Child Counseling · Brentwood, TN
When your child can't find the words
You can tell something is wrong. You just can't get them to tell you what. That is not you failing to reach your kid. That is your kid being a kid. We help them say it in the language they do have.
Request an appointmentChild counseling at Concord is provided by Halle Brandt, a graduate counseling intern specializing in play therapy. Halle practices under the direct supervision of Lydia Thompson, LPC-MHSP, and Lipscomb University faculty.
You know something is off
Maybe it is meltdowns that come out of nowhere. Maybe it is stomachaches before school, or a kid who used to be easy and suddenly is not. Maybe something hard happened in your family, and you can see they are carrying it, even though they cannot say so. You have asked what is wrong and gotten a shrug, or "I don't know," or nothing at all.
When you are watching your child struggle and you cannot fix it, it is one of the most helpless feelings there is. Let me take one worry off the table. Reaching out for help does not mean you did something wrong. It means you are the kind of parent who notices, and who is willing to do something about it. That matters more than you know.
Kids don't talk it out. They play it out.
Young children do not have the words yet to explain what is happening inside them. The part of the brain that turns a feeling into a sentence is still years from finished. What they do have is play. That is why we meet them there.
Play therapy is not a therapist supervising playtime. It is trained, purposeful work that uses toys, art, sand, and story as the tools a child uses to show what they cannot yet say. It is a real, research-supported approach, recognized by the Association for Play Therapy. In play, a child can approach something hard at a safe distance, look at it, and slowly make sense of it.
What we help kids work through
One rough week is just being a kid. A pattern that sticks around and gets in the way of home, school, or friendships is worth a closer look. Common reasons families come to us:
Anxiety and worry
Fears, clinginess, stomachaches, the endless "what if" that keeps a kid from things they used to handle.
Big emotions and meltdowns
Feelings that arrive faster and bigger than a young child can manage on their own.
Behavior that has everyone stuck
The defiance, the power struggles, the pattern at home or school that is not shifting.
Family changes
Divorce, a move, a new sibling, or a shift in the household. We also support the whole family through family counseling.
Grief and loss
Losing a person, a pet, or a life they knew, and needing a way to carry it.
Hard or scary experiences
Trauma and the things too big for a young child to hold alone.
Low mood
In kids, depression often hides as irritability and complaints rather than sadness.
Friendship and confidence
Social struggles, hard feelings about themselves, and a shrinking sense of "I can."
Focus and impulse
The daily strain of ADHD, and protecting a child's sense of self through it.
What a session actually looks like
Halle's counseling space does not look like a doctor's office. It looks like a room made for a kid, with toys chosen on purpose. Some of the time is child-led, where your child directs the play and the therapist pays close attention to the themes that show up week after week. Other moments are more guided, gently steering toward a specific skill or worry.
None of it is random. The play is the work. Underneath it, your child is building emotional regulation, learning to name what they feel, and discovering they can handle more than they thought. That takes trust, and trust takes a little time. We do not rush it.
You will actually know if it's working
Therapy can feel vague, like you are talking and hoping something shifts underneath. We work differently. We keep the work honest and pointed, so you are never left guessing whether it is helping.
We measure it, not guess it
Brief, proven measures, including your feedback as the parent, track how your child is really doing over time. Progress becomes something you can see, not something you take on faith.
A clear plan, usually by session three
Early on, you leave with a written plan and specific goals, so the work has direction from the start instead of wandering.
Goals that keep up
We revisit and update those goals as things change, so the focus stays on what actually matters right now.
The measures never replace the relationship. They serve it, helping us catch what is not working early enough to change it.
See how we work across the whole practice
You are not on the outside of this
You are not dropping your child off and getting shut out. You know your child better than anyone in the room, which makes you part of the work, not a bystander to it. We check in with you, help you understand what is coming up, and give you real things to try at home. Change that happens in our office only sticks when it is supported in yours.
And if you are not even sure counseling is the right step, or you would rather start on your side first, you have options. A Parent Strategy Session gives you a focused hour to think it through with someone who knows what to look for and can help you decide the next move. When the whole household is feeling it, family counseling can help you work through it together.
Your child is still your child
Bringing a child to counseling can feel like admitting something is broken. Nothing is. Your child is the same kid they were the day before you called. What therapy adds is a safe place to be met, and a set of skills they get to keep. Kids are remarkably able to heal and grow when the right support is there. Most of the time, they even like coming.
Ways to start
Free consultation
No cost
A short, no-pressure call to talk through what is going on and whether we are the right fit for your child.
Reach outParent Strategy Session
$625
Not sure what your child needs? A focused, parent-only session to get clarity and a concrete plan before you commit to ongoing work.
Learn moreLet's help your child feel like themselves again
If your child is struggling and you are not sure what to do next, that is exactly the moment to reach out. We would be glad to help.
Request an appointmentConcord Family Counseling
7110 Crossroads Blvd, Suite 300, Brentwood, TN 37027
Serving families across Brentwood, Franklin, Nolensville, Spring Hill, and Williamson County
Learn more about counseling for teens, family counseling, and our Parent Strategy Sessions.
Child Counseling Frequently Asked Questions
Young children process and communicate through play more than through words, so most of the work happens with play involved. Using toys, art, sand, and story, a trained therapist helps your child show and work through what they cannot yet put into words, building emotional regulation, self-esteem, and communication skills along the way.
Yes. Especially with younger children, parent involvement is part of what makes it work. We offer parent coaching and family sessions, keep you in the loop, and help you understand your child's world so you can support the progress at home.
Confidentiality matters, and so does keeping you involved as a parent. We balance the two in a way that fits your child's age. The exceptions are safety issues. In cases of suicidality, homicidality, or abuse, we involve the resources needed to keep your child safe.
That is a common place to start, and you do not have to figure it out alone. A Parent Strategy Session gives you a focused two hours to talk it through with someone who knows what to look for, and to leave with a clear next step, whether or not that turns out to be ongoing therapy.
Play-based child counseling is most effective for roughly ages three to twelve, when play is genuinely how a child makes sense of the world. For older kids and teenagers, we shift toward approaches built for their age. See our teen counselingpage for that stage.
Child Counseling in Brentwood, TN
We provide child counseling in Brentwood, Tennessee, for children and families across Williamson County, in person and by telehealth.
Children do not always have words for what they feel. It comes out in behavior instead: big emotions, trouble at school, sleep that will not settle, or worry that sticks. That does not mean something is wrong with your child. It means they need a way to be understood.
How we help
We use play therapy, the natural language of childhood, along with attachment and family systems work and parent coaching. Through play, children process hard feelings, build emotional regulation, and grow confidence. We keep parents close to the work, because you are the most important part of your child's world.
A child who cannot say what is wrong might show it through stomachaches before school or meltdowns at bedtime. In play therapy, those feelings find a language, and parents finally get a way in.
Areas we serve
Our Brentwood office is a calm, welcoming space for young children, just off Crossroads Boulevard. We see children from Brentwood, Franklin, Nolensville, and the surrounding area. For younger children, in-person play therapy is often the best fit, and we are easy to reach from across the county.
What people say
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Explore our services
Family Counseling
Young Adult Counseling
Individual Counseling
Couples Counseling
Child Counseling
Visit Concord Family Counseling
7110 Crossroads Blvd, Suite 300, Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: (615) 314-8412
By appointment only.
We see clients in person at our Brentwood office and by telehealth across Tennessee.