Our services

Child & Teen Therapy in Springfield, MO: Compassionate Support for Growing Minds

Age-appropriate care that helps young people feel heard and understood.

Schedule your child’s intake session Meet our care team

Prefer to talk? Call (417) 409-3008 · Mon–Fri, 8:30 am – 7 pm

A mother and her teenage son smiling together outdoors

In-network insurance accepted

In-person and telehealth sessions

Supporting ages 5 and up

A diverse team of 8 providers

A bright, calm room with a cozy armchair and houseplants

A note from our practice

There is nothing quite as helpless as watching your child struggle and feeling like you do not have the right tools to fix it.

As a parent or guardian, your primary instinct is to protect your child. When they are physically hurt, the solution is usually straightforward. But when the pain is emotional or psychological, the path forward can feel incredibly isolating. You might be watching your bright, energetic five-year-old suddenly struggle with massive emotional meltdowns, school refusal, or intense separation anxiety. Or perhaps you are watching your teenager slowly withdraw, pulling away from the family, losing interest in their passions, or buckling under the immense pressure of their social and academic world.

It is easy to lie awake at night wondering, “Is this just a phase, or is it something more serious?” and, perhaps most painfully, “Am I doing something wrong?”

At Counseling Group of the Ozarks, we want to validate how exhausting and scary this process can be. You are not failing as a parent. The modern world places an unprecedented amount of stress on children and adolescents, and sometimes, it takes a village to help them navigate it.

Located conveniently in Springfield, MO, and available statewide via secure telehealth, our practice offers dedicated child and teen counseling for ages 5 and older. We provide a warm, inviting, and strictly judgment-free environment where your child can learn to understand their emotions, build resilience, and find their voice.

— The Counseling Group of the Ozarks team

Schedule your child’s intake session

What we help with

Navigating the Unique Challenges of Childhood and Adolescence

Children and teens do not process the world the same way adults do. They often lack the developmental vocabulary to simply sit down and explain, “I am feeling overwhelmed by my anxiety today.” Instead, their internal struggles usually manifest as behavioral changes.

Because our team consists of eight diverse, highly skilled providers, we are uniquely equipped to support the complex developmental stages of childhood and adolescence. We tailor our clinical approach based on your child’s specific age group and presenting concerns:

Early Childhood and Elementary (Ages 5–11)

For younger children, emotional distress often looks like physical complaints (frequent stomach aches or headaches), regression (bedwetting or clinginess), sudden aggression, or intense difficulty regulating their responses to minor disappointments.

Our team includes clinicians who work with children as young as 5, helping them navigate challenges such as:

Separation Anxiety and School Refusal: Helping children build the confidence to transition into the classroom without panic.
Family Transitions: Providing a safe, neutral space to process complex changes like divorce, a major move, or the arrival of a new sibling.
Bullying and Social Friction: Teaching young children how to establish boundaries, read social cues, and build healthy peer relationships.
Behavioral Outbursts: Translating aggressive or defiant behavior into clearly communicated needs and teaching emotional regulation.

Middle School and Early Adolescence (Ages 12–14)

The middle school years are notoriously turbulent. This is a period marked by rapid hormonal changes, shifting social hierarchies, and an intense desire to fit in.

During this transitional phase, our counselors help adolescents manage:

Self-Esteem and Body Image: Countering the negative impacts of social media and peer comparison to build genuine self-worth.
Early Signs of Depression and Anxiety: Identifying and addressing the root causes of sudden withdrawal, chronic sadness, or perfectionism.
Academic Pressure: Helping students manage the increasing demands of schoolwork without sacrificing their mental health.

High School and Older Teens (Ages 15–18+)

Older teens are facing the monumental task of figuring out who they are and what they want their adult lives to look like. The pressure is immense, and the stakes often feel impossibly high.

Our teen therapists provide grounded, validating support for:

Identity Exploration: Offering a profoundly safe space to explore personal values, career aspirations, and gender or sexual identity.
Severe Anxiety and Burnout: Teaching advanced coping mechanisms to handle college prep, sports pressure, and social exhaustion.
High-Risk Behaviors: Addressing self-harm, substance use exploration, or extreme risk-taking through evidence-based interventions like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Not sure where to start?

Tell us a little about what’s going on and we’ll match you with the therapist who fits you best.

Schedule your child’s intake session Call (417) 409-3008

How we help

How We Help: Age-Appropriate Evidence-Based Care

Therapy for a seven-year-old looks vastly different than therapy for a seventeen-year-old. Our eight-provider team utilizes age-appropriate, evidence-based modalities to ensure the counseling experience is engaging, effective, and tailored to your child’s developmental stage.

Connect with a child & teen specialist

Play-Informed and Expressive Arts Therapy (For Younger Children)

[CONFIRM: no clinician currently lists play therapy] Since younger kids (ages 5+) do not always have the vocabulary to articulate complex emotional pain, we speak their language: play. Through play-informed techniques, drawing, and interactive activities, our therapists help young children act out their anxieties, process trauma, and learn emotional regulation in a way that feels natural and non-threatening.

