When a child or teen is struggling—whether it shows up as anxiety, big emotions, shutdown/avoidance, school stress, or constant conflict at home—it can be hard to know what will actually help. Many parents have already tried reading, researching, adjusting routines, and “doing all the right things,” and still feel stuck.
Therapy can provide a supportive space to understand what’s getting in the way, build practical coping and executive-functioning skills, and help the whole family move forward with more confidence.
Virtual therapy is available for clients in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
When therapy can help
Therapy may be helpful when your child, teen, or young adult is:
- Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, stuck, or emotionally reactive
- Having trouble managing frustration, transitions, or uncertainty
- Struggling with attention, organization, planning, or follow-through
- Experiencing school stress, academic avoidance, or low confidence
- Having difficulty with peer relationships or social problem-solving
- Navigating life transitions, family stress, grief, medical illness, or identity-related concerns
- Needing support after a neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluation
- Benefiting from a structured, skills-based approach to coping and self-understanding
Our approach
Therapy at Esplanade Psychological Services is active, collaborative, and practical. Sessions are tailored to each client’s strengths, developmental stage, and goals. Depending on needs, therapy may draw from:
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): helps connect thoughts, feelings, and behavior—and build healthier patterns.
- Mindfulness-based strategies: builds awareness, calming skills, and attention skills.
- DBT-informed skills: supports emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Executive functioning support: helps with planning, organization, flexibility, and follow-through.
- Unstuck and On Target! (when appropriate): supports flexibility, goal-setting, and problem-solving.
- Cognitive remediation / cognitive rehabilitation: builds compensatory strategies for attention, memory, and cognitive efficiency.
Parent support & coaching
Parents often need guidance that is specific to their child’s learning profile, emotional needs, developmental stage, and family context. Parent sessions may focus on:
- Understanding your child’s neuropsychological profile
- Responding to anxiety, avoidance, irritability, or dysregulation
- Supporting routines, homework, planning, and independence
- Reducing power struggles and helping parents respond consistently and compassionately
- Preparing for school meetings or implementing recommendations from an evaluation
- Supporting transitions (middle school, high school, college, young adulthood)
What therapy looks like
- Initial consultation: a brief conversation to understand your concerns and determine whether therapy is a good fit.
- Intake session: review history, strengths, current challenges, and goals.
- Individualized plan: goals tailored to emotional coping, executive functioning, flexibility, school stress, and/or parent support.
- Active skill-building: interactive sessions focused on strategies to use outside the therapy “room.”
- Parent collaboration when helpful: to support carryover and reduce day-to-day stress at home.
Why families work with Dr. Ailion
- Specialist training: Dr. Alyssa Ailion is a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified clinical neuropsychologist (ABPP-CN).
- Neuropsychology-informed care: Therapy can incorporate an understanding of learning, attention, executive functioning, and emotion regulation—and how these show up at home and at school.
- Practical, parent-aware approach: Sessions focus on skill-building and realistic changes families can actually use.
- Continuity across services: When a client has completed (or will complete) an evaluation, therapy can help translate recommendations into day-to-day routines, school planning, and coping skills.
If you’d like to learn more about background and training, see About.
Fees & insurance
Therapy fees are listed here: Therapy Fees & Insurance.
Next step
If you’re ready, scroll down to request a free 15-minute consultation. If you’re not sure what you need yet, that’s okay—tell us what you’re noticing and we’ll help you decide on the best next step.