Therapist for 5 yo with behavior challenges
I'm hoping to find an affordable therapist to help my son with some skill building around self-regulation through talk or play therapy or something of that sort. He is having issues around getting angry or frustrated when needing to transition activities before he is ready to, especially in preschool, but also present at home to a lesser degree. He needs to build skills so that he doesn't turn to hitting, name-calling, or having angry outbursts during transitions. There may be a social anxiety component to it as well.
We've been through a bit of a meandering voyage through Kaiser that hasn't gotten us exactly what we need besides the offer of a potential diagnosis that seems wrong/premature and self-guided resources and online coaching that we are working on in parallel.
I've noticed the archives of BPN therapists don't have a lot of recent ones. Thanks in advance!
Parent Replies
Hi there, we have been working with a private therapist in Berkeley on similar behaviors with our 5 year old and it’s been a huge success/help for our family/her preschool experience. Happy to talk more, I wouldn’t say it’s affordable but it has felt worth it to support our kid before she starts kindergarten. Message me if you want to discuss!
I don’t have a current therapist recommendation but if I may, I’d like to share something I learned about my kids’ ability to organize themselves and keep it together in different situations.
If your child is able to keep it together at home but less so at school, that is very helpful data. It means that he has the skills and the ability to self-regulate, but there is something at school that might be interfering. With my kids it was the opposite — in the predictability of the school day they had what they needed to self-regulate. At home, we were too unstructured and it was overwhelming for them.
Good luck to you, it’s definitely hard work. I do find Dr Becky’s app helpful in case you haven’t yet discovered her work.
I recommend reaching out to Katrinca Ford, MFT and asking about her Building Blocks Social Skills Groups for young children. The program might be just what you are looking for and is a fraction of the cost of individual or family therapy. Although my daughter did not go through this program, I've found Katrinca's advice invaluable in managing parenting during the pandemic. She is smart, creative and knows a lot about child development. Katrinca can be reached at katrinca [at] familyplaytherapy.com (katrinca[at]familyplaytherapy[dot]com) or (925) 831-1926. I know you'll find a good way forward.
Judy