Gwynedd Psychological Services offers creative counseling services for children of all ages. What sets our child & adolescent therapy apart, is that we embrace the power of parents to help their children to engage in positive friendships and family relationships, to be academically successful, to be motivated to make healthy choices, and to be resilient to the challenges of childhood and adolescence.

Our trained practitioners develop individualized treatment goals to focus on a variety of issues including:

anxiety disorder treatment and therapy

ADHD

Family and sibling conflicts

Low motivation

Depression

Social skills

School/peer struggles& peer pressure

Behavioral issues

Our unique approach encourages the parents to play an integral role in your child’s or adolescent’s therapy. We believe the relationship that develops between the therapist and the client is crucial to the healing process. We strive to help the child or adolescent feel comfortable, safe, and understood. Establishing a trusting environment allows the child to express his/her thoughts and feelings and to become more engaged in the therapy.

We encourage the child’s emotional and physical well being, academic achievement, and social competency. We use a variety of methods to help children and adolescents resolve conflicts in their relationships with others, understand feelings and problems, and try out new solutions to old problems. Our specialized techniques are tailored to be age-appropriate to the individual child or teen.

Our therapeutic techniques encompass an integrative approach that may include play therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, social skills training, behavior modification, self-regulation, and attentional skill development. Parenting education and involvement is paramount. Our goals for therapy may be specific (change in behavior, improved relations with friends or family), or more general (less anxiety, better self-esteem) depending on the needs of the child.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders in Children?

During childhood, many children and teens experience some form of anxiety. It is usually a temporary and harmless phase. But for children and teens who suffer from an anxiety disorder their emotions are not a phase.

Over the course of time they may begin to exhibit symptoms of nervousness, fear, shyness, and seek ways to consciously avoid situations that they associate with these feelings.

Common Types of Anxiety in Kids Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents can come in many forms and be expressed in a variety of settings, situations and intensity. Some children experience excessive worry that can interfere with daily activities as well as changes in their overall mood and relationships. In children and adolescents, the feelings of anxiety may manifest physically in the form of headaches or stomach aches. In some cases a child may even become physically ill to avoid participation in the anxiety inducing activities, which in turn reinforces the anxiety and creates a vicious cycle of anxiety, illness, and avoidance.

Social Anxiety

Some children have a fear or discomfort to social situations that can be associated with a preoccupation with other’s judgment or opinions as well as a fear of rejection by peers.

School Anxiety

Children may experience a refusal to go to school or stay in school for the entire day. There can be a great deal of anxiety or stress related to the school work and expectations from teachers and peers. Separating from parents can contribute to school refusal as well.

Separation Anxiety

Children can experience difficulty or excessive anxiety separating from the parent or caregiver.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This can be characterized by excessive thoughts that can elicit fear or worry and can be relieved with repetitive behaviors. Symptoms can include excessive washing, preoccupation with thoughts or ritualistic behaviors.

Health/Body Concerns

Some children experience anxiety over their own health as well as the health of loved ones. Children can also focus on specific body image and perceived flaws.

Test Anxiety

Children with test anxiety experience excessive worry surrounding taking tests even when preparing for an exam.

Peer/Bullying Concerns

Children experience anxiety when relationships with peers are strained. Children who are the target of aggressive behaviors from peers can also develop anxiety.

Anxiety Stemming From Changes in Family Dynamics & Divorce

Anxiety as well as fear and confusion can be associated with divorce. Families undergoing any life changing events such as separation, death, move or loss of job can result in some anxiety for family members.

Panic Attacks

Children with panic attacks experience intense fear and anxiety that can appear suddenly having been triggered by a situation or other source and is associated with intense physical symptoms.

Treating Children With Anxiety Disorders

At Gwynedd Psychological Services, we have highly trained expertise in helping children and their parents identify and resolve the underlying stressors associated with the anxious feelings. This may also include determining if there are any other underlying internal causes of stress. In many cases, anxiety disorders also co-occur with other disorders including ADHD and ADD, depression, and eating disorders. Therapy is specifically tailored to the needs of your child. He/she will learn coping strategies and relaxation techniques to help alleviate the anxiety.

