50-minute sessions tailored to family’s needs.

Individualized sessions supporting families through various stressors and overwhelming circumstances. Caregivers are part of the process if disclosure of new information is part of the session. Creative interventions support processing new information, making sense of stress responses, and building resilience and practical coping skills. Interventions are chosen and adapted based on developmental level, interests, experiences and treatment goals.

Education is integrated throughout treatment. Age‑appropriate explanations about the brain, stress, trauma and how the body responds supports understanding reactions and feel empowered. When relevant, developmentally appropriate preparation and explanation for diagnoses and medical procedures is utilized to reduce fear and increase understanding.

Examples of Support: Grief and loss, Medical diagnoses, treatment and procedures, medical fears and phobias, acute and chronic trauma, family changes, including divorce, natural disasters and community trauma and other stressful life events.

What to expect:

• Discussion with caregivers prior to working as a family

• Individualized creative interventions focused on specific need

• Interventions may be multi session dependent or change from session to session

• Each intervention ends with coping skill to utilize during life events and environments and to practice at home

Potential Benefits:

• Disclosure, if needed, is done in a developmentally appropriate manner with appropriate language provided by clinician

• Increased coping and utilization of coping skills in various environments and situations

• Brain body connection and understanding

• Developmentally appropriate understanding of trauma, grief, and overwhelming events

• Validation and normalization of feelings

• Increase in emotional vocabulary

• Processing traumas and finding meaning

• Legacy building

• Utilization of knowledge and coping skills

Mindful skills and self‑regulation strategies are taught and practiced in session to support coping with day‑to‑day challenges and larger stressors. Progress is reviewed regularly so treatment stays focused, measurable and responsive to each child’s evolving needs.

Child life therapy is strongly advocated for by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as an essential component of pediatric support and as the standard of care to reduce anxiety and pain through developmentally supportive ways.

Disclaimer: Child life services are designed to support the emotional, developmental, and coping needs of children and families facing medical experiences, illness, hospitalization, or grief — they are not a form of medical treatment or clinical mental health therapy. If your child is experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, please contact 911, your child's physician, or an appropriate emergency service immediately. The information provided on this website is for general educational and informational purposes only and reflects the perspective of a certified child life specialist. It is not intended as medical, psychological, psychiatric, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed physician, therapist, or other qualified healthcare provider. Every child and family is unique; outcomes and appropriate approaches may vary and should be discussed individually.

Price and length of consultation dependent on size of clinic, staff or hospital. Child life consulting provides individuals, patients and families with the support needed to create an essential level of support children, adolescents and families need for a trusting staff and medical environment. Child life consulting provides opportunity for staff education for developmentally appropriate pain management, language, preparation for procedures and supportive environment.

What to expect:

• educational sessions for staff to increase trusting interactions with patients, clients and families

• preparation materials

• tips for pain and stress management

• tools for distraction

• continuous consultation for ongoing support and challenging cases

Potential benefits

• Increase in supportive environment

• Decrease in pain

• Supportive staff

30-minute sessions age 0-18 tailored to individual child and adolescent’s needs.

This is one-on-one individualized child life preparation for surgery and preparation. Specific surgery or procedure examples include vaccinations, blood draws, IVs, VCUGS, MRIs, various surgeries, individualized preparation. Developmental level, past medical history and experiences are considered when making support plan. Pictures, medical play, preparation book and coping plan are incorporated for future procedure.

Interventions are chosen and adapted based on developmental level, interests, experiences and treatment goals. Education, age‑appropriate explanations and practical coping skills are integrated. Developmentally appropriate preparation and explanation for medical procedures reduces fear and increases understanding

What to expect:

• Individualized preparation plan with booklet

• Developmentally appropriate medical play

• Coping skills practiced in office to utilize at home and during procedure and pre surgery

• Expansive session may be needed depended on past experiences and fears

Potential Benefits:

• Avoid future medical trauma

• Increased confidence and preparation for procedure, surgery and environment

• Normalization of medical supplies and tools

• Developmentally appropriate understanding of surgery and procedure

• Validation and normalization of feelings

• Utilization of knowledge and coping skills while in phobia environments and events

• Increased coping and utilization of coping skills in various environments and situations

Post procedural session can be supportive of overall coping and decrease medical trauma.

