Dr. Jeremy Mintz

Services for Children and Families

There are few things as troubling as seeing signs of emotional and behavioral challenges in one’s own child. Such a situation usually creates stress for the whole family. You, as a parent or other primary caregiver, may even feel that you are completely at the end of your rope, as all you want to do is help your little one but nothing seems to work. Child therapy can be an invaluable resource for families who are finding it hard to cope with raising a child who might have a unique set of needs compared with most other kids.

As a child therapist for kids ages 5 and up, I tailor the therapy to meeting children wherever they are in their development. Typically, this involves at least some elements of play therapy. Children express a lot about whatever is most salient to them emotionally through their play and the stories that their imaginative minds create. In my approach, I both participate in and observe children’s play to pick up the communications that get to the heart of the things that are weighing on them. With that understanding, I collaborate with parents and other caregivers to adapt the home environment in a way that will be best suited to that child’s particular needs. I also collaborate with school staff when challenges are showing up in academic settings, as well as with other professionals who may be supporting the child, including speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and other medical providers.

Issues I work with kids and families to address include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Emotional and behavioral dysregulation

• Underdeveloped social skills

• Sensory processing challenges

• Mild autism

• Fearfulness and anxiety

Services for Teens 

Adolescence is often a challenging, tumultuous time for young people and their parents, alike. While teenagers are ready for more autonomy and independence, they still need guidance and limits. This can create difficult impasses between parents and children. Plus, teenagers are having to navigate choices around identity, sexuality, social belonging, school, drug use . . . it's no wonder that they sometimes struggle to cope. 

While limit-setting is important, what I consistently find is that teenagers are needing to feel listened to and understood on their own terms. Even if they at first don't want to set foot in a therapy office, with a little time a relationship can get established in which they become more comfortable with their own vulnerabilities. They can better accept and acknowledge ways they actually feel unprepared and scared about all the new challenges they are faced with, without worrying that their budding autonomy will be undermined. This then puts them in a better position to learn and grow, as it fosters more humility and paves the way for truer confidence.  

In my role as therapist, I aim to develop relationships with teens in which they feel they have an ally and a helpful guide in navigating their developmental tasks. Issues I help teenagers with include: 

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Social Isolation

• Drug and alcohol use

• Academic challenges

• Gender and sexuality 

• Bullying

• Body image 

• Reactions to family discord

• Bereavement

• Internet and video game habits