Child Psychotherapy in Santa Monica | 40+ Years of Trusted Care
When your child starts acting differently, and the reason feels just out of reach, Santa Monica families turn to Dr. Sally Hackman. She has spent decades helping children express the feelings they often keep hidden or cannot put into words. Reach out today, and she will return your message within 24 hours.
First visit is free if you choose not to continue.
#1 | Top-Rated Therapist in Santa Monica
What Your Child Needs Most Right Now
Some of the most telling signs of distress in children never sound like distress. They look like a backpack left at the door, a sudden refusal to sleep alone, or a quiet that did not used to be there. The behavior is the language, and most parents spend months trying to fix the behavior without understanding what it is saying.
Across years of work with Santa Monica families, Dr. Sally Hackman has learned to read what children cannot say in words. She has sat with kids who cannot explain what is wrong because they do not yet have the words for it. Her child therapy starts in that space between what a child feels and what they can say.
In her sessions, children are never asked to talk like adults. There is no pressure to sit and explain everything. She uses play, watching, and gentle connection to meet children in the way they naturally communicate.
Healing for a child does not start with words. It begins in small moments of safety, where a child feels seen, calm, and free to be themselves without pressure.
Compassionate Child Psychotherapy for Every Challenge
No matter what your child is facing, the right kind of support is built around them.
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND MOOD CHANGES
The stomach aches show up every school morning, and the nightmares come out of nowhere. A child carrying anxiety rarely knows what to call it, but their body speaks clearly enough. Child anxiety therapy here goes deeper than surface worries, working with your child to understand what is driving their fear so it no longer controls their day.
PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND SOCIAL ANXIETY
Other kids pair off naturally at recess, while yours watches from a distance, wanting to join but frozen in place. Child shyness this deep reshapes how they see themselves in the world. In session, your child slowly builds enough safety inside to start moving toward connection again.
SCHOOL PROBLEMS
Teachers describe a bright child who will not engage, and at home, every homework conversation drains the entire evening. Something emotional is sitting between them and the effort everyone knows they are capable of. Through child behavioral therapy, what is actually blocking the way begins to surface.
DEVELOPMENTAL LAGS
The gap between where they are and where other kids their age seem to be grows harder to ignore with each passing year. That distance weighs on the whole family even when nobody says it out loud. As a child development specialist, Dr. Sally honors their timeline while creating space for the growth that is ready to happen.
DIVORCE OR DEATH OF A PARENT
Grief in a young child looks nothing like grief in an adult. It shows up as regression, clinginess, sudden anger, or going silent in ways that feel completely unfamiliar. Dr. Sally holds space for all of it and helps them process feelings their vocabulary has not caught up to yet.
ILLNESS IN THE FAMILY
Hospital visits, hushed conversations, and a parent who does not feel like themselves anymore. Children absorb all of it, even when adults believe they are too young to understand. Your child begins to make sense of what they are feeling before it settles into something they carry alone.
COMPLIANCE WITH PARENTAL AUTHORITY
When your child refuses everything, and every request becomes a battle, the household starts to feel like it is breaking. Dr. Sally works with both parent and child to understand what is driving the defiance and rebuild cooperation from a place of trust.
PARENT CONSULTATION
Raising a child who is struggling can make even the most confident parent feel lost. Dr. Sally offers consultation at every stage, from infancy through childhood, giving you steady support so you do not have to navigate it alone. Cognitive behavioral therapy for child anxiety and other approaches are part of the discussion, helping support continue beyond each session.
One Visit Can Start Your Child's Healing
Support begins with understanding what your child is going through. Call now to book a session!
The Changes Parents Start To See
- Understand what is behind your child’s behavior and mood changes
- Watch the meltdowns become less frequent and less intense
- See your child start sleeping through the night again
- Help your child make friends and feel comfortable around other kids
- Process divorce, loss, or family illness without it settling into something deeper
- Rebuild the bond between parent and child that felt like it was slipping
- Give your child tools to manage big feelings at their own level
- Build lasting emotional resilience through child psychotherapy
What to Expect From First Call to First Session
Step 1: Start Here
Pick up the phone and call (747) 243-4897 or leave a message through the form on this page. Dr. Sally gets back to every family within 24 hours.
Step 2: The First Visit
No child is expected to sit still and explain what is wrong. Dr. Sally connects with them through play and observation, reading what their behavior is communicating before words ever enter the room. If it does not feel like the right fit, that visit costs you nothing.
Step 3: Their Treatment Plan
Every child processes the world differently, and the plan reflects that. Dr. Sally builds it around age, emotional readiness, and what she learns in those early sessions, drawing on her psychoanalytic training and decades of clinical work with children.
Step 4: Building Trust Over Time
Progress with children happens slowly and through repetition. Each session builds on the last inside a relationship your child learns to count on. Available in person in Santa Monica or via Zoom, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 7:30 PM.
What Santa Monica Parents Are Saying
I lived with social anxiety for more than 10 years. It was absolute hell. I was terrified of what people thought of me, and it controlled every decision I made. Thanks to Dr. Sally Hackman and her methods, I finally learned to stop being afraid. She gave me my confidence back.
After almost twenty years of marriage, I didn’t think my relationship with my wife could recover. Everything I said felt like an insult to her. With last hopes, we visited Dr. Sally Hackman. She helped us realize we can only be happy when we’re truly together. She saved our marriage.
When I lost my mom, I didn’t know how to function. I smiled at work and cried alone at night. Dr. Sally Hackman gave me a safe space to grieve without judgment. She helped me understand that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. I finally feel like I can breathe again.
Grief hit me harder than I ever expected. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t see a future. Dr. Sally Hackman never rushed me. She walked beside me at my own pace and helped me find meaning again. I’m not the same person I was. I’m stronger.
What Makes Dr. Sally the Right Choice for Your Child
Deciding who supports your child is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent.
- PhD in Clinical Child Psychology
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (License #MFC29541)
- Advanced psychoanalytic psychotherapy training
- Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA Medical School
- 40+ years of clinical experience with children
- Treatment is tailored to each child’s developmental stage
- In-person and Zoom sessions available
- Confidential, individualized care for every child
The Help Your Child Needs Is Right Here
One session of child depression treatment with Dr. Sally can be the moment everything starts to change for your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my teenager needs therapy?
You know your child better than anyone. If something feels off, trust that feeling. Withdrawal, mood swings, falling grades, or constant conflict at home are all signs worth paying attention to. Dr. Sally can help you figure out whether therapy is the right step.
At what age is it too young for therapy?
There is no age too young. Dr. Sally works with children as early as preschool age using play-based methods that match their developmental stage. The earlier the support begins, the more effective it tends to be.
What does a child therapy session actually look like?
It looks nothing like adult therapy. Young children do not sit on a couch and talk about their feelings. Dr. Sally uses play, drawing, storytelling, and observation to connect with them. The child leads, and she follows what their behavior is communicating.
How do I explain therapy to my child without scaring them?
Keep it simple and warm. You can tell them they are going to visit someone who helps kids with big feelings. Dr. Sally makes the first session feel natural, so most children settle in quickly without needing much explanation beforehand.
Can therapy help my child if our family is going through a divorce?
Yes, children often blame themselves during a divorce, even when no one has said anything to suggest it. Dr. Sally helps them process confusion, sadness, and anger in a way that is appropriate for their age, so the experience does not become something they carry silently into later years.