Our child psychologists utilize cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, and a very important approach- the positive influence of the parents! We are unique in our treatment of your child’s anxious feelings. We involve the mother and father in many aspects of the counseling. As symptoms resolve, the underlying issues can be understood and addressed by the parents. Our collaboration with parents is paramount to the successful resolution of the anxiety and to your child’s happiness.

Some Common Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Concerns in Children and Adolescents

Examples of behavioral concerns in children and adolescents include:

Crying easily, being irritable, or struggling to self-soothe.

Having difficulty managing daily age-appropriate tasks (e.g., brushing teeth; taking baths; organizing oneself).

Having potty training, sleeping, and/or eating issues.

Being oppositional towards peers and adults.

Having problems relating to peers.

Having trouble separating from his/her parents.

Being easily distractible and hyperactive.

Having low self-esteem

Restricting food intake, binging, and/or purging behaviors.

Lacking the motivation to complete school work, engage in extra-curricular activities, or family events.

Children that present with any of these social, emotional, or behavioral concerns often begin to have problems at home, school, and/or in the community and can be challenging for parents and/or teachers.

Diagnosing Behavioral Problems

At Gwynedd Psychological Services, we administer a comprehensive clinical interview with the child, parents, and collaborate with other supportive adults such as teachers, primary care physicians, or psychiatrists in order to accurately assess the child’s or adolescent’s specific social, emotional, and/or behavioral concerns. We take an integrative approach to providing therapy for children and adolescents. Specifically, we pinpoint areas in the child/ adolescent’s life that have become particularly problematic and use active, collaborative problem-solving to find solutions to a myriad of concerns, such as homework non-compliance, separation anxiety, meltdowns, and sleep difficulties.

Management & Treatment of Behavioral Issues

We also incorporate cognitive-behavioral techniques, play/art therapy, behavioral management strategies, and family systems treatment modalities to promote change. We encourage growth by understanding the child’s unique needs with “empathy beyond expectation.” In other words, we strive to help children and their families feel completely understood and non-judgmentally accepted, regardless of their concerns.

Additionally, we support children’s abilities to step out of their comfort zones and try uncomfortable, new things at their own pace. We empower and teach parents calm, firm disciplining techniques which stop power struggles, reduce meltdowns, and improve parent-child relationships.

We believe in the individual’s capacity for growth and change through therapy. Our therapists will help you to gain a better understanding of yourself and your relationships. Through individual therapy, you can discover ways to better enjoy life and to cope with life’s daily demands.

Our therapeutic approaches to individual therapy and counseling are client specific and consist of a variety of techniques, such as cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, and mindfulness strategies. We focus on your specific goals for therapy, addressing the main issues that you share with us. We embrace your existing strengths while also supporting you as you begin to explore problems that have affected you.

Our therapists are highly trained to help you resolve life, career, family, and relationship difficulties or transitions. Some issues we address are:

overcoming depression

coping with anxiety and stress

chronic pain

weight management

trauma

creating intimacy and trust

strengthening self-esteem

developing healthy boundaries

dealing with grief, loss, loneliness

resolving career conflicts

anger management

learning effective communication

developing your ability to express healthy emotions

working through midlife crises

exploring purpose, meaning, spiritual growth

The goal of Goldman Psychological Services’ couples therapy and counseling is to help couples rekindle the spark that they felt when they were newly in love. We help partners understand their own triggers that interfere with their ability to effectively communicate and re-establish the positive feeling they had towards their spouse.

During our marriage counseling sessions, when appropriate, each individual within a couple explores old family of origin issues that may contribute to conflicts within the couple.

We strive to bring fun back into the relationship! Specifically, our treatment approach with couples includes therapy as well as the use of relationship inventories to assess a broad range of issues that may be influencing satisfaction in a relationship. We specialize in helping couples in pre-marital and marital relationships.

What is Marriage Counseling?

