You may have a number of questions about what to expect from us and what to expect from treatment at our clinic. Your child may have already received multiple diagnoses, or tried multiple treatments. This can be confusing and frustrating when all you want is for your child to be well.

We try to avoid getting caught up in specific diagnoses, but instead focus on symptoms specific to each of our patients. We offer hybrid approaches to treatment to meet individual needs. We invite you to contact our patient intake team to learn more about our services and to make an appointment. We look forward to meeting you and your child.

The Early Life Stress and Resilience Program emphasizes the importance of clinical-research integration aimed at advancing knowledge in our field and providing state-of-the-art care. Empirically-supported assessment and intervention are at the core of our clinical services, which aim to further ELSRP’s mission to develop processes (based in models of precision medicine) that tailor interventions to individual patient needs and regularly monitor treatment outcomes.  Understanding the critical role of prevention and early intervention in the lives of children who struggle with stress, anxiety, and trauma, guides our policy and education efforts.

Evidence-based child anxiety psychotherapy interventions cover exposure-based CBT for GAD, separation anxiety, specific phobias, selective mutism, and panic disorder, as well as exposure-response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD and specialized interventions such as habit reversal training (HRT) for trichotillomania, and comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT). In addition, the ELSRP Clinic provides evidence-based treatment for children exposed to trauma, including, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and cue-centered treatment (CCT), an evidence-based treatment program designed by Dr. Carrion to treat children with repeated trauma exposure.

Specialized programs for preschool-aged children with disruptive behavioral difficulties (young children (0-5) with histories of trauma and other emotional and behavioral difficulties), include cognitive behavioral play therapy and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

Psychopharmacological services are also provided within our clinic, often as an adjunct to psychotherapy.

Parent Skills Training

This treatment program is based on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a scientifically-supported approach for 2- to 7-year-old children exhibiting significant disruptive behaviors, such as throwing toys and refusing to follow parent direction. PCIT supports the development of a healthy parent-child relationship and empowers parents to use consistent, predictable, effective parenting strategies.  

What to expect

Treatment generally consists of 12 to 20 weekly, hour-long sessions. Early sessions provide parents with an introduction to tecniques used. Subsequent sessions involve live coaching of parent-child interactions. Through a one-way mirror and an audio transmitter worn in the parent's ear, the therapist gives ongoing coaching, advice, and encouragement while the parent interacts with his or child. New skills are thus practiced, reviewed, and mastered in the office. Home practice sessions of 5 to 15 minutes daily are a critical part of the treatment. Therapists review parents’ experiences of home-practice at each treatment session and help troubleshoot any difficulties.

What do parents learn in the sessions?

Parents learn to increase their positive attention when their child's behavior is appropriate and to use differential attention to reduce minor negative behaviors. Parents also learn a specific time-out procedure to use when their child does not comply with a command or demonstrates other rule-breaking behaviors (e.g., back talking, hitting a sibling).

For a complete list of resources and reading lists please download our Clinic Resource PDF