Child Therapy in Maryland

When children are struggling, they do not always have the words to explain what is wrong. Anxiety, sadness, frustration, school stress, friendship problems, or changes within the family may show up through behavior, emotional outbursts, withdrawal, sleep difficulties, or physical complaints.

SoCo Counseling provides compassionate child therapy in Maryland, with both in-person counseling in Churchton, Maryland, and virtual therapy for families throughout the state.

Shakira Pierre-Louis is the primary therapist providing child counseling at SoCo Counseling. She works collaboratively with children and their caregivers to help children understand their emotions, develop healthy coping skills, and feel more confident navigating challenges at home, at school, and with others.

Request a Child Therapy Appointment

In-Person and Virtual Child Therapy

Every child and family has different needs. SoCo Counseling offers two ways to participate in child therapy:

In-Person Child Therapy in Churchton, Maryland

In-person child counseling is available at our office in Churchton, near Deale, Maryland. Our office serves families throughout Southern Anne Arundel County, Northern Calvert County, and surrounding communities.

Meeting in person can provide children with a comfortable space away from daily distractions. It also allows the therapist to incorporate age-appropriate conversation, games, creative activities, and therapeutic exercises into sessions.

Virtual Child Therapy Throughout Maryland

Virtual child therapy is available to eligible families across Maryland. Children can meet with their therapist through a secure video platform from a private and comfortable space at home.

Online counseling can be especially helpful for families managing school schedules, extracurricular activities, transportation concerns, or long travel distances.

The therapist will consider your child’s age, developmental needs, attention span, concerns, and ability to engage online when determining whether virtual therapy is appropriate.

Meet Shakira Pierre-Louis

Shakira Pierre-Louis is the primary child therapist at SoCo Counseling.

Shakira provides a warm, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment where children can feel comfortable being themselves. She understands that children often communicate through their behavior, play, creativity, and relationships before they are able to clearly explain what they are feeling.

Her approach is individualized to each child’s personality, developmental level, experiences, and treatment goals. Shakira also works with parents and caregivers to better understand the child’s needs and support progress outside of therapy.

Shakira may help children:

• Recognize and name their emotions

• Express feelings in healthier ways

• Manage worry and anxious thoughts

• Develop coping and calming strategies

• Improve confidence and self-esteem

• Strengthen communication skills

• Adjust to changes at home or school

• Develop healthier peer relationships

• Practice problem-solving skills

• Feel more secure, supported, and understood

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Reasons Parents Seek Child Therapy

Families may consider counseling when emotional or behavioral concerns begin affecting a child’s daily life, relationships, school experience, or overall well-being.

Child therapy may be helpful for concerns involving:

• Anxiety and excessive worry

• Emotional outbursts

• Difficulty managing frustration

• Sadness or withdrawal

• Low self-esteem

• School stress or school avoidance

• Friendship and peer difficulties

• Family conflict

• Separation or divorce

• Grief and loss

• Major life transitions

• Attention and executive functioning challenges

• Difficulty communicating feelings

• Changes in behavior, sleep, or routines

A child does not need to have a diagnosis to benefit from counseling. Therapy can also provide support during stressful transitions or when parents notice that their child is having a difficult time coping.

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Anxiety in Children

Anxiety can look different in children than it does in adults. A worried child may seek constant reassurance, avoid school or social situations, have difficulty separating from a caregiver, become irritable, or complain of headaches and stomachaches.

Children experiencing anxiety may also:

• Fear making mistakes

• Worry about something bad happening

• Have difficulty sleeping alone

• Avoid unfamiliar situations

• Become upset when routines change

• Struggle with perfectionism

• Experience frequent physical symptoms

• Have difficulty concentrating

Child therapy can help children understand how anxiety affects their thoughts, feelings, bodies, and behavior. They can also learn practical strategies for managing worry and approaching situations with greater confidence.

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Emotional Outbursts and Big Feelings

Children are still learning how to identify, express, and regulate emotions. When feelings become overwhelming, they may appear as tantrums, yelling, arguing, crying, shutting down, or refusing to participate.

