Counseling for children
in Tullahoma

When your child’s teacher keeps calling, or your child hasn’t been the same since a divorce, a move, a new baby, an adoption or a death in the family, it’s hard to know what’s going on underneath. Kids show what they’re carrying through their behavior long before they can put it into words. Some act out, and some pull inward. Either way, you want your child to have a safe place to talk, and you want to know how to help at home.

If we can help a child carry something hard differently now, it can change the direction of their whole life. That’s why this work matters so much to me.

I’m LeeAnn Childers, a counselor at Pearl Counseling in Tullahoma. I’ve worked with kids since I started teaching Sunday school at 12. Before counseling, I spent years at Head Start and at Centerstone, working in homes with new moms and their babies. My training is in marriage and family therapy, so I pay attention to everything happening around your child, too.

The first session is with you, without your child. You’ll tell me about your child and what you’ve noticed. After that, sessions are with your child. Younger kids sometimes want a parent in the room for the first few, and that’s fine.

Play is how kids work through things, so we use games, art, storytelling, role play and sand tray. It may look like we’re just playing, but I’m learning from your child the whole time. With narrative therapy, I help kids see something like ADHD or anxiety as one part of their story.

When I can, I bring you back in for the last 10 minutes of a session for a connection activity with your child. You’re the most important relationship in your child’s life, and those minutes help you take the work home. Therapy with kids moves slower than therapy with adults, because trust takes time to build.

Your child’s sessions are their private space. I’ll share the themes I’m seeing so you know how to help, and I’ll keep the specifics between us so your child can trust me. If something comes up that isn’t safe, I’ll tell your child first and give them the chance to tell you themselves, with my help.

Sometimes the best next step is for parents to get on the same page. If I see that, I’ll tell you, and family or couples sessions can become part of the plan.

One of my favorite moments came with a foster child who had been through one move and upheaval after another. One day she told herself she was brave, she was loved and she was kind. All of that was already in her. Our time together helped it grow.

If you’re wondering whether counseling could help your child, let’s talk. The first call is free and takes about 15 minutes.

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  • My experience is mostly with children ages 4 to 12, and I also see teens. Families come to Pearl Counseling from Tullahoma, Winchester, Manchester, Shelbyville, and Moore, Coffee and Grundy counties.

  • The first session is with the parent only. After that, sessions are with your child, and when possible I bring you back in for the last 10 minutes for a connection activity together.

  • I’ll share the themes I’m seeing so you can support your child at home. Specifics stay private so your child can trust me, unless something comes up that isn’t safe.

  • Play therapy uses games, art, sand tray and storytelling to help children work through feelings they can’t explain in words yet. Play is how kids process what’s happened to them.

  • No. Children are seen in person at my office in Tullahoma.

  • Sessions are $120. I offer a sliding scale, and I’m not accepting insurance at this time.