HUMANISTIC
COUNSELING
COLLECTVE
Pediatric Play & Art Therapy in Sacramento, CA
A safe space for children to express, process, and heal through creativity, movement, and connection.
Maybe your child is struggling in ways that feel hard to name. You're noticing withdrawal, big emotions, or changes at school or home. You’re not imagining it, and you don’t have to navigate this alone. Play and art therapy help children express what they can’t yet put into words, build emotional skills, and reconnect with their sense of safety, confidence, and joy.
Understanding When Your Child May Need Support
Kids don’t always have the language to explain big feelings, but their behavior often speaks for them.
Sometimes this looks like:
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Withdrawing from family or friends
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Trouble sleeping, nightmares, or new fears
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Big emotions or emotional shutdowns
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Regression (like bedwetting or clinginess)
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Falling grades or school resistance
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Irritability, defiance, or seeming “not like themselves
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A​s a parent, you may find yourself wondering:
“Is this just a phase?”
“Am I overreacting?”
“How do I actually help?”​
You’re not alone. Many caregivers come to us unsure, while yet trusting their intuition that something has shifted. And that instinct matters.
Who We Help
We offer pediatric play and art therapy in-person in Gold River, CA and via telehealth for clients throughout California.
At Humanistic Counseling Collective, we provide play- and art-based therapy for children and teens in Sacramento and surrounding areas, including:
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Kids navigating stress, trauma, life changes, or behavioral challenges
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Children who struggle to verbalize emotions
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Neurodivergent youth (ADHD, sensory challenges, emotional dysregulation)
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Teens experiencing anxiety, grief, transitions, or identity development
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Therapy may be weekly, biweekly, or monthly depending on your child’s needs.
How Play & Art Support Healing
Play and creative expression are a child’s first languages.
Through intentional activities like board games, drawing, sand tray, storytelling, movement, or imaginative play, your child can process feelings in a developmentally natural way with the support of a licensed therapist. Our approach may include:
Non-directive play therapy
Letting the child lead to express their inner world
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Directive play therapy
Therapist-guided activities supporting coping and regulation skills
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Art therapy
Using drawing, painting, sculpture, or symbolism to express what words cannot yet hold
Parent coaching
Helping caregivers support emotional growth outside the therapy room
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This work isn't about "fixing" your child. It's about helping your child feel safe, understood, and emotionally equipped to navigate the experiences of their life.
What a Session Can Look Like
Sessions are typically 50–53 minutes and can be held in person at our Gold River office or virtually anywhere in California. Time in sesions may include:
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Time with your child individually
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Brief check-ins with caregivers
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Occasional parent-only sessions for guidance and support
Some children take time to open up. That’s completely normal. Early play therapy may look like “just playing,” but therapeutic themes and emotional expression emerge through the process.​
Common Goals in Play & Art Therapy
Parents often seek support to help their child:
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Build emotional awareness and communication skills
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Increase confidence and resilience
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Improve behavior and self-regulation
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Strengthen connection to caregivers
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Reduce anxiety, fear, or trauma responses
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Process grief, divorce, moves, or transition
​​Over time, many families describe seeing a child who feels:
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Calmer
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More connected
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More confident
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More themselves
Why Families Choose Humanistic Counseling Collective
Child Play & Art Therapy in Sacramento, California
Parents often share that their child feels safe to be fully themselves here...whether they show up silly, sad, angry, creative, quiet, playful, or unsure.
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Caregivers appreciate that they’re included, supported, and never judged in the process. Your insight matters, and you're not expected to navigate this alone.
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We don’t rush, pressure, or force disclosure. We build trust, connection, and emotional safety, because children grow best where they feel accepted.
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Our team is trained in trauma-informed, affirming, human-centered care, and we recognize that every child’s story, pace, and expression are uniquely their own.
