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I am looking for a developmental psychologist/pediatrician or therapist to evaluate and treat my son, who is showing signs of OCD and other anxiety problems, as well as angry outbursts when he doesn't get his way. He is taking Ritalin for ADD (attention- type) and sees Dr. Landman in Orinda. While I think the Ritalin is helping him with the attention problem, his anxiety is creating almost daily problems now, and Dr. Landman always seems rushed and unsympathetic to anything more than a cursory discussion of his problems when he sees him. We would especially like names of therapists in the East Bay. desperate mom
My 9 year old son needs a therapist for anxiety/grief. I would like to find someone in the Albany, Berkeley or El Cerrito area. I have been given the following names by our insurance. Please let me know your experiences with these people and if you have others to recommend. Leni Siegel, Robeta Stern, Roberta Schear, Richard Bloom, Meshulam Plaves. OK to email privately. Sue
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Frustrated, discouraged and scared from trying--without much progress--to work out behavior issues with one of my children, I need professional help. We have mental health coverage through our insurance, Pacificare. I've reviewed the archives and have found that none of the recommended therapists are listed with Pacificare. Am I delusional to think that I can find a ''good'' therapist who will accept my insurance? Can anyone make a recommendation for such a therapist or help me navigate this unfamiliar road? Many thanks, in advance, for any advice you can offer. stumped mom
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Can anyone recommend a child psychologist who works with preschool age children? My son may have Oppositional Defiant Disorder, so we are trying to find someone who can work with us to confirm diagnosis and plan treatment. We have called a number of folks in the area already, but they no longer take preschool-age children (VERY frustrating!) Any information would be extremely helpful.
Recommendations received:
Other advice: If you need a psychologist (vs. a child therapist) I know of two places which do psychological assessments and treatment planning:
As they work specifically with children, I am assuming they will assess and treat preschool aged children.
If, after the assessment, you are in need of an experienced
play therapist who enjoys working with
preschoolers, I'd be happy to talk with you.
I wish you much luck in finding help for your child and family.
Laurie E. Werbner, psychotherapist (and mom) 548-6547
It's hard for me to be specific without knowing more, but in general I have to say that I can't think of a child psychologist to recommend. We've had experiences with several psychologists, because we have two children who needed diagnosis and treatment as preschoolers. Networking with other parents of high-needs kids, I've also heard of other therapists. The psychologists we went to looked at the problems psychologically and tried to find explanations in the child's past experiences, family dynamics, etc. The solutions they proposed were a kind of good, conventional wisdom -- which is fine if you have a conventional child. In our case(s), there were biological factors that the psychologists were not prepared to diagnose accurately, and the conventional wisdom failed because the children's neurological makeup did not allow them to respond conventionally. In fact, the conventional wisdom was counter-productive and the failure to diagnose correctly meant that we did not get effective help for the children in the early years when interventions are most effective.
My recommendation is to seek a neuropsychological assessment. A neuropsychologist will take a thorough look at psychological and biological factors. Often behavior issues are rooted in or complicated by biologically-based conditions, as with our child's aggression and oppositionality. A good place to start is the department of Neuropsychology Assessment at Children's Hospital Oakland. There are other recommendations on the website. How has your pediatrician responded? I had to reveal a lot of embarrassing detail to get our pediatrician's attention, but once I did she saw the seriousness of the issue and was very helpful with referrals and explaining the process. A neuropsych assessment is more expensive than a few visits to a psychologist, but our insurance covered most of it with the doctor's referral. Most important, an assessment is cheaper than years of unhelpful psychotherapy and can lead to great progress. A sympathetic mom
I am interested in finding help for my 4-year-old son. He is a bright, happy child when he is in familiar and comfortable situations. He plays well with other children one-on-one, but when faced with new situations, especially those involving groups of kids, he is unable to handle it. Typically, he withdraws and eventually has a meltdown involving screaming and crying - this occurs even if he is left alone to merely observe activities. I've tried gradual preparation for these situations, but that has had little effect in helping with his reaction to the situation. As a new school year approaches, I am becoming increasingly concerned about introducing him into a new preschool environment, even though the class has only 12 children and a calm, low-key environment. I am uncertain what kind of therapist could work with us to help him with this. Any recommendations would be helpful.
Recommendations received:
Can anyone recommend a child therapist to help us foster emotional/social growth in a preschooler with a 'communication handicap'? Barbara Kalmanson is not accepting new patients. Has anyone worked with Peter August or Rebecca Schwartz? We're thinking a 'floortime approach' would be most appropriate but are open to other alternatives. thank you
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I'm looking for someone who can work with an almost-5-year-old with issues of self-control, focus, tantrums, alone and/or with me, especially to build social skills for attendance at public kindergarten next fall. She is a high-energy and not super verbal child, so a play/art/physically oriented approach would probably work best. Or, if you know of someone not on the above list, please let me know; I'd be willing to spend my own $$ to work with someone really great. Thanks in advance.
Recommendations received:
Can anybody recommend a therapist/child psychologist who works with preschoolers (my son is just turning 5)? He has tantrums, has trouble with transitions and controlling his temper and it's causing some problems at school that we'd like to nip in the bud. Dana
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Last updated: Sep 29, 2007
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