About the Center
The Center is committed to an approach to therapy that deals with underlying causes of problems and that assists children and adolescents to create a strong psychological foundation for ongoing development. The Center's services are based on psychoanalytic principles that address the complex emotional life of children and adolescents. Psychoanalytic therapy offers a way to address the fundamental factors that affect emotional well-being.
When parents contact the Center for help, an assessment is made to determine the nature of the problems and to establish a treatment plan based on this evaluation. Often, this plan includes a form of psychotherapy. It may include other interventions that supplement therapy. Adjunctive therapies, such as medication, are used conservatively as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
The foundation of therapy is the relationship with a trusted, specially trained therapist who can help young people deal with the causes of distress and help them acquire the psychological skills to cope more adaptively in the future. Young children often communicate through play; older children and adolescents may prefer talk. The goal is to create a situation in which children can express themselves fully in order to develop self-understanding and new, lasting changes in emotional states and behavior. Psychotherapy with children and adolescents is a collaborative endeavor with parents or caregivers. Typically, there are regularly scheduled consultations with parents to discuss progress and focus on their concerns about the child.
Director of the Center
The Center's Director is Erika Schmidt, LCSW. Ms. Schmidt is a graduate of the Institute's Psychoanalytic Education Program and the Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program. She has 30 years of experience providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and parents.