Marriage counseling is a form of couples therapy for couples who may be thinking about divorce or separation. The goal of couples counseling is to create a safe environment where both individuals can find positive ways to reconnect and repair their relationship. During this time, the marriage counselor will also help each person grow individually by focusing on self-improvement and self-awareness.

Many couples seek the help of a couples’ therapist to deal with issues including:

Infidelity, cheating or adultery from one or both people in the relationship.

Significant changes in a couples sexual relationship and habits.

Overcoming traumatic events, such as the loss of a child.

Conflict resolution to resolve recurring disagreements.

Financial stress, such as disagreements relating to shared finances or debt.

Changes to the relationship after having children.

What Can I Expect During Couples Counseling?

Over the course of several sessions, we will work with you and your partner to help the two of you discover what the issues in your marriage are by analyzing both the good and bad parts of your relationship. During this time, you will learn new ways to positively communicate, problem solve, negotiate your differences and overcome the obstacles negatively impacting your relationship.

What Are Benefits of Marriage Counseling?

At our facility in Ambler, PA we offer couples therapy as a way for individuals to learn and grow while learning to understand themselves and their partners. Some of the benefits you can expect from marriage counseling sessions at Gwynedd Psychological Services are:

Promotes healing from marital trauma

Increased emotional/sexual intimacy

Learn how to effectively communicate

Objective problem solving

Eliminate unnecessary arguments

Strengthen the marriage bond

When Should I Seek Marriage Counseling?

If you feel that the communication has broken down and taken on a negative or hostile tone and the fights seem endless, call us today (215) 628-0994, to see if couples counseling is right for you and your partner.

Item descriptionFamily relationships can be both rewarding and stressful. Our therapists at Goldman Psychological Services recognize the difficulties that families encounter and support families during these trying times. Therefore, families can sometimes get stuck in patterns that create conflicts.

Through a supportive relationship with the therapist, the family members learn how to communicate with each other so they can express their thoughts and feelings as well as effectively resolve problems. Specifically, the family therapy we provide addresses many specific issues, such as marital and financial problems, step-family dynamics, conflict between parents and children, and the effects of individual struggles (depression, anxiety, etc.) that affect the entire family.

Family roles, rules, and behavior patterns may be explored in order to identify issues that contribute to conflict, as well as ways to work through these issues. Our goal in family therapy is to help the family learn new ways to interact and overcome unhealthy patterns of relating to each other.

ItAt Goldman Psychological Services our comprehensive psycho-educational testing can help answer the questions about an individual’s cognitive, academic, attentional, or social/emotional functioning that may be affecting academic achievement, level of motivation, behavioral issues, or interpersonal relationships. 

Our testing addresses the following areas: 

Attention Disorders 

Emotional and Behavioral concerns 

Private School Admissions Testing 

Learning Problems 

Testing Procedures 

We will schedule usually one to two visits to our office depending on the amount of time required to complete the testing process 

The testing procedure may include all or some of the following  

Parent Interview: This will be the first appointment and we will ask about your child’s developmental history and current functioning. 

Clinical Interview: This involves assessing general appearance and behavior, mood and affect, perception, comprehension, orientation, insight, memory, content of communication, and description of symptoms.  

Observation: If possible, we may observe your child in a setting with other children (school/pre-school) or at our office during testing sessions. 

Rating Scales/Questionnaires: We ask caregivers and teachers to complete a number of questionnaires that help in diagnosis of ADHD (Conners’ Rating Scales), Executive functioning difficulties (BRIEF), Social/Emotional issues (BASC, Achenbach Scales, Beck Inventories), and Autism Spectrum Disorders (GADS and GARS). 

Assessments: Intelligence testing and school readiness assessments (WISC-IV, WPPSI-III, WAIS-IV), Achievement tests (WIAT-II), Personality testing (Rorschach, TAT, MACI, PDQ-4, House-Tree-Person 

Testing Feedback 

When we are finished, you will meet with us and receive a comprehensive written report with many recommendations for home and school. We may consult with schools, physicians, and any other professionals to collaborate and discuss the strategies that will benefit your child. We may go to school meetings and coordinate our services with your child’s school to maximize your child’s potential. When necessary, we advocate on behalf of the child and family to receive accommodations (e.g., extended time on tests) within the school setting. em description

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of issues, such as impulsive behavior, difficulty concentrating and lack of attention to details, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.

