Counseling for
Children and Teens
Ashley Hamby Counseling provides Play Therapy, EMDR Therapy, and expressive therapies for children in Mt. Airy, NC, Surry County and surrounding areas across North Carolina, helping children and adolescents heal from trauma, anxiety, emotional stress, and difficult life experiences.
For Parents
We’re in This Together
Therapy works best when it’s a team effort. As your child’s caregiver, your insight and involvement are essential to the process. You know your child better than anyone, and your perspective helps guide the work we do together.
Common Signs a
Child or Teen is Struggling
Children and teens may not talk about what happened directly. Instead, stress and difficult experiences often show up through behaviors, emotions, body symptoms, or relationship struggles.
Emotional & Nervous System Signs
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Anxiety, excessive worry, or frequent fears
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Nightmares or sleep difficulties
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Big emotions, emotional outbursts, irritability, or anger
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Sadness, withdrawal, shutting down, or freeze responses
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Difficulty calming after becoming upset
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Low self confidence, shame, or emotional overwhelm
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Hypervigilance or always seeming “on edge”
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Sensitivity to sound, touch, or overstimulation
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Frequent stomach aches, headaches, or stress related physical symptoms
Behavioral Signs
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Aggression or frequent meltdowns
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Difficulty following directions or handling transitions
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Defiance, power struggles, or difficulty accepting limits
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Trouble separating from caregivers
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Regressive behaviors during stress
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Avoidance of certain people, places, or situations
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Accidents or toileting concerns connected to stress or fear
Relationship, Social & School Signs
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Difficulty trusting others or feeling emotionally safe
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Trouble making or keeping friendships
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School refusal or academic struggles
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Difficulty expressing emotions or needs
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Increased clinginess or isolation
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Challenges with attachment, connection, or relationships with caregivers and peers
How We'll Collaborate
Here’s how we’ll collaborate:
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Parent check-ins every 4-6 sessions to talk through your child’s progress
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Open communication, you can call or message anytime to share updates
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Resources and support for use at home
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A judgment-free zone,there’s no perfect way to parent; your openness matters most
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Your support, trust, and partnership help create the strongest foundation for your child’s healing.
What Your Child Can Expect
During play therapy, your child/teen leads the way. They choose how to spend their time in the playroom, while I offer a warm, consistent presence to help them feel safe and understood.
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In the playroom, children can:
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Explore big emotions without pressure to talk
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Build confidence and self-trust
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Practice emotional regulation through play
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Feel seen and accepted, just as they are
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You may not always see immediate results, but beneath the surface, powerful emotional work is taking place.
How to Support Your Child After Therapy
After a session, your child might want to talk, or they might not (hello teenagers). In play therapy, children/teens decide how much to share. It’s their special space, and honoring that privacy helps them feel safe and in control.
Try saying things like:
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"It looked like you had a big day in the playroom. I’m glad you had time for your play."
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"You don’t have to tell me everything, but I’m always here to listen."
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"I trust you and your therapist to work on what matters most."
Avoid asking:
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"What did you talk about today?"
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"Did you tell her about that meltdown yesterday?"
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"Why won’t you tell me what happened?"
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It’s okay to be curious—but try to show that you trust their process. If you have important updates or questions, you’re always welcome to bring those directly to me.
What causes these behaviors?
Children may experience these symptoms after events such as:
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Divorce or family conflict
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Loss or grief
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Abuse or neglect
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Medical trauma
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Bullying
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Exposure to domestic violence
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Foster care or attachment disruptions
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Sudden life changes or instability
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Accidents or frightening experiences
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Ongoing stress that overwhelmed their ability to cope
You do not need to have all the answers before reaching out. Many parents come to therapy simply knowing their child is struggling and wanting support understanding why.
Children do not always have the words to explain what they are feeling inside. Instead, they often communicate through behavior, emotions, movement, imagination, and play.
