Mina Kirkova, LCSW-C
Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapist
in Phoenix/Jacksonville, MD
CURRENT CLIENTS
Click on the link below to start your therapy session:
"Parenting time is precious. Let’s fix the problems in your family so you can enjoy life with your kids to the fullest."
CHILD & FAMILY THERAPIST IN PHOENIX, MD
I am Mina Kirkova, LCSW-C, a child, adolescent, and family therapist with more than 20 years of clinical experience. I work with toddlers, school-age children, tweens, teens, parents, and families experiencing emotional, behavioral, social, and school-related challenges.
My approach combines individual child and adolescent therapy, parent coaching, and family therapy based on each client's individual needs. I use practical, developmentally appropriate strategies to help children and adolescents strengthen coping skills, improve emotional regulation, build confidence, develop healthier behaviors, and improve relationships at home and at school.
My Phoenix, Maryland office serves families from Phoenix, Jacksonville, Hunt Valley, Cockeysville, Sparks, Monkton, Parkton, Towson, Timonium, Lutherville, and surrounding communities.
Currently, I am offering both in-person and virtual individual and family therapy sessions to children, adolescents, parents, and college students.
MY SPECIALTIES
I work with children, adolescents, parents, and families experiencing a wide range of concerns, including:
- ADHD: difficulties with focus, attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, organization, time management, homework completion, and school underachievement
- School and Academic Concerns: lack of motivation, homework battles, academic stress, extracurricular demands, test anxiety, loss of academic drive, and school transitions
- Anxiety: generalized anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD,) separation anxiety, stress, fears, excessive worry, phobias, and panic symptoms
- Oppositional and Defiant Behaviors: arguing, defiance, anger, prolonged temper tantrums, lying, manipulation, rebelliousness, emotional dysregulation, difficulty following directions, and discipline concerns
- Depression: sadness, loneliness, hopelessness, self-loathing, apathy, feeling guilt or over-responsibility, low self-esteem, loss of interest or motivation, grief, and adjustment to loss
- Social and Relationship Concerns: bullying, peer difficulties, social skills, assertiveness, self-confidence, identity-related concerns, and difficulty developing or maintaining healthy friendships
- Early Childhood Challenging Behaviors: temper tantrums, whining, sleep routines, independent sleeping, mealtime difficulties, toilet training, regressive behaviors, rigid thinking, daycare and kindergarten readiness, following directions, social skills, and sibling rivalry
- Performance Anxiety: support for athletes, musicians, artists, performers, and high-achieving students experiencing perfectionism, fear of failure, self-doubt, or pressure to perform
- Parent Coaching and Education: practical support for parents managing challenging behaviors, setting limits and expectations, improving consistency, establishing routines, strengthening communication, reducing family conflict, and developing effective discipline and positive-reinforcement strategies
- Support for Homeschooled Children and Families: support with motivation, attention, organization, time management, learning routines, parent-child conflict around schoolwork, social development, extracurricular involvement, transitions, and maintaining a healthy balance between academics, family life, and independence
TREATMENT MODALITIES AND TECHNIQUES
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
- Guided Wellness Imagery and Visualizations
- Movement and Breathing Practices
- Art Therapy
- Play Therapy
- Family Systems Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Multicultural and Culturally Sensitive Therapy
- Parent Coaching and Education
- Strength Based Interventions
With younger children, therapy may incorporate play, art, sand tray activities, puppets, games, creative exercises, and other developmentally appropriate techniques. With adolescents, therapy may focus more heavily on thoughts, emotions, relationships, decision-making, independence, identity development, school concerns, and practical coping strategies.
Family therapy may include parent education, coaching, communication skills, conflict resolution, problem-solving strategies, behavioral planning, and developing clearer and more consistent expectations at home.
As a child and adolescent therapist, I have a great working relationship with many pediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists in our area, including Dr. Bucci, Dr. Emerson-Lancer, Dr. Minton, Dr. Nguyen, Dr. Abebe-Wolpaw, Dr. Bodnar, Dr. Winkelstein, Dr. Sullivan, Dr. Starr, Dr. Hamidi, Dr. Taghizadeh, Dr. Waxman, Dr. Deng, and many others, with whom I often coordinate patient care.
PARENT CONSULTATIONS
You do not need to be certain that your child needs ongoing therapy before contacting me.
If you have questions about your child's behavior, emotional development, anxiety, school difficulties, social concerns, family relationships, or parenting challenges, we can begin with a parent consultation.
During a consultation, we can discuss the concerns you are seeing, possible contributing factors, practical strategies you can use at home, and whether individual child or adolescent therapy, parent coaching, family therapy, or another type of support may be appropriate.
My goal is to help you better understand what is happening and develop practical, individualized strategies for supporting your child and family.
AREAS OUTSIDE MY PRACTICE
My practice is focused on child, adolescent, parent, and family therapy within the areas described above.
I do not specialize in Autism Spectrum Disorder treatment, divorce or separation counseling, mediation, or co-parenting therapy. I also do not conduct custody evaluations or provide forensic opinions related to custody matters.
When a child's needs fall outside my areas of practice, I can recommend seeking a clinician or service with the appropriate specialization.
NEW CLIENTS
If you are interested in therapy for your child or teen, please email me at mina@minacounseling.com to discuss whether my services are a good fit for your child’s needs and to inquire about my current availability.
GOOGLE REVIEWS
You can read reviews from families and clients who have worked with me through my Google Business Profile. Please take a look at my Google reviews HERE.
MY SPECIALTIES
ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Stress, Fears, OCD, Parent Coaching, School Underachievement, Time Management, Organizational Skills, Mindfulness, Grief, Loss, Depression, Emotional Dysregulation, Self-Confidence, Bullying, Social Skills, Assertiveness, Sibling Rivalry, Disciplining Issues, Anger, Arguing, Rebelliousness, Lying
Mina Kirkova, LCSW-C
Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapist in Phoenix, MD
