A Place Where Your Child Can Say, “This Is Me”
You know your child.
You know the games they can talk about for hours, the songs that change their mood and the videos or characters that feel important to them. You know when they need space, when they need connection and when something has shifted.
At Unity Youth & Family Services, we pay attention to those things too.
Our Adolescent Clinic offers expressive therapy experiences that include Play Therapy, Geek Therapy and Music Therapy. These treatment options give children and teens more ways to connect with a therapist, share what they’re feeling and build skills that fit into their lives.
Your child doesn’t have to leave their personality at the door. Their interests, creativity and way of seeing the world become part of the work.
The message we want them to feel is simple:
This is me. You get me. I can be myself here.
Your Child May Be Communicating More Than You Realize
Many parents receive “I don’t know” and “nothing” as responses when you ask what’s wrong or how they are feeling.
That answer can be frustrating, especially when you know there’s more going on. But children and teens don’t always communicate through words. They may show you through memes, art, music, and stories they relate to.
Expressive therapy options use those forms of communication in treatment.
During Play Therapy, children can create and explore their world with toys, work through a challenge in a game or tell a story using imagination. Geek Therapy uses their favorite superhero, video game or anime character to open a conversation about friendship, identity or confidence. Music Therapy uses rhythm, lyrics, playlists or songwriting to express feelings and practice emotion regulation.
The experience feels familiar because it uses the language they already know: play!
Therapy Is Something Your Child Wants to Join
You may wonder “will my child even talk to a therapist?”
That’s a reasonable question. Trust takes time, and some children feel uncomfortable when they’re expected to sit across from an adult and answer personal questions. It is even more daunting if the child doesn’t have the words to put to their experience.
At Unity, connections begin in another way.
Children build something, choose a song, talk about a character or play a game. Those moments help the therapist learn how your child thinks, what matters to them and what helps them feel comfortable.
A child who loves Minecraft begins talking while building. A teenager who follows anime may see parts of their own experience in a character’s story. A young person who communicates through music finds it easier to choose a song than explain an emotion.
That’s the “we get you” feeling we help create.
Your child’s interests aren’t just something fun about their personality. Our therapists use their interests to help guide treatment and build skills.
Play Gives Children a Language of Their Own
Play is one of the ways children understand and communicate their experiences, relationships, choices and emotions.
In Play Therapy, your child can communicate through toys, stories, games, art and imagination. They may practice patience during a game, build confidence by leading an activity or explore family relationships through the characters they create.
You may not get a detailed explanation of everything that happened during a session from your child. Our therapists do integrate caregivers and parents into the treatment so we work together toward the same goals. Eventually what you will notice is your child becoming more comfortable naming emotions, handling frustration or asking for what they need.
Those changes matter.
The therapist provides structure and direction, but your child has room to participate in a way that feels natural and easier.
Music Helps Your Child Feel Understood
Music often ties to memories. This is why using music can help children reprocess emotions from difficult experiences.
Songs can help them settle after a hard day. A lyric can describe a feeling they couldn’t explain. A rhythm helps them focus or release energy.
Music Therapy builds on connection while exploring emotions.
Children use drumming, movement, beat creation, playlists, songwriting or lyric discussion during a session. No musical background is needed. There’s no expectation to perform.
The music becomes a tool.
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Rhythm exercises can help your child practice pausing before reacting. Songwriting may help a teenager organize thoughts that feel overwhelming. A personal playlist can lead to conversations about stress, identity or the people who help them feel safe.
For children and teens with ADHD, autism or different sensory needs, music can also offer movement, repetition and predictable structure.
Their Interests Can Become Their Strengths
If your child enjoys gaming they could be drawn into a fantasy world, they can become a superhero, anime character, or use role-playing games to enhance their self-confidence and ability to problem solve.
Those interests are welcomed and utilized at Unity.
Geek Therapy respects the way young people connect through stories, characters and shared interests. A therapist may use a character’s choices to talk about courage, relationships or handling disappointment. Games can create a chance to practice teamwork, flexibility or managing frustration.
Neurodivergent children and teens find a meaningful starting point. They don’t have to explain why an interest matters so much. The therapist recognizes that it’s part of how they connect, learn and express themselves.
Your child gets to feel, “This is part of who I am, and I belong here.”
You’re Part of the Process Too
Parents bring something important to treatment: knowledge of your child.
As a parent, you know what helps them reset. You notice changes in sleep, school, friendships and confidence, especially when they’re making progress, even if the progress looks small to someone else.
Unity therapists collaborate with parents and integrate them into treatment. At the same time, children and teens need enough space to build trust and speak honestly with their therapist.
We respect both needs.
Parents are included in treatment goals and learn support of new skills at home and share what you’re seeing between appointments. Your child has a relationship with their therapist that feels safe and personal.
You aren’t standing outside the process. You’re part of the team.
Treatment Options That Can Grow With Your Child
As a child grows, they won’t stay the same, and treatment shouldn’t stay frozen in one format.
A younger child may begin with Play Therapy. As they grow, music, gaming or storytelling may become a stronger way to connect. A teenager may use more than one expressive therapy experience based on their goals and interests.
The treatment options can shift as your child changes.
Unity works with children and teens seeking support with anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, trauma, school concerns, emotional regulation, family relationships, social anxiety, self-esteem and behavioral needs.
A child isn’t a list of concerns, symptoms or problematic behaviors.
They’re the kid who knows every lyric. The teen who feels at home in a fictional world. The child who communicates through movement, building or play.
We look beyond the behavior or difficulty to see the child and their needs.
A Place Where Your Child Can Be Known
You don’t need to decide which type of therapy is right before you call.
Start by telling us about your child.
What do they enjoy? What helps them feel comfortable? What would you like to see become easier for them? What kind of therapist do you believe they’ll connect with?
From there, Unity can help you explore treatment options and find a therapist whose style and experience fit your child.
Many new clients can begin care within days, depending on scheduling, insurance coverage and therapist availability. Telehealth is also available across Nebraska when it fits the child’s age and treatment needs.
Unity accepts Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans and has been recognized through Best of Omaha in behavioral health.
Sometimes therapy begins with a conversation. Sometimes it begins with a game, a song or a story.
What matters is that your child feels understood enough to say:
“This is me.”
And that they leave knowing:
“They get me.”
To learn more about Unity Youth & Family Services or request an appointment, visit unityyfs.com
Lee Enterprises newsrooms were not involved in the creation of this content.
