Child & Family Counseling in Charlotte, NC
Our licensed counselors provide child and family counseling for preschoolers through young adults at our two Charlotte-area offices. Whether your child is struggling with mood, behavior, or social skills — or your whole family needs help communicating through a difficult season — we meet kids where they are. For younger children, playing, drawing, building, and pretending are just as important as talking for sharing feelings and working through problems.
Who it's for
We help kids, adolescents and young adults with difficulties, including but not limited to:
– Anxiety, stress & depression
– Behavioral issues in children
– Support for neurodivergent kids and teens (ADHD, autism, OCD)
– Family counseling for conflict and communication
– Coping with a separation, divorce, or major life transition
– Building self-esteem and social skills in teens
– Emotional regulation and managing mood swings
– Support for grief and loss
– Peer relationships
– School-related difficulties
Why Choose Counseling?
Life often presents challenges that can feel overwhelming for both children and parents. Emotional struggles, behavioral issues, or changes like a family relocation or a divorce can significantly impact a family’s harmony. That’s where counseling comes in. Our child and family counseling services in Charlotte help parents and children work through challenges together – because lasting progress usually involves the whole family. At Child & Family Development, we believe that early intervention and professional support can make a world of difference in overcoming these hurdles.
Our team is here to help families like yours:
Improve family communication and strengthen relationships.
Manage behavioral challenges with effective, proven strategies.
Navigate difficult life transitions with greater resilience.
Boost emotional health and well-being for both children and parents.
If you’re feeling stuck, know that our team is here to support you every step of the way.
Who We Support
Our counseling services are tailored to meet the unique needs of children, adolescents, and young adults – and the families around them. Whether it’s addressing concerns related to mood, behavior, or social skills, we’re equipped to guide your family toward resolution and healing.
Preschoolers & Elementary-Aged Children
Young children process the world differently. Activities like playing, drawing, building, and pretending are powerful tools for them to communicate their emotions and work through challenges. Our counselors incorporate these techniques into therapy to make it accessible, engaging, and effective for little ones.
Adolescents & Teenagers
The teenage years can be a tumultuous period filled with many emotional ups and downs. Our counseling services help teens build self-confidence, manage stress, and improve their social and emotional skills. We also provide support for common struggles like anxiety, depression, bullying, and academic pressures.
Young Adults
Transitioning into adulthood comes with its own set of challenges. Whether it’s preparing for college, starting a career, or navigating new relationships, our counselors help young adults develop self-awareness, solid coping strategies, and the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
How We Work
Our team of experienced psychologists and counselors works closely with children, adolescents, and their families. Combining expertise with compassion, we create personalized counseling strategies that address your family’s specific needs. Here’s what you can expect when you choose Child & Family Development:
Qualified and Experienced Team
All of our professionals hold master’s or doctoral degrees and are licensed in the state of North Carolina. With extensive backgrounds working in hospitals, schools, and community centers, we bring the knowledge and expertise required to guide families through any challenge.
A Safe and Supportive Environment
We offer a judgment-free, supportive space where children, teens, and parents feel comfortable expressing their concerns. Open communication is essential to healing, and our team fosters a welcoming environment to encourage honest conversations. We integrate a family-systems approach throughout our work and support parents with practical, evidence-based behavioral strategies they can use at home.
Strengths-Based Approach
Every child and family is unique. That’s why we focus on leveraging strengths while addressing specific challenges. Our goal is to empower families to build on what is already working while finding solutions to what isn’t.
Evidence-Based Techniques
Our counselors use evidence-based methods to achieve positive, lasting results. Each counselor brings their own specific training, experience, and specialties, which may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), child-centered play therapy (CCPT), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), expressive arts interventions, mindfulness, trauma-informed care, neuro-affirming approaches, executive functioning skills, and social and play skills (social-emotional learning).
Tailored Counseling Plans
Because no two families are the same, cookie-cutter solutions don’t work. We take the time to get to know your family dynamics and develop individualized plans that suit your unique situation, goals, and values.
The Benefits of Counseling
Choosing counseling for your family isn’t just about resolving immediate issues; it’s about creating a foundation for lasting well-being and happiness. Here are some of the key benefits you can expect when working with us:
Improved Family Communication
Learn how to express emotions constructively, resolve conflicts effectively, and deepen relationships within your household.
Effective Behavioral Management
Gain strategies to address and manage disruptive behaviors in a way that fosters understanding rather than conflict.
Support During Transitions
Life changes like a relocation, welcoming a new sibling, or dealing with loss can be hard to process. Counseling offers meaningful support during these transitions.
Enhanced Emotional Health
Therapy gives children and parents alike the tools to process their emotions, regulate stress, and improve overall well-being.
A Tailored Approach for Your Family
No one-size-fits-all solutions here. Every strategy is personalized to meet the unique needs of your family.
A Path Toward Healing
A safe space to work through sensitive or difficult emotions can be the first step toward healing and rebuilding trust and connection.
Our Counseling Services
Individual Counseling
One-on-one sessions help children, teens, and young adults work through concerns related to mood, behavior, and social skills. Your child’s counselor builds a trusting relationship and tailors each session to their age and goals – from developing coping skills to working through anxiety, self-esteem, or school-related challenges.
Family Counseling
Family counseling brings parents – and sometimes siblings – into the therapy process. Working together with a licensed counselor, families learn to communicate more openly, resolve conflict constructively, and support a child’s progress at home. Family sessions are especially helpful during transitions like divorce, remarriage, relocation, or welcoming a new sibling, and they can be combined with a child’s individual counseling for the best results.