Therapy can help children:

• Recognize emotional triggers

• Identify feelings before they become overwhelming

• Practice calming techniques

• Communicate needs more clearly

• Build frustration tolerance

• Solve problems more effectively

• Recover more quickly after difficult moments

Parents may also receive guidance for responding to strong emotions in ways that are supportive, consistent, and developmentally appropriate.​

School Stress and Academic Concerns

School can be a major source of stress for children. Academic expectations, classroom difficulties, testing, learning differences, changing routines, and worries about performance can affect a child’s confidence and emotional health.

Child counseling may support children experiencing:

• Test anxiety

• Perfectionism

• Difficulty concentrating

• School avoidance

• Low academic confidence

• Problems completing assignments

• Stress related to grades

• Difficulty adjusting to a new school

• Conflicts with teachers or classmates

Therapy can help children communicate what they are experiencing, develop coping strategies, and feel more confident handling school-related challenges.

Friendship and Social Difficulties

Friendships can have a significant effect on a child’s mood and self-esteem. Children may struggle with making friends, maintaining friendships, handling conflict, setting boundaries, or understanding social situations.

Therapy can provide support for children experiencing:

• Social anxiety

• Bullying or exclusion

• Friendship changes

• Difficulty joining groups

• Peer conflict

• Fear of rejection

• Trouble setting boundaries

• Difficulty understanding social cues

• Low confidence in social situations

Children can practice communication, problem-solving, perspective-taking, and healthy relationship skills in a supportive environment.​

Support for Family Changes

Changes within a family can be confusing and emotionally difficult for children. Even positive changes may require time and support.

Child therapy may help children adjust to:

• Parental separation or divorce

• Changes in custody or visitation

• Blended-family relationships

• Moving to a new home

• A new sibling

• Illness within the family

• A parent returning to work

• Deployment or extended separation

• The death of a loved one

• Other significant family transitions

Therapy gives children a place to express feelings they may not know how to discuss at home. It can also help parents understand how family changes may be affecting their child.

Low Self-Esteem and Confidence

Children with low self-esteem may avoid new activities, compare themselves to others, become highly upset by mistakes, or speak negatively about themselves.

Child counseling can help children:

• Identify personal strengths

• Develop more balanced self-talk

• Build confidence through manageable goals

• Learn that mistakes are part of growth

• Communicate needs and boundaries

• Feel more comfortable being themselves

Therapy focuses on helping the child develop a healthier and more compassionate understanding of themselves.

Attention and Executive Functioning Support

Children with attention or executive functioning challenges may have difficulty organizing tasks, following routines, shifting between activities, completing schoolwork, or managing frustration.

Counseling may help children and families develop practical strategies for:

• Managing transitions

• Following routines

• Breaking tasks into smaller steps

• Improving emotional regulation

• Communicating expectations

• Practicing problem-solving

• Building confidence

• Reducing conflict around responsibilities

Therapy does not replace academic testing or medication management, but it can support the emotional and behavioral challenges that may accompany attention difficulties.

What Happens During Child Therapy?

Child therapy looks different from adult therapy. Children may not spend an entire session sitting and talking about their feelings.

Depending on the child’s age and needs, sessions may include:

• Age-appropriate conversations

• Games and therapeutic activities

• Drawing or creative exercises

• Emotional-identification activities

• Coping-skills practice

• Mindfulness and grounding exercises

• Problem-solving activities

• Parent-child exercises

• Parent consultation and support

These activities help children express themselves, develop emotional awareness, and practice new skills in ways that feel comfortable and engaging.

The Role of Parents and Caregivers

Parents and caregivers are important members of a child’s treatment team. Children often make greater progress when the adults in their lives understand what they are learning and can reinforce those skills at home.

Parent involvement may include:

• Participating in part of a session

• Attending occasional parent-only appointments

• Sharing updates and concerns with the therapist

• Learning strategies for responding to difficult behavior

• Supporting coping skills between appointments

• Strengthening parent-child communication

• Creating consistent routines and expectations

The level of parent involvement depends on the child’s age, developmental needs, concerns, and treatment goals. The therapist will also discuss how to balance caregiver involvement with the child’s need for appropriate privacy.

Is Virtual Child Therapy a Good Fit?