Play Therapy is a developmentally appropriate, evidenced based, form of therapy that allows children to express themselves in the language that comes most naturally to them… play.
Effective & Healing
In the playroom, toys become words. Art, stories, sand trays, games, and imaginative play can help children safely express experiences that may feel confusing, overwhelming, or difficult to talk about directly.
Play Therapy can help children:
• Express emotions in healthy ways
• Build confidence and self esteem
• Improve emotional regulation and coping skills
• Strengthen communication and relationships
• Reduce anxiety, fear, and emotional overwhelm
• Process difficult life experiences or trauma
• Feel more safe, understood, and connected
While play may look simple on the outside, meaningful healing is often happening underneath. Therapy provides a supportive relationship where children can begin making sense of their experiences, build trust, and develop new ways of coping and relating to the world around them.
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Every child moves at their own pace. Some children jump right into play and connection quickly, while others need time to feel safe first. Both are okay.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
Winnie the Pooh
During challenging and uncertain times, Ashley is the light your child needs to find their way. Her dedication to finding the most effective strategies for helping your child is unparalleled. Therapy with Ashley is fun because she truly cares for her clients and makes the therapeutic process engaging and meaningful.
Heather Hale, LCMHC-S, RPT-S
Approved EMDRIA Consultant
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor
Registered Play Therapist Supervisor
My Approach
How I help children and teens heal from difficult experiences, or trauma.
I approach therapy through a relational, attachment focused lens, meaning safety, trust, pacing, and connection come first. Children are not forced to talk about experiences before they are ready. Healing happens gradually, within a supportive and emotionally safe relationship.
My approach integrates both EMDR Therapy and Play Therapy in a way that is developmentally appropriate, trauma informed, and paced carefully to each child’s readiness.
Safety & Trust First
Play Therapy helps children safely express emotions, process experiences, and build trust through play, creativity, and relationship. Rather than expecting children to sit and “just talk,” therapy meets them where they are developmentally.
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Depending on the child’s needs, therapy may include:
• Sand tray therapy
• Creative expression and art
• Storytelling and metaphor
• Games and imaginative play
• Emotional regulation activities
• Sensory and grounding tools
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The relationship itself becomes an important part of healing. Children often begin feeling safer, more understood, and more confident over time.
Making Healing Fun
I also integrate EMDR Therapy to help children process overwhelming experiences that may feel “stuck” in the nervous system.
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EMDR Therapy is an evidence–based psychotherapy which is based on the healing of past traumatic and adverse experiences as the path to improved mental health. became an EMDR therapist to help my clients to heal from trauma, and I am able to use EMDR therapy to benefit clients of all ages, including children.
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For children, EMDR often looks very different than adult EMDR. Sessions are adapted using play, creativity, attachment focused strategies, and nervous system regulation support. Healing is never rushed, and its made to be fun and not scary or icky.
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EMDR can help children:
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Reduce trauma symptoms and anxiety
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Feel safer in their body and environment
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Decrease nightmares or fear responses
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Improve emotional regulation
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Build resilience and coping skills
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Reduce triggers connected to difficult experiences
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Parents and caregivers are also an important part of the process. I work collaboratively with caregivers to support understanding, regulation, connection, and healing both inside and outside the therapy room.
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Ashley Hamby Counseling, PLLC
Ashley Hamby Counseling provides trauma informed therapy for children, teens, and women in North Carolina. Services include EMDR therapy and Play Therapy for children and adolescents in Mount Airy and throughout Surry County, as well as virtual EMDR therapy statewide for women navigating anxiety, overwhelm, ADHD, trauma, relationship challenges, burnout, and life transitions including college, career, and early adulthood.
Ashley Hamby Counseling PLLC
1427 Edgewood Drive
Mt. Airy, NC 27030
In-Person or Online/Telehealth
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Phone: (336) 756-7258
Email: hello@ashleyhambycounseling.com
Fax: (336) 738-1435
