Counseling

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In an effort to provide comprehensive, client centered services, Continuum provides mental health counseling services. These services include individual and family therapy as well as parent coaching. Services can be provided alone or in collaboration with the ABA provider to ensure that continuity of care is provided.

Individual services for children address the emotional needs of children navigating various diagnoses including, Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental disabilities, and mental health diagnosis such as ADD/ADHD, Depression, Anxiety and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. Therapists are additionally trained in trauma and attachment to provide appropriate interventions for children and families.

Counseling services support the family unit and can be provided to siblings to help support understanding around diagnosis and behaviors. Family therapy honors each individual family’s goals and culture. Sessions can be provided in a way that feels most supportive to your child and your family, including in our office setting, the home environment, and/or electronically over a secure website.

Mental health conditions can present as:

• Anxiety
• Behavioral issues
• Depression
• Developmental disorders
• Family conflict
• Intellectual disability
• Learning disabilities
• Obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD)
• Parenting
• School issues
• Self-esteem
• Self-harm
• Suicidal ideation

Most children with Autism Spectrum Disorder will receive another diagnosis at some point (statistics report 70%), with anxiety related diagnoses being most common.

Skills addressed include:

• Independence
• Conflict resolution skills
• Self-advocacy
• Self confidence
• Improved family relationships
• Communication skills
• Decreased aggression
• Increased self-regulation, ability to self-soothe

Therapeutic Services:

Therapy skills are taught and practiced to support your child’s ability to function and be successful in multiple environments, the therapy office, your home, school and the community. We provide evidence based therapeutic interventions individualized to meet your child’s needs.

Our approaches to therapy include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): an evidenced based treatment that looks at thoughts, feelings and behaviors. By increasing the understanding of how you see and understand the world, the ways that you speak to yourself, behaviors can shift.
• Emotionally focused: services can be provided to couples, siblings, parent-child and/or family to address connecting to each other’s emotions and needs versus behaviors that may be preventing positive interactions.
• Family/marital: services can be provided to the individual child, adult and/or members of the family, or a combination of both. Sessions aim to increase everyone’s understanding of any diagnoses, increase positive communication strategies and allow for connection and increased relational reward.
• Play therapy: children most learn through play. Sessions can use play to practice social skills, identify feelings, and work through big emotions.
• Strength-Based: treatment goals are identified by the family and the therapist is committed to building off the skills the family already possesses. Progress should be clearly defined, connected to sessions and reviewed regularly. Therapy is a commitment and definable progress is essential.
• Trauma Focused: screening regarding trauma occurs for clients to ensure that services are appropriate and trauma informed. Traumatic events can change our perception of the world. Therapeutic services can be helpful in processing the event and creating meaning.

Interested in learning more? Please contact Alisha Peterson at apeterson@autismspectrumalliance.com or 303.225.7673. Our team can provide initial phone screening to determine if services are the right fit.

After an initial screening, additional information may be required such as copies of insurance cards. An in-person intake will occur with individual or parent(s) to identify treatment goals after authorization for services has been received.