Child life therapy is strongly advocated for by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as an essential component of pediatric support and as the standard of care to reduce anxiety and pain through developmentally supportive ways. Other research finds child life preparation increases predictability, understanding, and expectations supports children's and families' abilities to cope with hospitalization, and that preparing children and families for procedures reduces pre-procedural anxiety and improves post-procedural emotions.

20-40 minute individual sessions focused on ages 8-20.

The goal of sessions are supporting a regulated nervous system and lower stress levels to allow for consistent performance, being present and a higher enjoyment in their sport.

Various techniques including Dynamic Body Balancing to regulate the nervous system, support healing of injuries and unwind tension stored in the body. Focus is placed on the mind and on areas of the body that are overused, often an area plagued by injuries. Support during times of growth, as well as focus during and post injuries is also considered.

Sessions also include education about stress, the brain and the body to support a deeper understanding of healing and mindset. Coping exercises are taught to support regulation of stress and allow for reset before, during and after games and competitions.

What to expect

• 20-50 minute sessions dependent and tailored to each individual’s need

• $60-$100 dependent on needs

• A calming, restorative experience that supports a regulated and integrated nervous system

• Developmentally appropriate education sessions focused on understanding how the brain and body work

• Tailored mindset exercises to practice and utilize

Potential benefits

• Reduced physical tension and improved ease of movement

• Emotional regulation and release of held stress or trauma

• Relief for chronic or acute pain and illness

• Perceived “reset” or deep sense of change after a session

• Reduced inflammation and support for recovery from athletic injuries

• Support for concussion recovery

• Mindset exercises support athletes to be more present

• Educating on stress, the body and the brain supports a connection of the brain body connection

Sports Focused Mindset & Nervous System Regulation a gentle hands therapy. Sessions are individualized; contraindications or specific medical concerns will be discussed during intake to ensure safe, appropriate care.

Please contact to learn more about how The Grove can support you or your child, or to schedule an initial consultation.

Disclaimer: Nervous system regulation and mindset services are designed to support the emotional, developmental, and nervous system regulation needs of children and teens — they are not a form of medical treatment or clinical mental health therapy. If your child is experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, please contact 911, your child's physician, or an appropriate emergency service immediately. The information provided on this website is for general educational and informational purposes only and reflects the perspective of a certified child life specialist. It is not intended as medical, psychological, psychiatric, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed physician, therapist, or other qualified healthcare provider. Every child and family is unique; outcomes and appropriate approaches may vary and should be discussed individually.

45 minute sessions for bi-weekly or monthly sessions. Groups of 4 of more children or adolescents ages 5 and up. Focusing on a shared diagnosis, such as celiac and diabetes, and experiences, such as grief or trauma with similar ages. The Grove leads the group in creative interventions to encourage discussion and normalization during shared experience. The interventions support further understanding of diagnosis and experience.

Education is integrated throughout sessions. Age‑appropriate explanations about the brain, stress, trauma and how the body responds supports understanding reactions and feeling empowered.

What to expect:

• Creative interventions focused on specific experiences and diagnosis

• Interventions may be multi session dependent or change from session to session

• Each intervention ends with coping skill to utilize during life events and environments and to practice at home

Potential Benefits:

• Shared experiences allowing for connection and feelings of not being alone

• Increased coping and utilization of coping skills in various environments and situations

• Developmentally appropriate understanding of trauma, grief, and diagnosis

• Validation and normalization of feelings

• Increase in emotional vocabulary

• Legacy building

• Utilization of knowledge and coping skills

Mindful skills and self‑regulation strategies are taught and practiced in sessions to support coping with day‑to‑day challenges and larger stressors. Progress is reviewed regularly so treatment stays focused, measurable and responsive to each child’s evolving needs.

Child life therapy is strongly advocated for by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as an essential component of pediatric support and as the standard of care to reduce anxiety and pain through developmentally supportive ways.