Fostering Growth and Gratitude: How Our Team at Thrive Therapy Studio Supports Families with Intention

By: Dr. Erica Wollerman

Traditional therapy often focuses on working directly with the child — helping them develop coping skills, recognize their emotions, and learn strategies for managing anxiety. While this can be effective, SPACE takes it a step further by involving parents as the primary agents of change.

In our work with families, we teach parents how to:

• Identify the ways they may be accommodating anxiety without realizing it.
• Respond to their child’s distress with empathy rather than immediate reassurance.
• Set healthy boundaries while maintaining a strong emotional connection.
• Communicate belief in their child’s ability to face challenges and grow from them.

This approach doesn’t just help the child — it helps the entire family system become more resilient. Parents often report feeling more confident, grounded, and connected to their child after implementing SPACE strategies.

Every member of our team at Thrive Therapy Studio — from our psychologists and CBT therapists in San Diego to our licensed professional clinical counselors — embodies this balance between support and growth.

We believe in:

• Compassion with boundaries. We can be deeply empathetic while still encouraging courage and independence.
• Connection before correction. Real change happens in the context of safe, trusting relationships.
• Empowering families, not just individuals. A child’s progress often depends on the systems around them — and we’re here to help families thrive together.

Our team regularly collaborates and consults with each other to ensure that we are aligning with these values in our work. Whether we’re providing counseling in San Diego for a teen struggling with depression and ADHD related challenges, or helping parents through SPACE-informed parent coaching, our focus is always on supporting growth — not just comfort.

As a psychologist in San Diego, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative it can be when families shift from trying to remove distress to helping their child manage it. This shift doesn’t happen overnight, and it requires patience, consistency, and trust — but it’s where true, lasting change occurs.

When our team approaches each client with that same balance of empathy and expectation, we’re not just helping children and teens cope with anxiety or behavioral challenges — we’re helping them build the confidence to face life’s ups and downs with resilience.

So, as I reflect this November, I’m filled with gratitude for the team we’ve built and the families we’ve been honored to support. At Thrive, our goal isn’t perfection — its progress. We don’t strive to remove every obstacle from a child’s path, but to walk beside them (and their parents) as they learn how to climb over those obstacles themselves.

To the parents, kids, and teens who trust us with your stories — thank you. To the dedicated therapists in San Diego who bring heart and skill to your work every day — thank you.

Growth takes courage, and it’s a privilege to witness that courage unfold every single day here at Thrive. 💛