We are Here to Help You
Heal, Grow, & Succeed.

Experienced, Professional, & Solution
Focused Therapy Services.

We specialize in the treatment of children, adolescents, and families experiencing a wide variety of psychological, behavioral, and relational problems.

818-706-0040

Who We Treat

Feel Heard, Understood,
and Validated

You are not alone and your feelings are not wrong. You would be surprised at how many people think and feel the same way you do. It is normal to encounter difficulties as we do our best to successfully navigate life’s more challenging phases. Here at the Child & Family Therapy Center, we take great pride in providing warm, thoughtful, and effective care that helps our clients get back on track and enjoy the success they so richly deserve.

Specialized Care for Children, Teens, Adults & Families

Extensive experience and training in child and adolescent development along with other specialized therapies help us deliver comprehensive and effective services. Children benefit from approaches that focus on art, play, and developmental models while teens uncover and remedy their struggles through practical, strength based, behavioral therapies.

Structured and Practical Approach

Our approach is action oriented and structured, giving our clients specific solutions, tools, and skills that foster healing and change. New skills are broken down behaviorally and practiced in session, giving our clients an opportunity to actively skill build through experiential learning.

Solution Focused Therapy For Personal Growth

Blame and right vs. wrong judgments are often part of the problem, hindering corrective and meaningful solutions. We help our clients shift from a problem centric approach where their thoughts and feelings keep them feeling stuck, to a more solution oriented mode focusing on personal strengths and how to use them for positive change.

Free Phone Consultations For Services

We feel it is important to spend time with you, discussing your current concerns and needs as well as answering any questions you may have. We are happy to explore services we offer that would best meet your needs.

Here's What Our Clients Have to Say

child teen family therapy

PK

"Our family was in bad shape due to one of my son’s and his addiction issues. My husband and I found ourselves feeling completely overwhelmed by fear and not knowing what to do to help our son and our family. Steve recommended a treatment center for our son while we began family therapy with him. Steve was kind and sensitive to our pain but what was really helpful was his honesty about our problems and what to do about them. He kept us accountable for following our goals and our families plan to get better. My husband and I were unaware of how our fear and our attempt to keep the peace ended up empowering our son’s poor behavior. Steve’s expertise and support has helped to reshape our family and how we parent our children."

"My wife and I sought therapy for our 15 year old son who has had anxiety as well as anger management issues. We were concerned as our son is a kind and sensitive kid who would become very upset with himself after he had an episode. His grades began to suffer which only added stress to him and us. We met with Stephen and were instantly impressed with his knowledge, empathy, and approach. Our son was reluctant to see a therapist but after meeting with Stephen he felt understood, something my wife and I were unable to convey to him. As a Result of our work with Stephen, our son has learned to control his strong feelings as well as communicate with us. We learned ways to validate our son and adjust the way we parent so as not to overly-control, which we found was a common spark to our son’s anger. We are very grateful to Stephen and would recommend his services to anyone who needs a warm, caring, and knowledgeable therapist."

BP

"What to say about Stephen Mardell, well I can start by saying he was instrumental in saving my marriage and keeping our family intact. We had been to a few therapists before and talked a lot about our feelings and the problem but didn’t feel like we knew how to improve. With Stephen we left each session knowing what we needed to do and how to do it. He helped us role play in the office so we knew what to do at home. Not only is our family close again but our teen Sons have learned skills that will help them in all of their relationships. My only regret is that we did not start with Stephen sooner."

CR

"When I first called Stephen, I was concerned about my 9 year old daughter and her behavioral problems. My daughter and I met with Stephen and both felt he was very caring and made us feel comfortable. My focus was on my Daughter but what I learned was, she was responding to me and my irritability with her. Stephen helped me work on my feelings regarding the change in the family (divorce) that was effecting my behavior with my daughter. Stephen helped me work on my stuff and by doing so, helped me and my Daughter feel closer than ever. I can’t thank Stephen enough and would recommend him to any of my friends and family."

JF

"I came to Steve a few years ago in absolute crisis.  I was suffering from a severe case of untreated General Anxiety Disorder.  I had misunderstood the problem to be a GI tract issue - as massive anxiety wreaks havoc on the entire digestive cycle. I met with Steve weekly, and he gently and effectively walked me out of this crisis. After addressing the acute symptoms, and providing me a tether to hang onto to, we moved onto the underlying causes of my anxiety which were both circumstantial, and clearly a part of my identity established from childhood experiences and parenting issues. In moving on and returning to healthy living, Steve helped me identify and establish new goals ...as a therapist Steve is entirely skilled.  As a person, he is kind, gentle, compassionate, empathetic and selfless - which factors immensely into his effectiveness as a therapist and guide to healthy living.  He creates an environment that allows honesty and vulnerability, which both facilitates and speeds recovery - in my opinion and experience.  His combination of education, technique, and personality simply works... I cannot more highly recommend Steve as a therapist.  I am very, very grateful for what he has done to better my life."

PC

CHILD & FAMILY THERAPY CA

Child & Family Therapy Center, Child Therapy, Teen Therapy, Family Therapy, Couples Therapy. Family Counseling Services, Grief Counseling, Behavior Management. All Family Therapy Counseling. Free Phone Consultation for Child & Family Therapy Services Agoura Hills & Encino CA

Solution Focused Therapy For Personal Growth

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