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Child and FamilyTherapy ClinicWe are all born with great potential.Shouldn’t we all have the chance to achieve it?1
Clinic OverviewDivorces, deaths, moves, job losses, academic struggles and other major lifechanges can cause serious disruptions to a child’s sense of security and stability.Such disruption can result in emotional and behavioral difficulties for thechild and for other family members. These difficulties can exacerbate a child’spredisposition to anxiety and depression, among other possible emotionaldisorders. The mission of the Child and Family Therapy Clinic at KennedyKrieger Institute is to assess and provide treatment for these individual andfamily problems.2
The Child and Family Therapy ClinicAs part of the Behavioral PsychologyDepartment at Kennedy Krieger, the Childand Family Therapy Clinic includes licensedpsychologists, psychological associatesand affiliated staff with expertise in familytherapy, individual therapy and grouptherapy using a variety of empirically-basedinterventions. We also specialize in schoolrelated issues.Our clinicians work to improve familyissues and to provide therapy for childrenwith emotional and behavioral difficulties.Clinic staff work with many types offamilies, including those dealing withseparation, divorce, stepparenting andblended families, as well as intact familiesexperiencing conflict.In addition to working directly with families,we also collaborate with schools, day carecenters, pediatricians, psychiatrists and stateagencies to ensure that our patients haveaccess to all of the services they need.“Our therapist is always professional andmakes me a part of the improvementprocess for my child. She gives goodadvice and always asks what do I feel orthink before trying a new method.”– Parent3
Our Treatment ServicesOur methods emphasize working with the entire family to address behavioraland emotional problems which impact the positive functioning of the person’slife as well as the lives of their family. We also provide individual therapy tocomplement family therapy. This therapy focuses on issues that may be moreresponsive to one-on-one therapy, and can specifically target and treat concernsbetter addressed with the patient. For parents, we focus on behavior andstress management; solution-basedstrategies focusing on the family andpatient strengths; developing a more“user friendly” and comprehensiveunderstanding of the difficulties thefamily and patient are experiencing;and education in child and adolescentdevelopment and disorders. Our familyfocused interventions further incorporatecognitive-behavioral techniquesdeveloped specifically to target parentchild conflict, working toward enhancingcommunication, and improving thequality of parent-child relationships.4
We provide various evidence-basedapproaches including cognitive behavioraltherapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy(DBT) and acceptance and commitmenttherapy (ACT) to help individuals learntechniques involved in appropriatecommunication and problem-solving;prosocial behavior; compliance withrules; anger and stress management; andimproving peer and family relationships.In addition, our approaches incorporateaspects of applied behavior analysis fora wide range of presenting concernsto help individuals replace unhealthycoping strategies with more adaptiveskills for regulating their behavior andemotions. Our therapeutic approachesare applicable to a wide range of mentalhealth diagnoses and are applied in aflexible manner in collaboration with the entire family. Because many behavioraland emotional problems or disorders affect a child’s life at school, our teamprovides collaborative assistanceto teachers and school systemsto address patients’ behavioral,emotional and academic concerns.Issues related to bullying and otherpeer relationship difficulties haveescalated over the years. Manymore children, teens and youngadults struggle with depression,anxiety, school refusal and traumaresulting from these problems.We provide individual, family andgroup therapy to empower thosebeing bullied with the skills neededto increase self-esteem, managepeer relationships in a healthierand more positive manner, andbuild relationships.5
Our clinic provides brief psychological assessments to improve understandingof the social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive difficulties that mightinterfere with a child’s success in everyday life. These assessments also providestandardized information to better inform caregivers of their child’s individualstrengths and how to use these strengths to overcome challenges, and to adaptand thrive in the best possible ways.We assist children and their families who have endured stressful events.These events can range from loss or change of a primary caregiver to a familymember being diagnosed with a life-changing illness, witnessing the death ofa loved one, witnessing community or domestic violence, being involved in anargumentative separation or divorce of the child’s parents, or experiencing aneglectful or impoverished home life. Furthermore, children in military familiesface many unique stressors, and our clinicians have specialized military culturalcompetence training to ensure our therapeutic providers understand uniqueaspects of military life which can be a source of both stress and resilience forfamilies. We provide individual and family therapy to help children navigatethrough these difficult times by learning to problem-solve, more effectivelyunderstand and interpret social and emotional cues, cope, build resiliency, andovercome the emotional impact of these events.Diagnoses Served Adjustment disorder Impulsive control disorder Anxiety disorders Mood disturbances Attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD) Oppositional defiant disorder Conduct disorder Reactive attachment disorder Depression and bipolar disorder Disruptive behavior disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder Separation anxiety disorder“Our therapist rocks! We’ve been toother therapists in the past but this is thefirst time that everyone likes and respectsher. We are making some progress!”– Parent6
Behavior and Emotional Problems Addressed Academic underachievement Noncompliance at home or school Adjustment difficulties (e.g., schoolchange, divorce, death, etc.) Parent-child conflict andrelationship issues Aggression Phobias and fears Anger School behavior problems Anxiety (separation, school refusal,social, generalized) School refusal Attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD) Sibling conflict Bedwetting Blended family issues Bullying and harassment issues Co-parenting issues Curfew violations Dysfunctional family relationships Emotion regulation difficulties, whichmay include self-harming behaviors Grief counseling Impulse control Inappropriate sexual behavior Mood disturbances School suspensions and truancy Social skills deficits, whichmay include:- Deficits in understandingand recognizing emotions- Difficulty understandingothers’ perspectives- Difficulty interpretingsocial cues- Impairment in socialcommunication Tantrums Trauma Trichotillomania7
Contact InformationTo make a referral or to schedule an appointment with theChild and Family Therapy Clinic, please call 443-923-7508 orMaryland Relay 711.Referral specialists are available:Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Clinic hours:Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Clinic locations:Aliceanna Clinic720 Aliceanna Street2nd FloorBaltimore, MD 21202Columbia Clinic9810 Patuxent Woods DriveSuite JColumbia, MD 21046Fairmount Clinic1750 E. Fairmount AvenueBaltimore, MD 21231Odenton Clinic1132 Annapolis Road, Suite 200Odenton, MD 21113Program DirectorGina Richman, PhDKennedyKrieger.orgKennedy Krieger Institute recognizes and respects the rights of patients and their families andtreats them with courtesy and dignity. Kennedy Krieger Institute provides care that preservescultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and preferences. Care is free fromdiscrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mentaldisability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression includingtransgender. We encourage patients and families to become active partners in their care by askingquestions, seeking resources, and advocating for the services and support they need. 2/2017 2017, Kennedy Krieger Institute8All photographs being used are for illustrative purposes only, and any person shown is a model.
As part of the Behavioral Psychology Department at Kennedy Krieger, the Child and Family Therapy Clinic includes licensed psychologists, psychological associates and affiliated staff with expertise in family therapy, individual therapy and group therapy using a variety of empirically-based interventions. We also specialize in school-related issues.
