Children and Counseling

When families are experiencing relational distress, children are often the ones affected the most, as they have less ability to process and regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. We are happy to provide counseling services to children as young as 2 or 3 years old. We find that children are helped the most when the parents maintain an active role in the therapy process, including attending sessions with and without the child.

Play Therapy is an evidence-based counseling approach that allows children to safely explore their life challenges, problem solving skills, and emotional regulation skills in the form of playful expression. Play Therapy is important for children as they are less skilled in their linguistic acquisition or critical thinking abilities. Play Therapy promotes self-esteem, problem solving abilities, resilience, and healthier emotional regulation within children. Rachel O’Neal offers play therapy at Hill City. She has completed the required classroom training to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) and is currently awaiting for the board’s approval. For more information on Play Therapy, please visit the Association for Play Therapy website at https://www.a4pt.org/.

Please let us know when scheduling your first appointment that you desire counseling for a minor; this will help us connect you with our counselors who are experienced in this area. Virginia laws provide special provisions for the confidentiality of minors and for the rights of parents.

If we will be counseling a minor without a parent or guardian in the room, we will review these provisions with you and complete the appropriate forms. Our goal in these cases is to maximize trust with all parties and minimize surprises as we comply with state law.