Children and adolescents with ADHD also may struggle with low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance in school. Symptoms can diminish with age, however, some individuals never completely outgrow their ADHD .

There are three primary characteristics ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder): Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity.

Symptoms of inattention include:

Doesn’t pay attention to details or makes careless mistakes

Has trouble staying focused; is easily distracted

Appears not to listen when spoken to

Has difficulty remembering things and following instructions

Has trouble staying organized, planning ahead, and finishing projects

Frequently loses or misplaces homework, books, toys, or other items

Symptoms of impulsivity in children:

Blurts out answers without waiting to be called on hear the whole question

Has difficulty waiting for his or her turn

Often interrupts others

Intrudes on other people’s conversations or games

Inability to keep powerful emotions in check, resulting in angry outbursts or temper tantrums

Identifying ADHD in Children

We use a variety of tools to assess ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults. We provide a thorough clinical interview with the child, parents, and any other adults such as teachers, primary care physicians, or mental health professionals, conduct in-school observations, and administer scales that assess aspects of cognitive functioning, memory functioning, executive/attention functioning, and emotional/social functioning. When warranted or requested, we also administer scales related to academic functioning and projective testing to assess personality characteristics in order to rule out attention difficulties that are better accounted for by trauma, intrusive thoughts, learning difficulties, developmental delays/autism, anxiety, and/or depression.

We accommodate families’ busy lives by testing children on days off/weekends when necessary and break up the testing administrations into multiple, more manageable sessions. Our feedback sessions strive to provide comprehensive, clear explanations of results to family members. We also welcome collaboration with schools, tutors, therapeutic treatment team members, primary care physicians, and psychiatrists in order to provide continuous care for our clients.

Treatment of ADHD

Once a diagnosis of ADHD is established, therapy for behavioral management of the ADHD is recommended and medication can, at times, also be a useful tool to improve attention difficulties. We educate parents and children on specific strategies to improve the impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention associated with ADHD at home, school, and during extra-curricular activities/social gatherings/places of worship. A crucial component to the treatment of ADHD is the individual’s acceptance of the diagnosis so he/she recognizes the need to implement new behavioral patterns in his/her life. For example, when a person with ADHD acknowledges poor time management skills, the person can feel less frustrated by accepting the ADHD wiring in the brain and more willing to use a strategy like putting a reminder in his/her phone and having a plan to judge how many activities he/she can feasibly do to arrive on time to an appointment.

Goldman Psychological Services offers psychological testing to assess any of the following areas:

Comprehensive interview to gather information regarding the individual’s developmental milestones, social functioning, emotional functioning, family of origin, academic achievement, work history, review of previous reports/testing results, health concerns, substance use, and identifying strengths/limitations.

Cognitive functioning measures to assess verbal and nonverbal skills, processing speed, and working memory.

Memory functioning measures to assess verbal immediate/delayed memory, visual immediate/delayed memory, working memory/auditory processing, attention, and some optional tests.

Academic functioning measures assess reading achievement, math achievement, writing skills, and oral skills.

Executive functioning/attention functioning measures assess various abilities, such as transitioning from activity to activity, capacity to control impulses, and inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Emotional/social functioning measures to assess emotional concerns (e.g., anxiety/depression, oppositional behaviors), social skill strengths (e.g., leadership qualities) and limitations (e.g., difficulty joining groups, social anxiety, etc.), personality characteristics (e.g., introverted or extroverted), and any additional concerns that impact the person’s life (e.g., sensory difficulties).

The psychological testing provided by GPS offer a complete picture of the various aspects of a person. Individuals who receive this testing often times feel relieved that they can better understand their strengths and limitations and have list of recommendations to help them be happier, more academically capable, more successful in personal and professional relationships, and have more perspective on how to bring better balance into their lives.