Affordable Therapist in Van Nuys, CA | Child & Teen Counseling
When your child is struggling, you want to find help fast, and you want it to be something your family can actually afford. At Child & Teen Counseling, that is exactly what we offer. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in nearby Woodland Hills, we provide professional, compassionate therapy for children, teens, and families throughout Van Nuys and the San Fernando Valley, at fees designed to be accessible for working families.
Mental health care should not be out of reach for any family, and we work hard to make sure it is not. Whether your child is dealing with anxiety, your teenager is withdrawing, or your family is going through a difficult time, we are here to help. Call us at (818) 912-6001 or contact us online to schedule your free phone consultation.
Therapy Services for Van Nuys Families
Every child and every family brings their own unique story. Our therapists take the time to truly understand what your family is going through before creating a personalized treatment plan. We provide a full range of services to families in and around Van Nuys, including:
Child Therapy
Children often do not have the words for what they are feeling, and that is completely normal. Our child therapists use play therapy, art therapy, and other age-appropriate methods to help kids ages 5 and up express and work through big emotions. We help children build confidence, develop coping skills, and feel more secure at home and at school.
Teen & Adolescent Therapy
The pressures teenagers face today are real and significant. Academic demands, social stress, family tension, and questions about identity can all take a serious toll. Our therapists are trained to build genuine connections with teens and create a space where they feel safe enough to open up. We help adolescents work through anxiety, depression, anger, low motivation, and more, on their own terms and at their own pace.
Family Therapy
When a family is under stress, the effects ripple through every relationship in the household. Family therapy helps parents and children improve communication, resolve conflict, and reconnect with each other. Whether you are dealing with a major life change, ongoing tension at home, or a growing distance between family members, our therapists help you find a path forward together.
00:00:01 Speaker 0 If you're wondering whether your teen is struggling with depression or anxiety, here are some things most parents don't realize. 00:00:06 Speaker 1 It doesn't always look like sadness or panic or worry. A lot of the time, it just looks like normal teenage behavior. 00:00:13 Speaker 0 One of the most common signs we see with teen depression is withdrawal. It may not just be wanting alone time. It's pulling away from family, spending less time engaging, and asking for more and more isolation. 00:00:25 Speaker 1 It doesn't always look like sadness. It can look like distance. Another big thing that we see is irritability. Um, teens don't always express their anxiety or depression through saying it out loud. Uh, sometimes it's just through shutting down. It's becoming snappier with you, snippier, snappier. 00:00:42 Speaker 0 Teens don't always express verbally that they are anxious or depressed. So what looks like attitude can sometimes mean they're overwhelmed and don't know how to express it. 00:00:52 Speaker 1 A third sign can be any changes in sleep, motivation, or energy. Could be sleeping way more or struggling to sleep. 00:01:00 Speaker 0 Maybe they're sleeping too much or too little compared to how they used to be before. Maybe they're not engaging in things, uh, they used to enjoy. 00:01:08 Speaker 1 Having a harder time getting through daily activities, things that they used to do pretty smoothly. 00:01:14 Speaker 0 Most parents don't miss these signs because they don't care. They miss them because on the surface, it tends to look like normal teenage behavior. Teens pull away, they get moody, they want space. 00:01:25 Speaker 1 So it's easy to second-guess yourself or wait it out. 00:01:28 Speaker 0 When do we pay closer attention? What matters most isn't just what you're seeing, it's how long it's been going on and how much it's affecting them. 00:01:36 Speaker 1 If these patterns are impacting your teen and starting to affect their academics or their sports, their friendships, their relationships with you in a more significant way, it might be time, time to really take a look.
Individual Therapy for Adults
Parents carry an enormous amount, often while putting everyone else’s needs ahead of their own. We offer individual therapy for adults navigating stress, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, or the daily demands of parenting. Taking care of your own mental health is not a luxury, it is one of the most important things you can do for your family.
Group Therapy
Group therapy is a powerful and often underutilized form of support for teenagers. In a group setting, teens build social skills, hear perspectives from peers going through similar experiences, and develop a sense of community that can be hard to find elsewhere. We currently offer two groups for teens in the San Fernando Valley:
- High School Girls Group: A supportive space for high school girls to build confidence, develop healthy coping skills, and form meaningful connections with peers.
