Child Therapy in Midland, MI at Common Spring Therapy Group, PLLC!
When your child is struggling, it can be difficult to know what they need or where to turn. You may notice increased anxiety, emotional outbursts, changes in behavior, difficulty at school, withdrawal, or challenges adjusting to something happening in your family.
At Common Spring Therapy Group, we provide compassionate, developmentally responsive child therapy in Midland, Michigan. Our therapists help children express themselves, understand their emotions, strengthen coping skills, and work through difficult experiences in ways that fit their unique developmental needs. We also work closely with parents and caregivers because children thrive when the important adults in their lives feel informed, supported, and connected.
Does My Child Need Therapy?
Children cannot always explain what they are feeling or why they are struggling. Instead, emotional distress may appear through changes in behavior, relationships, sleep, school performance, or physical complaints.
Your child may benefit from therapy if you have noticed:
Frequent worry, fear, or reassurance seeking
Intense emotions or frequent meltdowns
Irritability, anger, or aggressive behavior
Difficulty calming their body after becoming upset
Withdrawal from family, friends, or activities
Low confidence or negative self-talk
School refusal or anxiety about attending school
Difficulty with friendships or social situations
Changes in sleeping or eating patterns
Frequent stomachaches, headaches, or other physical complaints without a clear medical cause
Difficulty adjusting to divorce, a move, a new sibling, or another life transition
Grief following a death or significant loss
Behavioral changes following a stressful or traumatic experience
A child does not need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Sometimes, families simply recognize that their child needs another trusted adult and additional support while developing emotional, behavioral, or relational skills.
Child Therapy That Meets Children Where They Are
Therapy with children often looks different from therapy with adults. Children may not yet have the language, insight, or comfort needed to sit and talk directly about everything they are experiencing. That is why our therapists use developmentally appropriate approaches that may incorporate play, art, games, storytelling, movement, creative activities, skill-building, and conversation. These experiences give children meaningful ways to communicate, explore emotions, solve problems, and practice new skills.
Treatment is individualized according to your child’s age, personality, strengths, experiences, and therapeutic goals. The specific approach used will also depend on the therapist working with your family.
Play Therapy for Children
Play is one of the primary ways children communicate, learn, develop relationships, and make sense of their experiences. In play therapy, carefully selected toys and creative materials become tools children can use to express what may be difficult to communicate through words alone.
Through the therapeutic relationship and the process of play, children can develop:
Emotional awareness
Healthier ways of expressing feelings
Greater confidence and self-esteem
Problem-solving skills
Frustration tolerance
Coping and regulation skills
Resilience following stressful experiences
Healthier relationships with parents, caregivers, and peers
Some play therapy sessions are primarily child-led, allowing the therapist to follow the child’s communication and themes. Other sessions may include more structured activities designed to address particular treatment goals.
Therapy for Childhood Trauma
Stressful and traumatic experiences can affect how children understand themselves, relate to others, and respond to the world around them. Trauma reactions may appear as anxiety, irritability, avoidance, emotional outbursts, sleep difficulties, physical complaints, changes in play, or difficulty feeling safe. Common Spring offers trauma treatment tailored to the developmental needs of children and adolescents. Depending on the child, therapist, and treatment goals, services may incorporate Play Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
EMDR for Children
EMDR helps people process distressing experiences that may continue to feel unresolved. With children, EMDR can be adapted through developmentally appropriate language, creative activities, play, movement, storytelling, and different forms of bilateral stimulation.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
TF-CBT is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. It helps young people and their caregivers develop coping skills, understand trauma responses, process difficult experiences, and strengthen communication and support within the family.
How Parents and Caregivers Are Involved
Parents and caregivers are important members of a child’s treatment team. While the child needs privacy and space to develop a trusting relationship with the therapist, caregivers also need opportunities to ask questions, share observations, understand progress, and learn how to support treatment goals at home.
Depending on your child’s age and individual needs, caregiver involvement may include:
An initial caregiver consultation
Regular parent or caregiver check-ins
Collaborative treatment planning
Parenting support and psychoeducation
Strategies to reinforce skills at home
Family or caregiver-child sessions
Coordination with schools or other providers when clinically appropriate and properly authorized
Your therapist will discuss what caregiver involvement may look like for your family while also protecting your child’s privacy and therapeutic relationship.
