Family Therapy & Child Counseling in DC and Maryland
Family Therapy, Play Therapy & Teen Counseling
Whether your young child is struggling with big feelings, your teen is pulling away, or you’re overwhelmed by the demands of parenting, we’re here to help. At Kennedy Counseling Collective, we offer compassionate, culturally responsive family counseling for every kind of family, including blended families, co-parents, single parents, adoptive and foster families, and multigenerational households.
Who We Help
We offer in-person sessions in Washington, DC, as well as virtual therapy in DC and Maryland. Our licensed family therapists work with children through adolescence, including:
- Children (ages 2 and up) and teens who need space to process emotions, trauma, and transitions
- Parents navigating hectic schedules, boundary-setting decisions, and life changes
- Teens and parents facing communication struggles, disconnection, and autonomy versus responsibility development
- Blended families building trust and improving co-parenting dynamics
- Single parents and multigenerational households balancing it all
- LGBTQ+ families seeking affirming, inclusive therapy supporting new identities
- Neurodivergent children and teens, including those with ADHD or autism
- Families coping with loss, divorce, and major transitions
Common Challenges We Support
Parenting Stress and Burnout: Support for parents who feel stretched thin, second-guessed or running on empty.
Emotion Regulation or Behavioral Issues in Kids and Teens: Help for meltdowns, anxiety, anger and shutdowns, with tools for the whole family.
Family Conflict and Communication Breakdowns: Learn to talk and listen in ways that lower the temperature and rebuild trust.
Life Transitions and Loss: Guidance through divorce, moves, new siblings, blended families, grief and other big changes.
Neurodivergence: Affirming support for families with ADHD, autism and learning differences, so everyone feels understood.
Healing from Trauma: Gentle, trauma-informed care to help children and families feel safe and connected again.
Building Resilience and Stronger Bonds: Strengthen the relationships that help your family weather hard seasons together.
Adoption, Foster Care & Kinship Families: Specialized support for identity, attachment and belonging in adoptive, foster and kinship families.
Play Therapy & Teen Therapy in DC
Young children don’t always have the words for big feelings, but they can show us through play. Our play therapists work with kids as young as 2, using toys, art and imaginative play to help them process emotions, work through changes like a move or divorce, and build skills for managing anger, anxiety and meltdowns. Parents are part of the process too, with regular check-ins and tools to use at home.
The teen years bring pressure from every direction: school, friends, social media, identity and family. Our teen therapists give adolescents a space of their own to talk openly, while helping parents stay connected and informed. We support teens with anxiety, depression, stress, self-esteem, identity exploration and family conflict, in person in DC or virtually across DC and Maryland.
Therapists Who Specialize in Family Therapy
Every family is unique, and so is each therapist. Whether you need a child therapist, teen counselor, or parenting support, let us match you with a family specialist.
Schedule a free 15-min Consultation with our Matching Specialist
How We Work With Families
Our therapy blends clinical expertise with real-life parenting insight. Depending on your needs, we offer:
- Family Systems Therapy: Looks at the family as a whole, so patterns can shift for everyone, not just one person.
- Play Therapy (Non-Directive and Directive): Helps young children express feelings and work through challenges in the language they know best: play.
- Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT): Helps parents understand and respond to the emotional needs behind a child's behavior.
- Mindfulness and Internal Family Systems (IFS): Builds calm, self-awareness and compassion for the different "parts" of each family member.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Coping Skills: Practical tools for kids, teens and parents to manage anxiety, anger and big emotions.
- Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Care: Care that honors your family's culture, history and values, at a pace that feels safe.
What to Expect in Family Therapy
From the start, we create a warm, supportive space where everyone in the family — children to teens to parents — feels seen and heard.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Conversations tailored to your family’s needs
- Practical tools that work across ages and developmental stages
- Flexible session formats: individual child or teen, parent-only, or full-family
- A therapist who honors your values, culture, and uniqueness
- The convenience of in-person or virtual appointments
What Families Say About Working with Us
*To respect and protect client confidentiality, names have been omitted from these testimonials.
Ready to Start Family Therapy?
FAQS
Do you work with adult children and their parents?
Yes, family therapy isn’t only for young kids. We help adult children and their parents work through old hurts, set healthy boundaries and reconnect, including after periods of distance or estrangement.
Can parents come to sessions without their child?
Yes. Sometimes the most helpful work happens with parents alone. We support parents and co-parents in getting on the same page, responding to challenging behavior and caring for themselves too.
How is family therapy different from therapy for my child alone?
Individual child therapy focuses on your child. Family therapy looks at how everyone affects each other. Many families use both, and your Matching Specialist can help you decide where to start.
Do you work with children or just parents?
Both. We see kids as young as 3, teens, and parents, sometimes individually and sometimes together.
What if one family member doesn't want to join therapy?
That’s common. Therapy can start with whoever is ready, and change in one person often helps the whole family.