Child Therapy — Grand Forks, ND

Children rarely have the words to explain what’s happening internally. Stress responses often show up as patterns you can see.

You might notice:

• Big emotions, frequent meltdowns, or quick escalation
• Irritability, anger, or oppositional behavior that feels “out of nowhere”
• Anxiety, worry, perfectionism, or reassurance-seeking
• Sleep issues, stomachaches, headaches, or body tension
• Shutdown, withdrawal, “I don’t know,” or seeming numb/disconnected
• Trouble with transitions, separation, or school refusal
• Increased clinginess, regression, or sudden fearfulness
• Difficulty with attention, impulse control, or social connection
   

These patterns often reflect a nervous system stuck in fight/flight (overdrive) or freeze (shutdown). Therapy helps your child build capacity and recovery—not just compliance.

Kids build regulation through relationships. That’s why our work is paced, structured, and often includes caregiver support.

Our clinical identity is nervous system-centered and trauma-informed. In child therapy, we focus on:

• Regulation: helping your child’s body settle and recover after stress
• Capacity: building tolerance for emotions without overwhelm
• Integration: supporting changes that show up in daily routines, school, and relationships
• Boundaries + structure: predictability helps a child’s system feel safe
   

Our work is informed by advanced training in the Biology of Trauma® framework developed by Dr. Aimie Apigian. Dr. Apigian has personally trained our team, and our founder is Biology of Trauma® certified. As a practice, we’re building shared clinical language and consistency through ongoing training.

Yes—therapy can begin early.

Ashlei Stanczyk, LMSW, supports infants (0+) and caregivers with attachment and co-regulation work. This focuses on strengthening the caregiver-child relationship and helping the child’s nervous system return to parasympathetic settling rather than getting stuck in ongoing stress responses.

This may be a fit if you’re navigating:

• intense crying, difficulty soothing, or persistent dysregulation
• attachment concerns or disrupted bonding
• ongoing family stress, transitions, or overwhelm
• sleep and settling challenges 
• early signs of anxiety, shutdown, or reactivity

For school-age children (8–12), therapy often focuses on emotional regulation, coping skills that actually work in the body, and reducing stress-response behaviors that interfere with learning and relationships.

We may support concerns like:

• anxiety and panic sensations
• mood shifts, irritability, or emotional outbursts
• bullying, friendship stress, and social anxiety
• grief, family transitions, and difficult life events
• trauma-related stress responses
   

When appropriate, caregivers are included to strengthen co-regulation and help therapy translate into the home environment.

Depending on your child’s age and needs, therapy may include:

• developmentally appropriate nervous system education (kid-friendly and shame-reducing)
• play-based and somatic (body-based) interventions to support regulation
• caregiver guidance for co-regulation, routines, and boundaries
• trauma-informed processing when past experiences are impacting the present
   

The goal isn’t to “fix” your child. The goal is to help their nervous system build steadiness—so behavior, emotions, and connection can follow.

We match families based on age and needs:

• Ashlei supports infants (0+) and works with children and young adults (up to age 30), with special depth in attachment and caregiver-child co-regulation.
• Casey works with children 8+, teens, and adults, with a trauma-informed approach that may include EMDR and other evidence-based therapies.
• Jenna works with adolescents 12+ and adults, with a trauma-informed approach that may include EMDR and other evidence-based therapies.
   

If you’re unsure where to start, call and we’ll help match your family with the best-fit clinician.

• Trauma Therapy
• EMDR Therapy
• Anxiety Therapy
• Depression Therapy
• Teen Therapy
• Somatic Therapy / Nervous System Regulation
• Other Common Concerns
• Other Therapeutic Modalities