Connecting for Kids - How To: Treatment Options

Treatment Options for Families

A Black American mother and daughter exchange a high-five with a Black American male therapist.

Knowing the options offered before you begin can help you choose the best provider for your family. On this page, you'll learn about different types of therapy, common approaches, and skills that mental health professionals may use to improve therapy outcomes.

Types of Therapy

People need different things to thrive – that’s why there are different types of therapy to help. Most families will use one (or more) of the following:

Individual therapy. A person works 1:1 with a therapist to achieve their goals.
Couples therapy. A couple works together with a therapist to improve their relationship.
Family therapy. Members of a family work together with a therapist to improve family dynamics.
Group therapy. A small group of people with common goals work with a therapist while supporting each other.

Therapy Approaches

During therapies, therapists will use different techniques to help individuals, couples, families and groups to achieve their goals. Some common techniques include:

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Cognitive Therapies
Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS)
Parent Training
Psychodynamic Therapy

Therapist Skills

Therapists may use certain skills to improve outcomes. These may include:

Neuroaffirming Care
Play-Based Techniques
Trauma-Informed Techniques

Struggling to choose a mental health provider to work with your family? See our Choosing a Mental Health Provider How-to Guide.

Choosing your path:

It’s normal and natural to have strong feelings about the choices we make for our children. We want what’s best for them and we tend to agree with people who make similar decisions. Our strong feelings can also mean that we struggle to listen to people who make choices that are different from our own.

We encourage you to listen to different voices when deciding and remember that families will make different choices. No matter what you decide, your voice is an important part of the CFK community.

Website supported by a grant from Parker.

Call, text or email:

Phone: 1-440-570-5908
Email: info@connectingforkids.org

Post Office Box:

30628 Detroit Rd. #252
Westlake, Ohio 44145