Child and adolescent psychotherapy at Saga Psychology in Reservoir, Melbourne. Individually tailored, relationship-based therapy for children, teens and families.
What is Child Psychotherapy?
Child psychotherapy is a specialist form of psychological therapy designed to support children and adolescents who are experiencing emotional, behavioural, or mental health difficulties. Through a safe, consistent, and boundaried therapeutic relationship, child psychotherapy provides young people with a dedicated space to explore their inner world, make sense of their experiences, and develop the emotional resources they need to thrive.
Who Can Child Psychotherapy Help?
Child psychotherapy can be particularly valuable for children and adolescents navigating a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety and worry, depression and low mood, trauma and adverse childhood experiences, low self-esteem and self-worth, difficulties with relationships and social connection, identity challenges, and the complex emotional landscape of adolescence. If you are concerned about your child's emotional wellbeing or behaviour, psychotherapy offers a supportive, evidence-informed pathway toward understanding and change.
Therapeutic Approaches We Use
At Saga Psychology, our work is grounded in child-centred and person-centred therapy, which means every young person is met with empathy, acceptance and a genuine belief in their capacity to grow. With younger children, we use Child-Centred Play Therapy, where children lead the way through play, their natural language. We also support parents through Filial Therapy, so these skills can carry into family life at home. With adolescents, we draw on person-centred therapy, based on the work of Carl Rogers, offering a space where young people can talk, reflect and find their own way forward at their own pace. The approach for each young person is always discussed and agreed with you and your child, so that therapy fits their needs, stage of development and circumstances.
Our Humanistic Approach at Saga Psychology
At Saga Psychology, psychotherapy with children and adolescents is grounded in a fundamentally humanistic view of the person. This means approaching every young person with genuine curiosity, deep respect, and an unwavering belief in their capacity for growth and change. Rather than positioning the therapist as an expert who diagnoses and fixes, the humanistic perspective understands the therapeutic relationship itself as the engine of healing — a relationship characterised by warmth, honesty, and unconditional acceptance.
Central to this approach is the person-centred philosophy of Carl Rogers, who proposed that every human being carries within them an innate drive toward growth, fulfilment, and becoming more fully themselves — a process he called self-actualisation. Rogers believed that when the right conditions are present — empathy, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity — people naturally move toward health and wholeness. At Saga Psychology, this means trusting in the child or adolescent's own inner wisdom, following their lead, and creating the relational conditions in which self-actualisation can unfold. It is an approach that affirms the dignity and potential of every young person, regardless of what they have been through.
What to Expect at Saga Psychology
The specific modality and intervention approach used with each child or adolescent will always be discussed and agreed upon collaboratively during the initial parent consultation. This ensures that the therapy is tailored to the individual from the very beginning — responsive to their unique needs, preferences, and goals, and transparent about the process every step of the way.
At Saga Psychology, all our work is grounded in child-centred and person-centred therapy. Whatever a young person’s age or concern, every child is met with empathy, acceptance and a genuine belief in their capacity to grow. We see the relationship between therapist and young person as central to change.
Child-Centred Play Therapy (ages about 3 to 14)
Young children often express themselves most naturally through play. In Child-Centred Play Therapy, children lead the way, using toys, play and imagination to work through feelings and experiences they may not yet have words for. The therapist follows the child’s lead and offers warmth, understanding and safe, consistent limits.
Filial Therapy (for parents)
Parents are the most important people in a child’s life. In Filial Therapy, parents learn child-centred play therapy skills to use in special playtimes at home, which strengthens the parent-child relationship and helps the benefits of therapy continue in everyday family life.
Person-centred therapy (for adolescents)
With older children and teenagers, we draw on person-centred therapy, based on the work of psychologist Carl Rogers. Sessions offer a space where young people can talk, reflect and explore at their own pace. They aren’t told what to think or feel. They’re supported to understand themselves and find their own way forward.
Animal Assisted Play Therapy (ages 14 and over)
For young people aged 14 and over, Animal Assisted Play Therapy combines person-centred principles with playful, relationship-based activities alongside our therapy dog in training, Blaise. Many teenagers find it an easier, less pressured way to engage in therapy.
The approach for each young person is always discussed and agreed with you and your child during the initial assessment, so that therapy fits their needs, stage of development and circumstances.
A humanistic, person-centred foundation
At Saga Psychology, our work with children and adolescents is grounded in a humanistic view of the person. We approach every young person with genuine curiosity, respect and belief in their capacity to grow and change. We don’t see the therapist as an expert who diagnoses and “fixes”. We see the therapeutic relationship itself as central to healing: a relationship built on warmth, honesty and acceptance.
This approach draws on the person-centred philosophy of psychologist Carl Rogers. Rogers proposed that every person has an innate drive towards growth and towards becoming more fully themselves, which he called self-actualisation. He believed that when three conditions are present, people naturally move towards wellbeing:
Empathy: being deeply understood
Unconditional positive regard: being accepted without judgement
Authenticity: a genuine relationship with the therapist
In practice, this means we trust in each young person’s own inner resources, follow their lead where appropriate, and create the conditions in which growth can happen. It is an approach that affirms the dignity and potential of every young person, whatever they have been through. It also sits naturally alongside the more structured approaches described above.
What to expect
Therapy at Saga Psychology begins with an initial parent consultation. Together with you and your child, we explore their needs, strengths and goals, and agree on the approach that best fits. This means therapy is tailored from the start, and you know what to expect at each step.
We believe families and young people deserve to be fully informed and actively involved in decisions about their care. Parents are kept involved throughout, including through regular paret consultation.