Therapy for Highly Sensitive Children & Teens

with Erin Gauvin, LCSW

Some kids just experience everything more deeply

Some children seem to notice everything.

A change in someone's tone. A friend acting slightly differently. A disappointing grade. An itchy shirt. An unfair comment. A crowded room. A sad story they heard three days ago.

Highly sensitive children can be deeply empathetic, observant, creative, thoughtful, and emotionally intuitive. Those same qualities can also make the world feel like a lot.

Your child may become overwhelmed easily, take criticism deeply to heart, need more time to recover from stressful situations, or experience emotions with an intensity that can be confusing to both them and the people around them.

Therapy can help sensitive kids understand that sensitivity isn't something they need to get rid of while giving them tools to navigate the harder parts of experiencing the world so intensely.

  • Worrying about what other people think

  • Needing significant downtime after school or social activities

  • Trouble with transitions

  • Taking friendship conflict particularly hard

  • Feeling embarrassed about crying or becoming emotional

  • Anxiety alongside emotional sensitivity

  • Big emotional reactions

  • Sensitivity to criticism or correction

  • Becoming overwhelmed in loud, crowded, or stimulating environments

  • Deep empathy for other people

  • Strong reactions to perceived unfairness

  • Difficulty letting go of upsetting experiences

  • Rejection sensitivity

  • Perfectionism

You Might Notice

Sensitivity isn't a pathology.

I don't want sensitive kids to learn that the solution is simply to “toughen up.” I want them to understand their nervous system, recognize what overwhelm feels like before they reach their limit, and build strategies for managing strong emotions without becoming ashamed of having them.

Depending on the child, we may work on emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, boundaries, anxiety, friendship challenges, perfectionism, self-advocacy, or recovering from difficult moments.

We also work on distinguishing between feeling something deeply and needing to act on every feeling immediately.

Caregiver support can be especially valuable. Together, we can work on validating your child's experience while still building tolerance, independence, flexibility, and resilience.

How I Help

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Think We’d Be a Good Fit?

  • 1. Reach Out

    Fill out my contact form or send me an email with a little information about what you're looking for.

  • 2. Let's Talk

    We'll schedule a brief consultation to talk about your concerns, answer questions, and see whether working together feels like a good fit.

  • 3. Get Started

    If we decide to move forward, we'll begin with an assessment and create a plan based on your child's strengths, challenges, and your family's goals.

About Me

My name is Erin. I’m a child and family therapist based in South Pasadena helping families across the country feel supported and strong.

Many of the families I work with have children who are bright, creative, highly sensitive, or high-achieving. These are often the kids who look like they are doing well from the outside while quietly struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, or pressure to succeed. I enjoy helping these kids build confidence and resilience while also supporting caregivers in understanding the challenges that may not always be visible.

I also know this kind of child as an insider. I was a high-performing, highly sensitive kid myself: academically driven, deeply involved, hard on myself, and drawn to both achievement and creativity. I understand the strengths that can come with being a driven, capable child, and I also understand how easily pressure, sensitivity, and self-expectation can become heavy.

Professionally, I’ve spent more than a decade in mental health and seven years working explicitly as a clinician with children and families. Before opening my private practice, my work took place across many settings: schools, hospitals, prisons, shelters, encampments, family homes, and intensive medical environments. Those experiences taught me that children and families are never just one thing: a child can be successful and anxious, gifted and overwhelmed, sensitive and strong, capable and still in need of care. I bring the full range of my clinical background into my work, but I also bring a deep belief that most serious dilemmas can be navigated with clarity, creativity, and companionship.

Outside of therapy, I’m an amateur cook with an inexplicable affinity for home repairs, reading, and wandering through used bookstores. My wife and I live in South Pasadena and enjoy exploring LA, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family.

Availability

I worth with children from the ages of 7 through 18 and their families. I meet with people via telehealth who live in the state of California. Please inquire about in-person therapy opportunities for families living in Northeast LA area.


I’m additionally licensed in the states of Arizona, Washington, and Tennessee, and I’m able to work with families in these states.

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  • Master of Science in Social Work, University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Certificate in Trauma Treatment

  • Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, Arizona State University

  • Practicum at Vanderbilt University Psychiatric Hospital

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California #115370, Arizona # 21304, Washington #61589071, and Tennessee #8781

  • Certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Certification in Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Support International

  • Bringing Home Baby Educator Training, Gottman Institute

  • Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) Training, by Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center

  • Member of WPATH

Education, Certifications, and Trainings

Ready to start?