- Middle School Boys Group: Designed for boys ages 11-14, this group combines education, support, and fun in a safe and engaging environment.
Ask about current group availability when you reach out for your free consultation.
Affordable, Nonprofit Therapy Near Van Nuys
Child & Teen Counseling was founded on the belief that every child deserves access to quality mental health care, regardless of what their family earns. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, our mission is your family’s wellbeing, and we structure our fees with that in mind.
We understand that for many Van Nuys families, the cost of therapy is a genuine concern. If that is true for your family, please reach out anyway. We will do our best to work with you and find a fee that is sustainable, because we believe that financial stress should not be one more barrier standing between your child and the help they need.
We are a cash-pay practice and do not bill insurance directly.
Our Approach to Therapy
Our therapists are master’s level clinicians completing their supervised training under the guidance of licensed professionals. This model allows us to offer high-quality therapy at a more affordable rate, without sacrificing the care and attention your family deserves.
Every therapist at Child & Teen Counseling is passionate about working with young people. They bring curiosity, empathy, and genuine enthusiasm for helping kids and teens grow. Our approach draws from proven, evidence-based methods including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Play therapy and art therapy
- Attachment-based therapy
- Mindfulness and emotional regulation techniques
- Narrative therapy
Treatment plans are individualized for each client and reviewed regularly to ensure progress. Parents and caregivers are included in the process, because we know that what happens at home matters just as much as what happens in the therapy room.
You. Hi. Welcome to Child and Teen Counseling. I am the Executive Director, Kent Tussant. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist. I'd like to take a moment to tell you a little more about who Child Teen Counseling is and how we can support you and your family.
First of all, we are a 501 c three nonprofit organization in Woodland Hills, California, with two main objectives the first objective is to offer affordable mental health care to children, teens, and families.
For example, a five year old little boy struggling with anxiety and fear because his family is going through a divorce, maybe is an angry 14 year old girl who is lashing out at her family, her friends, her teachers, because she doesn't know how to really cope with the uncomfortable feelings inside of her. Perhaps it's a young man who's graduated high school and has lost all his motivation, doesn't know what his passion is, and just feels lost on his path in the world. It could even be a parent who is just at her wits end, and she's trying to connect with her kids, she's trying to set boundaries, she's trying to guide them, but she just feels like she's hitting her head against the wall.
We want to help, and the way we want to help is with objective number two, and that is to be an elite training program for pre licensed therapists to compassionately and effectively work with kids, teens, and families in a therapeutic way to help them be happier and healthier in their lives.
That can be individual therapy, family therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, parent education workshops. We want to be an active member in the community and help support as many people as we can to live happier and healthier lives. I invite you to read through our website, watch some more videos, get to know more about us, and then go to the contact page and give us a call.
We're happy to take the time to talk with you about what your concerns are, what your goals are for your help with that. Also, to stay in touch with us, please follow us on Facebook. We're going to constantly be listing new workshops, new seminars, new articles, new videos to help support you as best we can. Thank you so much for spending time here at Challenge Counseling, and we look forward to speaking with you soon.
Conveniently Located for Van Nuys Residents
Our office is located at 5550 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Suite 150 in Woodland Hills, about 20 minutes from Van Nuys via the 101 freeway. It is a manageable drive that can fit into most after-school or weekend routines without too much disruption to your family’s day.
We also offer virtual therapy sessions for families who prefer to meet from home. Whether in person or online, our goal is to make getting started feel as easy and stress-free as possible.
How to Get Started
STEP 1 – REACH OUT
Tell us a little about what’s going on with your child or teen.
STEP 2 – GET MATCHED
We’ll connect you with a therapist who fits your needs and availability.
STEP 3 – BEGIN SESSIONS
Your child begins therapy and starts building skills and support.
Start With a Free Phone Consultation
You do not have to have everything figured out before you reach out. If you are concerned about your child or teenager, or if your family is going through a hard time and you are not sure where to turn, our free phone consultation is a great place to start. One of our team members will take the time to hear you out, answer your questions, and help you figure out whether we are the right fit.
No pressure. No commitment. Just a real, honest conversation with someone who wants to help your family.
Call us at (818) 912-6001 or fill out our contact form at childteencounseling.org/contact-us. We look forward to connecting with you.
