Services in Central Texas

All services are provided by Child Life Specialists, professionals who are trained to help children and their families understand and manage challenging life events and stressful health care experiences. Clients must participate in an intake interview prior to enrolling in any Wonders & Worries program.

Parent consultations and family sessions are also available. Please call 512.329.5757 or contact us to get more information or to begin the intake process.

Individual Sessions for children ages 2-18

W&W is unique because we offer individual support as an option for our clients. Our experience shows that individual sessions are vital to self-expression and growth, particularly for children and adolescents.

Individual support is recommended for some children at the initial intake, possibly because a support group is not starting for a few weeks and the child needs immediate help, or because the child has other stressors that need to be addressed one-on-one. Very young children require the personal attention gained only through individual support.

Group Sessions for children ages 5+

We offer several groups for children age 5-11 and an ongoing Teen Night for ages 12-18. All groups are designed to help children meet other children coping with similar experiences, and gain an age-appropriate understanding of the illness. Teens can build support in a peer group designed specifically for them, focused on their interests and concerns. Wonders & Worries now offers support groups in some schools.

Child/Parent Relationship Training Class for parents, with child care provided

Maintaining positive relationships between parents and children during a medical crisis can be challenging in the strongest families. To strengthen family ties and help children gain the resources to grow through crisis, Wonders & Worries offers a free Child-Parent Relationship Training (CPRT) class designed to help parents reconnect with their children during illness or following a loss. Offered several times a year, this course meets once a week for 8 weeks and includes free childcare and a light meal.

Informal Support / Recreational Activities for families

Activities such as our annual Ice Cream Social, Bat Cruise on Town Lake and outings to sporting and cultural events, allow our families to take a break from whatever they're dealing with and enjoy being together in a fun, relaxing environment. These fun activities are designed for W&W families to experience together (at no cost to them).

Bereavement Support for children, adults and families

Unfortunately, some of our Wonders & Worries families are faced with the loss of a loved one. For these families, we offer support designed to help families prepare for end-of-life and gain the skills necessary to cope with the loss. While access to W&W services may occur at any time during the illness, it is most helpful to the child to begin working with W&W as early as possible. This allows the child(ren) and their families to establish a more in depth relationship with the Child Life Specialist.

Bilingual Services

All of our programs are offered in English and Spanish.