Here for every stage of development
Therapy for children and teens in Phoenix, AZ
Main specialties of Rosewood Psychology for children and teens:
Anxiety
Selective Mutism
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Gifted Children
Self-Esteem
*this is a short list of the areas I can help with. If your child has a unique presenting concern, feel free to Contact Me and I will let you know if I can help!
Anxiety Doesn't Have to Run the Show
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. But when worry begins interfering with daily life, relationships, school, or activities that once felt enjoyable, it may be time for additional support.
Anxiety can make children avoid new experiences and teens become overwhelmed by academic or social pressures. Over time, anxiety often grows when we begin organizing our lives around avoiding uncomfortable situations.
The good news is that anxiety is highly treatable.
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Anxiety can look different from person to person. Common signs include:
Excessive worry or overthinking
Difficulty separating from parents
Frequent reassurance-seeking
Fear of making mistakes
Avoidance of social situations
Physical symptoms such as stomachaches or headaches
Difficulty sleeping
Irritability or emotional outbursts
Panic attacks
Perfectionism
For children, anxiety doesn't always look like nervousness. It may show up as frustration, tears, refusal, or difficulty coping with change.
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I use evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), to help clients understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
In therapy, your child will learn to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns, build confidence in difficult situations, reduce avoidance behaviors, and increase independence and resilience. I ensure sessions are fun and engaging, utilizing play-based techniques, games, books, and art.
When talking feels impossible
Therapy for selective mutism.
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that affects a child's ability to speak in certain situations, despite speaking comfortably in others.
Children with selective mutism often talk freely at home but struggle to speak at school, with unfamiliar adults, or in other social settings.
This is not a choice, a behavioral problem, or defiance. Children with selective mutism want to communicate, but anxiety makes speaking feel overwhelming.
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Children with selective mutism may:
Speak comfortably with family members
Freeze or become silent in social situations
Communicate through gestures or nodding
Avoid interactions that may require speaking
Appear shy or withdrawn
Have difficulty participating at school
Early intervention helps children build confidence, develop communication skills, and participate more fully in school and social activities. The longer a child avoids speaking, the more opportunities anxiety has to strengthen. With appropriate treatment, children can make significant progress and learn that speaking is safe.
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I use Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM), an evidence-based treatment specifically designed for children with selective mutism.
Parents are active participants in treatment and join their child during the initial phase of therapy. Together, we help children build confidence, bravery skills, and verbal communication through carefully structured practice and gradual exposure.
Treatment focuses on creating successful speaking experiences while reducing the anxiety that keeps children stuck.
My goal is to help children find their voice and feel confident using it across settings.
“Today is a new day. I will be kind, I will be brave, and I will try my best.”
When thoughts become traps
Therapy for OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is more than being organized or liking things a certain way.
OCD involves unwanted thoughts, images, or fears (obsessions) that create distress, followed by actions or mental rituals (compulsions) intended to reduce that discomfort.
While compulsions may provide temporary relief, they ultimately strengthen the OCD cycle and make fears feel more powerful over time.
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OCD can involve many different themes, including:
Fear of contamination or germs
Excessive handwashing or cleaning
Repeated checking behaviors
Need for certainty or reassurance
Intrusive thoughts about harm
Fear of making mistakes
Mental rituals such as repeating words or reviewing memories
Symmetry or "just right" concerns
Many children and teens recognize that their fears don't fully make sense, but still feel unable to stop the compulsions.
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I utilize Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment for OCD.
ERP involves gradually facing feared situations while resisting compulsions and reassurance-seeking. Through repeated practice, clients learn that anxiety naturally decreases and that feared outcomes are often far less threatening than OCD predicts.
Treatment is collaborative and paced appropriately for each client. My goal is never to force clients into difficult situations but to help them build confidence through manageable, achievable steps.
Over time, OCD becomes less demanding and takes up less space in daily life.
You don’t have to navigate your child’s struggles alone