Lily Pad Child & Adolescent Counseling

12/10/2025

Parenting can feel a lot like navigating an unpredictable ocean some days calm, some days stormy, and sometimes you’re just trying to keep the boat afloat.

If you’ve noticed changes in your child’s behavior, emotions, or mood and wondered, “Is this just a phase… or does my child need support?” you’re not alone. Kids don’t always have the words to express what’s going on inside, but they do communicate through their play, actions, and feelings.

In this week’s blog, Lauren Walter, LPC-A, breaks down the signs that may indicate your child could benefit from counseling and explains why Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is such a powerful and developmentally appropriate approach for helping children heal.

Learn:
• What emotional or behavioral signs to look for
• Why play is a child’s natural language
• How CCPT works (and what actually happens in a session!)
• How early support can foster resilience, confidence, and emotional wellness

If something in your child’s world feels “off,” trust your instinct. You don’t have to have all the answers, you just have to know when to reach out.

➡ Read Lauren’s full blog at Lily Pad Child & Adolescent Counseling
https://lilypad-counseling.com/blog/does-my-child-need-counseling-signs-for-parents-to-look-for/
➡Schedule your free parent consultation anytime

With play and presence,
Lily Pad Counseling 🐸

12/03/2025

Grief looks different for children than it does for adults. While grown-ups often use words to process loss, children express their deepest feelings through play.
In this week’s blog, Lauren Walter, LPC-Associate, shares a compassionate guide to understanding how children grieve — and how play becomes a powerful pathway toward healing.
From symbolic play to big emotions, from regression to resilience, Lauren explains how Child Centered Play Therapy helps children express what they can’t yet say, at their own pace, in their own way.
If your child or family has experienced a loss, you don’t have to walk this journey alone. ❤️
Read the full blog on our website.
With play and presence,
Lily Pad Child & Adolescent Counseling

11/27/2025

11/25/2025

The holidays bring cozy meals, special treats, and moments we want our kids to remember forever. But they can also bring comments about “too much sugar,” “bad foods,” or body talk that lands more deeply on children than we realize.

This week on the Lily Pad blog, Lauren Walter, LPC-A, shares a beautiful and practical guide on how to talk about food with kids of all ages during the holiday season with trust, curiosity, and connection at the center.

Whether you have a picky preschooler, a curious grade-schooler, or a teen navigating body changes and social pressures, this post offers gentle, developmentally informed ways to support a healthy relationship with food, body cues, and self-worth.

Let’s help kids experience the holidays with joy, confidence, and connection one meal, one moment, one conversation at a time.

Read the full post on our website!
https://lilypad-counseling.com/blog/table-talk-talking-about-food-for-the-holiday-season/

11/21/2025

New on the Lily Pad blog!
Our amazing therapist Lauren Walter just wrote a beautiful, heartfelt piece on the power of family dinners and why these simple moments matter more than we think.

In a world that feels busier by the day (where meals happen in the car and schedules overlap like spaghetti noodles), Lauren reminds us that gathering at the table isn’t a luxury…it’s connection. It’s belonging. It’s where kids feel seen, valued, and safe.

Her newest post, “Table Talk: The Art of Family Dinners,” explores how shared meals support emotional development at every age from wiggly preschoolers to screen-loving teens and how caregivers can bring presence, empathy, and curiosity to the table.

If you’ve been wanting to make dinner time feel more meaningful (or simply less chaotic), this one is full of gentle, practical guidance.
Read it on the blog today!

11/05/2025

When your child’s emotions run high, it’s easy to get pulled right into the storm. But what if you could be the calm in the chaos instead?

This week on the Lily Pad blog, Lauren Walter, LPC-Associate, shares A Play Therapist’s Guide to How to Stay Calm When Your Child Isn’t.

Lauren explores how parents can be the thermostat, setting the emotional tone, rather than the thermometer that reacts to it.

In this post, you’ll learn how to:
• Pause before reacting
• Anchor your body and breath
• Use calm, steady tones
• Set limits with compassion
• Model regulation your child can mirror

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being present.

Read the full blog here: https://lilypad-counseling.com/blog/a-play-therapists-guide-to-how-to-stay-calm-when-your-child-isnt/

10/31/2025

🎃Happy Halloween!👻How are you and your family celebrating this year? Spooky movie night in? Trick or Treating until you can't feel your feet? Let us know below!
🎃

10/29/2025

Happy National Cat Day!
Cats aren’t just cute and cuddly, they can actually make a big difference in a child’s emotional world. Here are just a few ways our feline friends support children’s mental health:
1. Emotional Regulation
The gentle purr and calm presence of a cat can help kids self-soothe and find comfort after a tough day.
2. Companionship & Connection
Cats provide steady, nonjudgmental companionship helping kids feel less lonely and more understood.
3. Safe Emotional Outlet
Many children find it easier to open up to their pets. Cats often become trusted “listeners” during hard moments.
4. Responsibility & Routine
Feeding, brushing, and caring for a cat helps kids build structure, consistency, and confidence.
5. Empathy Development
Taking care of a pet teaches kids to tune into others’ needs and feelings, a big part of emotional intelligence.
6. Stress Relief
Petting a cat actually lowers stress hormones and boosts oxytocin, the “feel-good” chemical that helps us relax.

🐾 Whether it’s through purrs, play, or presence, cats remind kids that love doesn’t always need words.

10/22/2025

At Lily Pad, we’re all about helping families grow closer and live happier lives. Because let’s be honest, parenting is hard work! No matter how much you love your kids, it can be a tough job. None of us can do it alone (even us play therapists!).

10/17/2025

You can’t pour from an empty cup—so fill yours first!

Just like putting on your own oxygen mask first on an airplane, you can’t give patience, love, and acceptance to your child if you’re not offering it to yourself first.

Take a deep breath. Give yourself grace. The more you care for YOU, the more you can show up fully for your little one.

What’s one way you’re filling your cup today?

10/08/2025

Every child deserves a space where they can be fully themselves — especially neurodivergent children.
In Child-Centered Play Therapy, children don’t have to mask, perform, or change who they are. Instead, they’re met with safety, acceptance, and freedom to express themselves through play.

At Lily Pad, we celebrate each child’s strengths, creativity, and unique way of seeing the world.

Read our latest blog by Lauren Walter, LPC-Associate, “Sensory, Safe, and Seen: Play Therapy & the Neurodivergent Child,” to learn how CCPT helps neurodivergent kids feel truly understood and supported.

https://lilypad-counseling.com/blog/sensory-safe-and-seen-play-therapy-the-neurodivergent-child/

10/01/2025

Ever feel like your child’s play space is overflowing with toys—but they still say, “I’m bored”?

In our latest blog, Lauren Walter, LPC-Associate & Play Therapist, shares how to simplify your child’s play space with toys that truly matter. Instead of more toys, focus on the right ones:
✨ Expression toys like dolls, art supplies, sand & water play
✨ Problem-solving toys like blocks, magnetic tiles & dress-up props
✨ Creative outlets like music and storytelling

Lauren also gives tips for parents—like rotating toys to reduce overwhelm, making play choices accessible, and observing what your child naturally gravitates toward.

Read the full blog: https://lilypad-counseling.com/blog/play-with-purpose/