretion of the therapist.

Contact CNSL Today

At CNSL, we know that counseling for children and adolescents can have a very positive impact on their lives. If you are a parent who is concerned about your child’s mental health and well-being, working with a therapist is strongly recommended. If you believe that your child or adolescent needs therapy, we recommend reaching out to a mental health professional immediately. The sooner that you take action, the sooner you can have a positive impact.

To learn more about our therapy services and how to get started, please reach out to us by calling CNSL at (678) 384-4911 and dialing 1 for Therapy or email client.coordination@cnsl.com. Visit here to view FAQ about our therapy services.

Which Of Our Therapists Offer Counseling for Children & Adolescents Services?

Alpharetta – Old Milton Parkway

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 384-4911 / Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Ashlee Pratt Works with ages 8+

Blairsville

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 384-4911 / Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Julia Cornman Works with ages 6+

Marietta

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 384-4911 / Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Bonita (Bonnie) Klopach Works with ages 3+

Madonna Mezzanotte Works with ages 10+

Ashlee Pratt Works with ages 8+

Megan Walsh Works with ages 7+

Allison Hogan Works with ages 12+

Bailey Paris Works with ages 5+

Kailey Austin Works with ages 8+

Logan Jackson Works with ages 3+

Sunshine Counseling – Alpharetta

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 740-3990 / Email: inquiry@sunshinechildcounseling.com

Jamila Allen Works with ages 5+

Crissy Himelstein works with ages 3+

Lauren Wallace Telehealth Play Therapist works with ages 3+

Casey Reynolds-Purcell Works with ages 3+

Alyssa Ealy Middleton Works with ages 5+

Lori Winston Works with ages 5+

Desiree’ Lewis Works with ages 6+

Paige Kieltyka Works with ages 3+

Leenah Abboud Works with ages 6+

Karli Littlefield Works with ages 3-14

Sarah Norris Works with ages 6+

Woodstock - Churchill Court

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 384-4911 / Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Madison Medford Works with ages 14+

Leigh Bowerfind Works with ages 3+

Woodstock - South Cherokee Lane - Building 1200

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 384-4911 / Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Ashlee Pratt Works with ages 8+

Karen Dodge Works with ages 2+

Julia Nailor Works with ages 12+

Brittany Ott Works with ages 12+

Leigh Bowerfind Works with ages 3+

Shannon Dixon Works with ages 8+

Katie Cooley Works with ages 3+

Logan Jackson Works with ages 3+

Cathryn Heeter Works with ages 3+

Woodstock - South Cherokee Lane - Suite 730

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 384-4911 / Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Ashlee Pratt Works with ages 8+

Morgan Mitchell Works with ages 5+

Brittany Ott Works with ages 12+

Laura Seipel Works with ages 13+

Allison Hogan Works with ages 12+

Kailey Austin Works with ages 8+

Logan Jackson Works with ages 3+

Woodstock - Towne Lake Parkway

To schedule at this location, Call: (678) 403-1120 / Email: townelakeoffice@cnsl.com

Victoria Saladna Works with ages 11+

Abigail Shetler Works with ages 12+

Tiffany Peeler Works with ages 11+

Kimberly Meredith Works with ages 5+

Danielle O’Kelly Works with ages 5+

Morgan Kraut Works with ages 11+