Online child therapy can work well for many children, but it is not the best option for every child or every concern.

Virtual counseling may be appropriate when a child:

• Can engage with a therapist through video

• Has access to a reasonably private space

• Is comfortable using a computer or tablet

• Can participate with caregiver support when needed

• Benefits from receiving help in a familiar environment

• Needs support for anxiety, emotions, adjustment, or relationships

Young children may need a caregiver nearby to help with technology, provide materials, or participate in part of the appointment.

When virtual therapy is not the best fit, in-person child counseling may provide a more engaging and supportive environment.

Our Approach to Child Counseling

At SoCo Counseling, we believe children need to feel safe, respected, and understood before meaningful change can occur.

Child therapy is not about blaming a child or parent. It is about understanding what may be contributing to the child’s behavior, identifying emotional needs, strengthening coping skills, and helping the family move forward together.

Depending on the child’s needs, therapy may incorporate:

• Cognitive behavioral strategies

• Solution-focused therapy

• Play-based interventions

• Creative and expressive activities

• Mindfulness

• Emotional-regulation skills

• Strength-based counseling

• Family-systems approaches

• Parent coaching

Treatment is individualized rather than using the same approach for every child.

In-Person Child Therapy in Southern Maryland

Our Churchton counseling office is conveniently located for families in Southern Anne Arundel County and nearby communities, including:

• Churchton

• Deale

• Shady Side

• Galesville

• West River

• Harwood

• Lothian

• Edgewater

• Mayo

• Davidsonville

• Tracy’s Landing

• North Beach

• Chesapeake Beach

• Dunkirk

Families from other nearby Maryland communities may also contact us about in-person availability.

Virtual Child Therapy Across Maryland

Virtual child counseling is available to eligible families throughout Maryland, including those in:

• Anne Arundel County

• Baltimore City

• Baltimore County

• Calvert County

• Prince George’s County

• Howard County

• Montgomery County

• Frederick County

• Charles County

• Harford County

• Cecil County

• Queen Anne’s County

• Talbot County

• Wicomico County

• Worcester County

Children must be physically located in Maryland at the time of a virtual therapy appointment.

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Begin Child Therapy in Maryland

Your child does not have to manage difficult emotions alone.

Child therapy can help children understand their feelings, communicate more effectively, develop coping skills, and feel more confident handling challenges at home, at school, and with peers.

Shakira Pierre-Louis is the primary child therapist at SoCo Counseling. In-person appointments are available in Churchton, Maryland, and virtual therapy may be available to families throughout the state.

Request an Appointment With Shakira

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Frequently Asked Questions About Child Therapy

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Does SoCo Counseling offer in-person child therapy?

Yes. In-person child therapy is available at our office in Churchton, Maryland, near Deale and other Southern Anne Arundel County communities.

Do you offer virtual child therapy in Maryland?

Yes. Virtual child therapy is available to eligible families throughout Maryland. Your child must be physically located in Maryland during each online appointment.

Who provides child therapy at SoCo Counseling?

Shakira Pierre-Louis is the primary therapist providing child counseling services at SoCo Counseling.

What ages do you work with?

The appropriate age range may depend on the child’s developmental needs, presenting concerns, ability to participate in therapy, and therapist availability. Families can contact SoCo Counseling to discuss whether services are a good fit.

Are parents involved in child therapy?

Yes, parents and caregivers are generally involved in some part of the counseling process. The level of participation depends on the child’s age, needs, and treatment goals.

How do I know whether to choose in-person or virtual therapy?

Some children engage well through video and enjoy attending from home. Others benefit from the activities, structure, and connection offered by an in-person environment. The therapist can help your family determine which format is more appropriate.

Can virtual therapy help with childhood anxiety?

Virtual counseling may be helpful for children experiencing anxiety, excessive worry, school stress, social concerns, low self-esteem, or adjustment difficulties. Appropriateness is determined individually.

Do you work with schools?

With written parental permission, a therapist may communicate with school professionals when collaboration would support the child’s treatment. Therapy services are separate from school-based evaluations and accommodations. Additional fees apply.

Contact us at admin@soococounseling.net

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