What to Expect When Beginning Child Therapy
1. Contact Our Office
Complete our contact form and tell us a little about your child, your primary concerns, scheduling needs, insurance, and whether you are interested in working with a particular therapist.
2. Consultation and Therapist Matching
Our team will help determine which therapist may be the best fit based on your child’s age, needs, preferred appointment times, insurance coverage, and therapist availability.
3. Initial Assessment
The first appointment focuses on learning more about your child’s strengths, experiences, development, family relationships, current concerns, and goals for therapy. Depending on your child’s age and needs, the therapist may meet with caregivers, the child, or the family together.
4. Individualized Treatment
Your therapist will collaborate with you and your child to develop a treatment plan. Sessions may include play therapy, creative activities, conversation, caregiver support, skill-building, EMDR, TF-CBT, or another approach appropriate for your child.
5. Ongoing Collaboration
Your therapist will review progress with you, discuss recommendations, and adjust treatment as your child’s needs and goals evolve.
Concerns We Can Address in Child Therapy
Our therapists support children and families navigating concerns such as:
Anxiety and excessive worry
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Grief and loss
Depression and low mood
Emotional regulation difficulties
Behavioral concerns
Low self-esteem or confidence
School stress or school avoidance
Friendship and social challenges
Family transitions
Divorce or separation
Foster care and adoption experiences
Caregiver-child relationship concerns
Stressful or overwhelming life experiences
Treatment availability and areas of specialization vary by therapist. Our team will help you determine whether Common Spring is an appropriate fit for your child’s needs.
Meet Our Child Therapists
Common Spring Therapy Group includes therapists with experience supporting children, adolescents, parents, and families. Our clinicians bring training in approaches such as Play Therapy, Adlerian Play Therapy, EMDR, TF-CBT, TBRI, cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic strategies, and caregiver-child interventions. We believe that a strong therapeutic relationship matters. Our goal is to help your family connect with a therapist who understands your concerns and can provide support that fits your child’s developmental needs, personality, strengths, and goals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Therapy
What ages do you work with?
Our team provides therapy for children, teens, and adults. Age ranges and availability vary by therapist. Contact our office, and we can help determine which clinician may be the best fit.
Will my child have to talk about difficult experiences?
Children are not expected to communicate in the same way adults do. Depending on the treatment approach, your child may use play, art, stories, games, movement, or other creative methods to express themselves. Your therapist will proceed at a pace that considers your child’s needs, readiness, and sense of safety.
Will I know what happens during my child’s sessions?
Your therapist will communicate with you about treatment goals, general progress, recommendations, and ways you can support your child. At the same time, children need an appropriate level of privacy to build trust and engage honestly in therapy. Your therapist will explain how information will be shared and the limits of confidentiality.
How long will my child need therapy?
The length of treatment varies based on your child’s concerns, goals, developmental needs, family involvement, consistency in attendance, and response to therapy. Your therapist will regularly assess progress and discuss recommendations with you.
Do you work with parents and caregivers?
Yes. Caregiver involvement is often an important part of child therapy. We may provide caregiver consultations, parenting support, family sessions, or caregiver-child services depending on your family’s needs.
Do you accept insurance?
Common Spring Therapy Group accepts a variety of insurance plans. Coverage varies by therapist, and acceptance of an insurance plan does not guarantee coverage for a particular service. Our office can help you identify potential therapist options, but we encourage families to verify mental health benefits directly with their insurance provider.
Where are you located?
Common Spring Therapy Group is located at: 200 E. Main Street, Suite 230 Midland, Michigan 48640
We are located on the second floor of the Tri-Star Trust Building. Access to the second-floor suites is on the side of the building off McDonald Street.
Help Your Child Find Their Common Spring
You do not have to wait until your child’s struggles become overwhelming to ask for support. Whether your child is experiencing anxiety, intense emotions, behavioral concerns, trauma, grief, school difficulties, or a major life transition, our team is here to help your family understand what may be happening beneath the surface.
Complete our contact form to tell us what brings you to therapy. We will help you explore available options and determine which Common Spring therapist may be the best fit for your child and family.
Common Spring Therapy Group, PLLC
200 E. Main Street, Suite 230 Midland, MI 48640
(989) 402-3340
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