Child & Teen Therapy in Encinitas, Ca & Telehealth across california
You just want your kid back.
The one who used to laugh with you and share things with you. I help kids and teens work through what's hard, so home can feel lighter again.
As a therapist for kids and teens, I hear this from parents all the time.
Maybe some of this sounds familiar:
Your child goes from zero to a hundred over nothing. Doors slam. Voices get loud. You've started yelling back, and then you lie awake feeling awful about it.
Your little one melts down over the smallest things, and it's wearing the whole house down. You've tried every trick, every book, and nothing sticks.
They're wonderful for everyone else, and then they get home, and it all comes out. The tantrums, the power struggles, the "I hate you" that stings even when you know they don't mean it.
Or your teen has gone quiet on you, and the closeness you used to have feels far away.
You keep telling yourself it's just a phase, but it hasn't passed yet.
You haven’t failed your child.
They may be carrying something they don’t yet know how to put into words, and asking for help is one way you begin to understand it together.
Hi, I’m Isabel
I'm a child and family therapist in San Diego, and I work with kids, teens, and the parents walking through it with them.
Part of why I do this comes from my own life. I had really supportive parents, and I still needed a little extra help at one point growing up, and having someone in my corner made all the difference. It's a big reason I do this work, and a big reason I want you to know that needing support for your child doesn't mean you've done anything wrong.
These days I get to be that person for kids and teens. My job is to help your child feel more at ease and more like themselves, and to support you while we get there. However your kid shows up, guarded, silly, shut down, or somewhere in between, I meet them where they are and make it feel safe enough to be honest.
There's more to my story and the work that we do here.
you know your kid
You just need someone who knows how to help them.
Some kids fall apart loudly. Some hold it all together and come undone where no one can see. I work with both. Through play with younger children and real conversation with teens, I help kids make sense of what's been hard, so they feel steadier, more like themselves, and more connected to you.
This is not a quick fix, and we shouldn't pretend that it is. It's a process. But kids move through hard things all the time, and I've watched them get their joy back. Yours can too.
How I Can Support You and Your Family:
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Play Therapy
Play is how young children show you what they can't yet say. Through it, your child works through what's been bothering them and finds their footing again. There's a clear purpose behind every session.
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Teen Therapy
Teens don't open up on command. I take the pressure off and start by getting to know them. From there we work on the anxiety, the big feelings, and whatever's been weighing on them.
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EMDR & Trauma
When something hard has happened, EMDR helps your child's brain process it in small, manageable pieces, so the memory stops sitting there raw. I use it with kids and teens, including those too young to talk it through.
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Parent Support
You know your child better than anyone, but that doesn’t mean you have to figure out every hard moment alone. Together, we make sense of what’s driving the behavior and find practical tools that fit your child, your family, and your real life.
How it works
Simple, and at your pace.
“We talk first”
“I meet with you”
“Your kid gets to know me”
“We keep going, together”
Sometimes, kids don’t know how to communicate what they need or what’s really weighing on them.
parent support
You're part of this, not on the outside of it.
Your child's sessions are theirs. A space where they can say anything without worrying it will get repeated. But you are never shut out. We meet regularly so you understand what's going on underneath the behavior, and so you know what actually helps at home.
A lot of what changes for a kid changes because something shifts in the house around them. I'll help you read what your child is telling you, respond in a way that lands, and feel steadier yourself. Parenting a struggling kid is exhausting, and you deserve support too.
on the blog
A little help for what’s happening at home
Let's start with a conversation.
Tell me a little about what’s been going on with your child, teen, or family. We’ll talk it through and figure out together whether I’m the right fit for your family. No pressure, just a first step. I offer free consultations if you’d like to talk things through before deciding.