Cognitive and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (For Teens)

For adolescents, we lean heavily into empowering, skills-based modalities. We utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help teens identify the harsh, critical thoughts that fuel their anxiety or depression. For teens struggling with intense emotional volatility, we integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to teach practical skills for distress tolerance, mindfulness, and healthy communication.

The Role of the Parent: A Collaborative Team Approach

We firmly believe that parents and guardians are an integral part of the healing process. While we maintain a strict level of confidentiality with our teen clients to ensure they feel safe being honest with us, we work collaboratively with parents. We will provide you with regular check-ins, parental coaching, and actionable strategies you can implement at home to support the work we are doing in the session room.

Who we serve

A Fiercely Inclusive and Affirming Space for Youth

Growing up is difficult enough without feeling judged for who you are. At Counseling Group of the Ozarks, we are dedicated to providing a deeply inclusive environment where every child and teen feels seen, respected, and valued.

Two women sitting outside, talking and smiling together

LGBTQIA+ Affirming Care

We proudly provide an affirming, celebratory space for LGBTQIA+ youth. If your teen is exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity, our clinicians provide validating support to help them navigate minority stress, coming out, and family dynamics with confidence and pride.

Culturally Responsive Counseling

We offer culturally competent care that is fully inclusive of BIPOC youth and families, honoring the diverse cultural backgrounds, systemic challenges, and intersecting identities that shape your child’s worldview.

Finding the Right Fit

Because teenagers are notoriously hesitant to engage in therapy, therapeutic rapport is everything. Our administrative team will work with you to match your child with the specific clinician among our eight providers whose personality and expertise best fit your child’s unique vibe.

Our team

Meet our Child & Teen Therapy specialists

During intake, we’ll help match you with the clinician who fits your needs, schedule, and insurance.

LaBryon Williams MA, LPC Owner & Therapist Trauma · Life transitions · Anxiety & depression View profile

Rachella McClain MSW, LCSW Clinical Director & Therapist Burnout · Life transitions · Medically complex issues View profile

Robyn Taft MA, LPC-S, C-DBT Clinical Lead & Training Coordinator DBT · ADHD · Faith View profile

Katelyn Butler MS, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor Trauma · Neurodivergence · Religious trauma View profile

Julie Davenport MSW, LMSW Therapist Kids 5+ · Trauma · ADHD · Anxiety View profile

Vince Pozzie MS, PLPC Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor Trauma & PTSD · Anxiety · Career stress View profile

Felicia Typaldos MS, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor Grief · Depression & anxiety · Life transitions View profile

Insurance & fees

Insurance made simple

We’re in-network with a wide range of regional and national plans, and our office will verify your benefits as a courtesy before your first visit.

CoxHealth PlansMO HealthNet / MedicaidHealthy BlueAetnaAnthem Blue Cross Blue ShieldMedicareTricare / TriWestOptumUMRUnitedHealthcare

Don’t see your plan? Call us — we’ll check your coverage together.

See insurance & fees

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Have a question? Call our front desk at (417) 409-3008, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 7:00 pm.

Call (417) 409-3008

Do parents sit in on the therapy sessions?

This depends heavily on the age of the child and the specific goals of therapy. For children ages 5 to 7, parents may be heavily involved in the sessions. As children grow older, and particularly for teenagers, the therapist will spend the majority of the time one-on-one with the youth to build trust and autonomy, while scheduling separate touchpoints to update the parents on general progress.

My teenager completely refuses to go to therapy. What should I do?

This is a very common challenge. We recommend having an open, non-judgmental conversation acknowledging their hesitation. Let them know they have agency in the process—they can choose which of our 8 providers they want to speak with, and they can try just one session without a long-term commitment. Sometimes, knowing they are in control of the process reduces their defensiveness.

Can children and teens do telehealth sessions?

Yes! While many younger children (ages 5–9) benefit most from the hands-on, tactile environment of our in-person Springfield office, older children and teenagers often thrive via telehealth. Our secure Missouri telehealth platform is incredibly convenient for busy families juggling school, sports, and work schedules.

Will my child’s therapist tell me what they talk about in sessions?

To make therapy effective, teenagers must feel confident that their therapist will not simply repeat everything they say back to their parents. We maintain confidentiality regarding the specific details of their sessions. However, we will always break confidentiality and notify you immediately if your child discloses that they are in danger, are planning to hurt themselves, or are planning to hurt someone else.

Your first session

Secure Your Child’s Support System Today

You do not have to have all the answers. Let the experienced, compassionate team at Counseling Group of the Ozarks provide the specialized guidance your family needs to move from surviving to thriving.

Reach out today to match your child or teen with the right provider.

Request your child’s intake appointment today Call (417) 409-3008