The challenges of today are not for forever.
There is hope.
Therapy in San Diego for Kids, Teens, and Parents
Grief & Loss,
Medical Family Therapy,
Anger Outbursts & Anxiety
Whether your child is grieving, adjusting to a difficult medical experience, or struggling with big emotions — I am here to help your child and family process what you’ve been through, build the skills you need, and find a greater sense of peace and clarity again.
Brave Heart Child & Family Counseling Inc offers in-person child therapy sessions and monthly virtual parent collateral services throughout California for children and families navigating grief and loss, complicated medical diagnosis and chronic illness, anxiety, and anger outbursts.
Based in San Diego, CA, Belinda Lee, LMFT, Registered Play Therapist, provides compassionate, specialized care that blends clinical expertise with lived experience.
Providing Accessible, Compassionate care for children 4+ and families since 2020
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Providing Accessible, Compassionate care for children 4+ and families since 2020 ~
You might be here because…
You feel like you're walking on eggshells at home.
You want to help your child—but you're not sure what to do anymore.
Your child goes from 0 to 100 very quickly.
Your child or another family member received a terminal diagnosis
Your child experienced a hospitalization, medical procedure, or traumatic medical experience.
Your child is struggling after a death of a loved one, divorce, move, or other major life change.
Anxiety, perfectionism, or constant reassurance-seeking is taking over daily life.
If any of these sound familiar, you’re in the right place.
Specialties
Grief & Loss
Grief & LossMedical Family Therapy & Chronic Health ConditionsMedical Trauma
Anxiety
Anger Outbursts & Emotional RegulationAnger Outbursts
Anxiety
Welcome!
I’m Belinda Lee, LMFT, RPT
I believe that everyone - including children - have a unique story to tell and that their experiences and emotions matter.
I am passionate about restoring peace in the home again, regulating nervous systems, and helping parents better understand your children’s emotional experiences while simultaneously equipping children to understand and integrate challenging life experiences.
I specialize in using play therapy and somatic modalities to work with children ages 4 and up, and their families to address concerns of anxiety, anger, grief and loss, complicated medical experiences and more.
Parenting is hard enough. Getting started is simple and supportive.
Schedule a Free 15 minute Consult
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Clients submit preferred dates through the contact form. Belinda will reach out by phone or email within the next few business days to assess for fit and provide parents with a brief overview of the therapeutic process.
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Begin Therapy
Appropriate client inquiries will complete the informed consent and paperwork associated with starting therapy. Parents can schedule an intake appointment using the online scheduler.
Experience Hope and Relief
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Belinda will meet with parents to provide parenting skills and meet with your child to increase your child’s emotional awareness and language, which will increase their abilities to appropriately advocate for their needs.
How I help
My primary approach in therapy is to use child-centered play therapy, Gestalt play therapy, and Somatic Experiencing.
Play is empowering for children, as it is their natural language and expression.
Playing for a child is like talk therapy for an adult. Toys are children’s words, as one of the play therapy founders Gary Landreth says. Through play, children naturally process, make sense, and integrate experiences they often cannot put into words.
Somatic Experiencing is about understanding our own nervous systems and instinctual body reactions and learning to regulate our emotional responses that way.
The therapeutic process of play therapy, combined with Somatic Experiencing tools, equips children so they can express themselves in a healthier manner, make more thoughtful, informed choices in their life, and live up to the potential of who they have been created to be.
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It is important to build and maintain healthy, supportive relationships outside of the therapy setting, and this will be encouraged. However, a therapist offers a neutral, confidential, and unbiased space for you and/or your child to talk about your concerns. The therapist has professional training and experience to help you/your child develop a different perspective, obtain tools to manage your feelings and thoughts, and consider alternative solutions without the expectations or pressures that might be present with friends or family members. Unlike an AI assistant, a therapist may also challenge you or your child’s perspectives to encourage emotional growth and resilience.
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Sometimes children and/or families need a separate party to be involved to provide additional support. As your child’s therapist, I am a part of the village that supports your entire family system. Seeking therapy is not a sign of weakness or shame or embarrassment. Research finds that the presence of a caring, stable adult in a child’s life can offset negative, challenging life experiences.
Here are a few of the situations in which play therapy would be beneficial:
Anger and aggressive behaviors
Anxiety (i.e. excessive fear or worry, negative self-talk, etc.)
Grief and loss (i.e. death, loss of an important relationship, multiple moves, loss of identity, etc.)
Trauma (i.e. exposure to frightening experiences, car accident, significant medical procedures, e-bike or e-scooter accidents, etc.)
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All belief systems are welcome here. I am a Christian therapist, and I approach my clients and the therapeutic process from that perspective. However, I will not actively include or refer to Christianity in our sessions unless you (specifically, your child) ask me to incorporate faith in our time together.
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I primarily work with children, but I also work with teens and adult women who are seeking to explore topics of cultural and spiritual identity, anxiety and coping skills, medical trauma, and grief and loss. Play therapy is recommended for children up until 12 or 13 years old.
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Due to the varying nature of concerns and the different personalities of each client, I am unable to predict the length of your therapy. There are no guarantees of how your child will change as a result of therapy, but therapy often leads to a significant reduction in feelings of distress, solutions to specific problems, and better relationships. Participation in therapy is voluntary, so it typically lasts until you are content with the changes and progress made.
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Each play therapy session is 45-50 minutes in length.
Parents are expected to be active participants in the child’s therapeutic process and are invited into that relationship, as long as it is not detrimental to the child’s well being. You can read more here: About Play Therapy.
For adults and older children with whom play therapy would not apply, therapy would be a collaborative process between the individual in treatment and the therapist.
Frequently Asked Questions
With the right support, you can...
Experience hope and healing despite the challenges
Regain a sense of peace
Feel understood and validated
Feel more connected
Witness more resilience
Develop tools to support your child and family now and in the future
You and your child are not broken. Therapy is about supporting your child uniquely in the way that works best for them and your family. It is about helping you and your child rediscover ways to navigate your story and life with increased compassion and confidence.