Therapist for a grieving 7 year old

Hi Parents! I am seeking a child therapist for my son. We lost my husband almost 5 years ago, my son was 2 years old. He has began to act out in school and was recently dismissed from Y Camp because of behavioral issues..any recommendations?! Please help!!!

Parent Replies

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We also lost my husband almost 5 years ago and at the time, my kids were 4 years and 5 months old (now 8 and 5).  We started going to Circle of Care in Oakland for group therapy about 1.5 years ago- and the kids haven't wanted to stop- the adults are separated into their own group and the kids have theirs based on age, and they have counselors do doing activities with the kids. More than anything, I think my kids having a safe place where they aren't the only ones who have lost a parent/loved one and being able to have a voice in that space has helped tremendously.  I originally went for the kids and was surprised at the benefits of having that type of support for myself as well.  Groups are starting up again this September, you can call/email to see if you can join!  As for individual therapists, I'm sure you can get many recommendations- so many good ones in our area!  Take care, you aren't alone.  You may also think about getting an evaluation done for your son- he may also be dealing with other issues such as ADHD/sensory processing (also us).

After my two children lost their father, Stacy Outten and Laura Soble helped them tremendously, starting when they were six and nine.  They are both wonderful therapists.  I don't know if they're taking new patients but it's a place to start.  Stacy's number is (510) 594-4311 and Laura's is (510) 527-1501.  You might also want to talk to Evan Keeler Wolf, who has worked extensively with Stacy.  Evan isn't a therapist per se, but he offers  mentoring and life coaching services that can really help with behavioral issues, particularly those associated with underlying emotional issues.  He was great for my son.

I was at a couple of conferences that featured experts who did research with kids who had behavioral problems.  I think therapy w/ a caring

person is always great.  Try turning off all wifi at night and keeping wifi and cellphones off during the day when not in use.  We put our modem on a timer

so it goes off at night.  Also, replace your cordless landlines w/ a corded phone for 2 months and see if it helps.  According to researchers, this has helped

their ADD kids, improves grades at school, protects melatonin production, and Ca ion levels not accumulating within the cells.  There is apparently over 400+ 

research papers published on the effects of wifi and cell phones.  See Dr Moskowitz' webapge at UC Berkeley School of Public Health.  If interested, I will post

links to the conference presentations here.