Counseling & Coaching for Parents
Sometimes the person who needs support is the parent. We work with parents individually – providing emotional support for the stress that comes with raising a child who is struggling, and coaching in evidence-based behavioral plans and strategies you can use at home. Parent-only sessions can stand alone or complement your child’s individual counseling.
Play Therapy
During play therapy, a licensed mental health clinician with specialized training in counseling young children uses specially chosen toys to give children a safe space to communicate and understand their underlying emotional needs in a way that is meaningful to them.
Group Therapy
Social skills are the tools that enable people to communicate, learn, ask for help, get needs met in appropriate ways, get along with others, make friends, develop healthy relationships, and protect themselves. Children or adolescents who have difficulty forming age-appropriate friendships, avoid social situations, or show impulsive or aggressive behaviors that interfere with successful social functioning may benefit from participation.
Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment – tuning in to the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. Emotional regulation is the ability to respond to life’s ongoing demands with a range of emotions in a way that is socially tolerable and flexible. Our counselors teach both skills to help children and teens manage big feelings.
Telehealth appointments are available when appropriate – typically for adults, teens, and parent-only coaching sessions – and select clinicians are licensed to provide telehealth to South Carolina residents.
Skilled intervention techniques
Individual Counseling
Counselors provide ongoing therapy services to preschoolers through young adults to address concerns related to mood, behavior, and social skills. In children and adolescents, playing, drawing, building, and pretending, as well as talking, are important ways of sharing feelings and resolving problems.
Play Therapy
During play therapy a licensed mental health clinician who has received special training in counseling with young children will use specially chosen toys to provide children a safe space to communicate and understand their underlying emotional needs in a way that is meaningful to them.
Group therapy
Social skills are the tools that enable people to communicate, learn, ask for help, get needs met in appropriate ways, get along with others, make friends, develop healthy relationships, and protect themselves. Children or adolescents who have difficulty forming age-appropriate friendships, demonstrate avoidance of social situations, or impulsive or aggressive behaviors that interfere with successful social functioning may benefit from participation.
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. Emotional self-regulation or regulation of emotion is the ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable and sufficiently flexible to permit spontaneous reactions as well as the ability to delay spontaneous reactions as needed.
Questions from Parents
How do therapy sessions for children work?
Therapy sessions are engaging, age-appropriate, and tailored to each child’s needs. Techniques may include play therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), social skills training, and problem-solving exercises. Therapy provides a safe and supportive space for children to practice coping strategies, build emotional regulation skills, and develop confidence in social and academic settings. Sessions can also involve parent guidance and collaboration to reinforce skills at home and school.
What kind of goals can be addressed in counseling?
If you notice ongoing changes in mood, behavior, sleep, school performance, or social interactions, counseling can help identify and address underlying issues. Common concerns include anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral challenges, social skills, grief, trauma, and family transitions.
Will I be involved in my child’s counseling sessions?
Parent involvement varies by age and goals. For younger children, parents are often active participants, possibly attending joint sessions or receiving coaching in addressing their child’s emotional or behavioral concerns. For teens, sessions may be primarily individual with periodic parent check-ins. Therapists maintain confidentiality but share general themes, skills, and safety concerns. For teens, privacy helps build trust, but parents are updated on progress and major concerns. Therapists will share strategies or “home practice” ideas within treatment.
How does Occupational Therapy and Play Therapy differ?
What's the difference between individual counseling and family counseling?
Individual counseling focuses one-on-one on your child – building coping skills, working through emotions, and addressing concerns like anxiety, low self-esteem, or behavioral challenges. Family counseling brings parents (and sometimes siblings) into the process to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships at home. Many families benefit from a combination: a child may meet individually with a counselor while parents join periodic family sessions to practice new strategies together. During your free consultation, our Charlotte team will help you decide which approach fits your family’s needs.
Do you offer telehealth counseling?
Yes, when it’s a good clinical fit – telehealth works best for adults, teens, and parent-only coaching sessions, while younger children generally benefit most from in-person sessions. Select clinicians are also licensed to provide telehealth to South Carolina residents, which is convenient for families in Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Tega Cay, and other nearby SC communities. Ask about telehealth availability when you schedule.
Our team
All of our team hold Master’s or doctoral degrees and are licensed in the state of NC. They have worked in hospitals, schools, and community centers.
Tiara Glenn
LCMHCA
Pineville
Darius Hampton
LCMHCA
Pineville
Faith Houck-Wylie
LCMHCA
Midtown
Natalie Holland
LCMHCA
Pineville
Missy Lloyd
LCMHC
Pineville
Mary Moore
LCMHCA
Midtown
Marium Sadiq
RPT, LCMHC-QS
Midtown
Insurance for Psychological Services
We accept Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, Cigna (through Evernorth Behavioral Health), and MedCost for child and family counseling in Charlotte, and we can file with most out-of-network plans. See all insurance details.
- Aetna
- Aetna State Health Plan
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Medcost
- Cigna (Evernorth Behavioral Health)
- Will file with out-of-network plans
Free Consultation
Your first step: Schedule a free consultation to talk with an expert. At Child & Family Development, we know that reaching out for help can sometimes feel overwhelming. But you don’t have to go through this alone. If your family is experiencing challenges, we are here to guide you toward resolution and growth.
