Child Psychotherapy
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About Child Psychotherapy
Child Therapy in Santa Monica & Los Angeles
Children often express their emotional struggles through behavior rather than words. A child who is anxious may cling or act out. A child who is grieving may withdraw or regress. A child facing social difficulty may come home from school in tears — or refuse to go at all. Understanding what lies beneath a child’s behavior is the first step to helping.
Children in therapy show their struggles through play, art, behaviour and sometimes words. The therapist is trained to understand what’s being expressed and to give the child words for what they struggle with, Dr. Hackman offers them a healthier,more accurate way to understand what happens in the world around them.
Dr. Sally Hackman, PhD, MFT, has been providing specialized child psychotherapy in Santa Monica and the greater Los Angeles area since 1986. With a PhD in Clinical Child Psychology and over 35 years of experience working with children across a wide range of challenges, she is deeply skilled at building the trust with children that makes therapy genuinely effective.
Child therapy always includes a parent consultation component — Dr. Hackman keeps parents informed and involved throughout, while maintaining the confidential therapeutic relationship with the child that the work requires.
Specialized Care for Your Child.
Personalized Solutions
Every child is different. Dr. Hackman adapts her approach to each child’s age, developmental stage, temperament, and specific challenges — using play, conversation, and other child-appropriate therapeutic tools.
Proven Expertise
A PhD in Clinical Child Psychology, board certification since 1992, and decades of specialized child therapy experience — Dr. Hackman brings rare depth of expertise to children’s mental health, combined with the warmth and patience that children need to feel safe.
OUR COMMITMENT
Your Child's Wellbeing Is My Priority.
The emotional foundations built in childhood shape adult mental health profoundly. Early intervention for anxiety, depression, social difficulties, and behavioral challenges can make an enormous difference in a child’s development and lifelong wellbeing.
Dr. Hackman’s background includes working at the Thalians Community Mental Health Center, the Kennedy Child Study Center, and various school and community settings — giving her a broad, deep grounding in child development and mental health.
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Years of Licensed Practice
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Serving Santa Monica & Los Angeles
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Strictly Confidential
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First Session Free If You Don't Return
Key Points
What Child Psychotherapy Can Help With
Empowering Resilience
Help your child build the emotional vocabulary, coping skills, and inner strength to navigate life's challenges — with benefits that last a lifetime.
A Healing Space
Dr. Hackman creates a warm, child-friendly therapeutic environment — in person in Santa Monica — where children feel safe, understood, and free to express themselves.
Transformative Support
From anxiety and depression to social difficulties, school problems, and the impact of family change — Dr. Hackman provides expert, developmentally appropriate support across the full range of childhood challenges.
AREAS COVERED
Child Therapy Areas
- Depression, Anxiety, and Mood Changes
- Peer Relationships and Social Anxiety / Shyness
- School Difficulties
- Development issues of the ages birth to five, sleep / tautrums etc.
- Preparation for medical experiences.
- Developmental Lags
- Divorce or Death of a Parent / Family Member
- Illness — Self, Parent, or Sibling
- Compliance With Parental Authority
- Parent Consultation
FAQ
Common Questions About Child Therapy
Signs that a child may benefit from therapy include persistent anxiety, sadness, or mood changes; behavioral problems at home or school; withdrawal from friends or activities; sleep, difficulties issues with eating, potty training, tautrums, event, and any behavior that seems markedly out of character or is getting worse over time.
Dr. Hackman provides regular parent consultation sessions — separate from the child's therapy sessions — to keep parents informed, answer questions, and discuss how to support the work at home.
Yes. Dr. Hackman is experienced in working with children who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally. Most children don't talk about their feeling and struggles. They play them out express them through art or act them out behaviorly. She uses play, art, and other child-appropriate approaches that allow children to communicate in the ways that are natural for them.
Dr. Hackman works with children from early childhood onward. The approach adapts significantly for different age groups with pre-schoolers even as young as two years, the parents may also need in the sessions. Sometimes Dr. Hackman starts with the parents, helping them help their child. If that dosn't work well enough, she will do a personal assessment of the child to determine if therapy is needed. If you have a concern about a young child, a parent consultation is often the right starting point.