FAQs

1901 Olympic Blvd Suite 240 Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Feel free to use the Contact Us to send an email.

Phone: 925-306-115

Email: admin@littledovecounseling.com

Little Dove Counseling does not accept insurance. However, if you have a PPO, Little Dove Counseling will provide you with a Superbill to submit to your insurance to use for your network benefits. Families often receive up to 75% reimbursement for therapy. Call your insurance company to learn more.

We use a billing platform called Mentaya. This platform automatically submits your superbills and processes reimbursement.

Step 1: Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation
The first step is scheduling a free phone consultation to discuss your family's needs and ensure we're the right fit. This brief call helps us understand what you're looking for and answer any initial questions about our approach to child and family therapy.

Step 2: Parent Intake Session
You'll meet one-on-one with your therapist to talk in-depth about your main concerns, your child's background, and what you hope to gain from therapy. This session helps us understand your family's unique story and begin building a therapeutic relationship.

Step 3: Parent-Child-Therapist Session
Next, we'll bring your child into the process. This joint session allows the therapist to observe your relationship, see how your child engages, and help everyone feel comfortable with the therapy space and process.

Step 4: Assessment & Treatment Planning
The therapist and parent meet again to complete an in-depth assessment and develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your family's goals. We'll outline what therapy will look like moving forward and answer any questions you have.

Holistic Support:
Throughout the process, Little Dove Counseling provides recommendations for additional support as needed, including referrals for psychological evaluations, coordination with your child's doctor or school, and connections to other Bay Area resources that can support your family's wellbeing.

Step 1: Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation
The first step is scheduling a free phone consultation to discuss what brings you to therapy and ensure we're the right fit. This brief call helps us understand what you're looking for and answer any initial questions about our approach.

Step 2: Initial Intake Session
You'll meet one-on-one with your therapist to talk in-depth about your current challenges, background, and what you hope to gain from therapy. This session helps us understand your unique story and begin building a therapeutic relationship.

Step 3: Assessment & Treatment Planning
In your second session, you and your therapist will complete an in-depth assessment and develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your goals. We'll outline what therapy will look like moving forward and answer any questions you have.

Step 4: Ongoing Therapy Sessions
From there, we'll move into regular therapy sessions focused on your goals — whether that's improving your relationship with your child, managing stress and anxiety, navigating life transitions, or building stronger family connections.

Holistic Support:
Throughout the process, Little Dove Counseling provides recommendations for additional support as needed, including referrals for psychiatric evaluation, medical consultations, or other Bay Area resources that can support your wellbeing.

All therapists at Little Dove Counseling are licensed or registered mental health professionals in California with specialized training in child therapy, teen counseling, and family therapy.

Our Walnut Creek therapy team includes Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC), and Associate clinicians working under supervision. All are registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and meet California's rigorous standards for mental health practice.

Specialized Training:
Every member of our team has completed advanced training in Child-Centered Play Therapy, Family Play Therapy, and Hand in Hand Parenting. These approaches form the foundation of our work with Bay Area families, ensuring your child receives care grounded in evidence-based, developmentally-informed practices.

Ongoing Professional Development:
Our therapists engage in 2-3 hours of clinical consultation and training each week, staying current with the latest research in child development, attachment, family systems, and therapeutic best practices for children and teens.

What this means for your family: Whether you're seeking a child therapist in Walnut Creek, teen counseling, or parent support, you're working with a highly trained team that shares a common therapeutic foundation while bringing individual strengths and specialties. We combine clinical expertise with genuine warmth and creativity, meeting each Bay Area family where they are and adapting our approach to fit your unique needs.

What does Little Dove Counseling specialize in?

Little Dove Counseling specializes in child therapy, teen counseling, and parent support for families in Walnut Creek and the Bay Area. Our focus is helping families build stronger connections and navigate the emotional challenges that come with childhood and adolescence.

Our Core Specialty Areas:

Parent Support & Parent Therapy
We help parents understand their child's behavior, respond to big feelings with confidence, and strengthen the parent-child relationship. Whether you're struggling with tantrums, defiance, sibling conflict, or parenting stress, we provide evidence-based strategies grounded in attachment theory and Hand in Hand Parenting.

Healing from Childhood Trauma: We support parents in healing their own childhood trauma and breaking generational patterns. Many parents find that their child's behavior triggers deep emotions connected to their own upbringing and experiences — we help you process these feelings and develop new responses so you can show up as the parent you want to be.

Child Therapy (Ages 2-12)
Using Child-Centered Play Therapy and expressive arts therapy, we help children process difficult emotions, develop coping skills, and work through challenges including anxiety, behavioral issues, family transitions, grief, and trauma. Play is the language of childhood — we meet kids where they are developmentally and help them heal through creative expression.

Teen Counseling (Ages 13-18)
We support teens navigating anxiety, depression, identity development, peer relationships, family conflict, and major life transitions. Our approach balances teen autonomy with family connection, helping adolescents build emotional regulation skills, develop resilience, and strengthen their sense of self.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
We provide mental health consultation services for preschools, daycares, and early childhood programs throughout the Bay Area. Our therapists work collaboratively with teachers, directors, and caregivers to support young children's social-emotional development, address challenging behaviors in the classroom, and create trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate environments.

Adoption & Foster Care
We provide adoption-competent therapy and trauma-informed care for adoptive families, foster families, and children with complex trauma histories. Our therapists understand the unique attachment challenges, identity development, and grief that come with adoption and foster care experiences.

Family Therapy
We work with the whole family system to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relational bonds. Family Play Therapy helps families reconnect through shared creative experiences, while addressing patterns that may be causing stress or disconnection.

Sibling Conflict & Sibling Rivalry
We help parents understand the developmental and emotional roots of sibling conflict and provide concrete strategies to reduce fighting, build cooperation, teach conflict resolution skills, and create a calmer, more connected home environment.

What We Don't Specialize In:
While we're experienced with a wide range of mental health challenges, we refer out for severe eating disorders, acute substance abuse treatment, and crisis intervention requiring intensive psychiatric services. We believe in holistic care and will connect you with the right resources and specialists when needed.