Reconnecting With One’s Inner Child Through Therapy

Thrive • October 23, 2023

The concept of the inner child maintains that everyone has an element of their personality associated with their childhood self. If a person has unresolved trauma that occurred in their youth, their inner child is likely wounded which can negatively affect their well-being. By reintegrating with one’s inner child in a healing, therapeutic way, an individual can renew their most positive childlike characteristics. As a result, they can fully embrace their senses of creativity, enthusiasm, and authenticity, enhancing their overall quality of life as an adult.  

WHAT IS THE INNER CHILD?

An idea that can be traced back to ancient history, the inner child phenomenon was notably explored by 19th- and 20th-century psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. The inner child refers to the manifestations of a person’s youthful experiences in adulthood. The term describes a person’s childhood selves at various ages and the ways those selves may be continuing to affect their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

WHAT IS A WOUNDED INNER CHILD?

John Bradshaw , a counselor who helped popularize the idea of the inner child, proposed that childhood, in its most natural state, is characterized by specific traits, including:

  • Wonderment
  • Optimism
  • Resilience
  • Playfulness
  • Authenticity

According to Bradshaw, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) , or potentially traumatic events occurring in one’s early years, can emotionally injure the inner child and interfere with these traits. When an individual’s inner child is harmed, the natural traits of youth can be curtailed, affecting psychological development. Bradshaw suggests that a wounded inner child can contribute to:

  • Co-dependency: Characterized by a loss of identity and a disconnect with one’s internal cues, a person struggling with codependency may have an inner child traumatized by unmet needs in their developmental years. 
  • Violent behavior: Often resulting from unresolved abuse, an individual may assert power over others that they did not have as a child. 
  • Narcissism: Typically occurring in adults who were denied love as a child, those struggling with narcissism generally have an insatiable desire for love.
  • Trust difficulties: Possibly stemming from untrustworthy parenting, individuals with difficulties trusting others may feel the need to control as many aspects as possible of their lives.  
  • Difficulty managing emotions : A person with unresolved childhood trauma  may have difficulty regulating their emotions when triggered by something that reminds them of their trauma. 

THERAPEUTIC HEALING FOR AN INJURED INNER CHILD 

Experts believe that the inner child is one element of an individual’s personality. The therapeutic process can help clients understand different aspects of their personality and discover ways to consciously integrate them in healthy ways. Through therapy, a person can reconnect their inner child and overcome any of its destructive expressions. 

This reintegration with one’s inner child can involve reforming damaging thought patterns that originated in one’s youth. In their early years, individuals develop core beliefs about the world around them, often in response to stressors. The ways of thinking become so ingrained that they filter a person’s entire external experience. By analyzing a client’s inner conversation in therapy, the clinician and client can begin to reshape the automatic thoughts which can, in turn, alter how the individual processes their emotions and participates in the world around them. 

Additionally, therapy can help a person renew their relationship with their inner child by guiding them in grieving unresolved traumatic experiences. Through therapeutic guidance, an individual can process painful memories from their youth and care for their inner child. In doing so, they can revitalize natural childhood qualities such as imagination, inspiration, and spontaneity as an adult.  

NURTURING THE INNER CHILD AT THRIVE WELLNESS

Thrive Wellness clinicians are practiced in therapeutic modalities that guide clients in processing past trauma and healing their inner child, including:

By helping individuals explore the ways childhood experiences manifest in adulthood, our clinicians support clients in tending to their inner child and reconnecting with their youthful traits by encouraging increased curiosity, creativity, and authenticity. Reach out to learn more about our mental and behavioral health services.

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By Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, CPC, LPC-S, CEDS-C December 18, 2025
Sometimes, people need more support, structure, and monitoring than the typical outpatient setting can provide. When this happens, the treatment team will usually recommend that someone be "stepped up" to a different level of care, or program, that can better meet their needs. I like to think of it as being similar to medication dosages; people need different strengths of medications, or dosages, to get better when they're sick. Stepping someone up to a higher level of care is like increasing the dosage of a medication to match the severity of their symptoms. How Are Higher Levels of Care Different from Standard Outpatient Care? At the core of differentiating higher levels of care from standard outpatient care is the intensity and structure of the treatment. Higher level of care programs tend to offer more days of treatment each week and more hours of treatment per day than in the outpatient setting. Those in higher level of care programs may also meet with their treatment team members more frequently each week. There are more staff present to support someone at or after meals and snacks, or to help those who are having urges to engage in compulsions or other harmful behaviors. Clients in our HLOC programs get access to an assortment of treatment modalities tailored to their individual needs, including personalized therapy sessions, group support, medication management, medical nutrition therapy with a dietitian, and check-ins with our primary care providers. We support clients with personalized treatment plans and regular assessments to monitor and tweak interventions as needed. Higher levels of care also offer increased peer interaction and support. Intensive programs incorporate additional group therapy sessions, which can help those in treatment feel less alone as well as create a greater sense of community. For some people, it can be difficult to devote the time and energy needed to recover while also balancing other responsibilities like school or work. Stepping up to more intensive levels of care allows people to fully dedicate themselves to recovery. As they get better and make progress, a person may be stepped back down to a less intensive level of care to start practicing their recovery in their usual home, school, or work settings while also receiving professional support from their treatment team. What Levels of Care are Available? At Thrive Wellness, we offer four different levels of care to help clients step up (or down) in their treatment when needed: -  Outpatient Treatment - weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with a therapist, psychiatrist, primary care provider, and/or dietitian. - Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) - A minimum of three hours per day, three days per week. - Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) - A minimum of six hours per day, five days per week. - Residential Treatment - Coming soon in 2026, The Greenhouse at Thrive will offer residential treatment for eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This level of care offers 24-hour support for those aged 12-24 living in our residential treatment center. How To Decide Which Level of Care is Right for You If you're unsure which option is right for you or your loved one, we offer a free assessment that can be completed with our admissions team. In this initial assessment, we'll gather information from you about what you're struggling with, speak with our team of providers, and then make a recommendation for what level of care we feel is the best fit for you and your needs. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or other behavioral or mental health challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out. To get started with our intake process, give us a call at 775-525-8103 or fill out this form . We can’t wait to help you Thrive.
December 2, 2025
Like the fir tree, a symbol of endurance rooted in hope, our Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR) approach reflects the strength that grows when families face challenges together. At our new residential center “The Greenhouse”, FIR is more than a treatment model, it’s a philosophy of healing that places families at the heart of recovery for adolescents and young adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We believe lasting healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s built with the support of families through perseverance, hope, and compassionate care. What Is Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR)? Family Intensive Recovery (FIR) is a specialized and immersive approach that actively engages caregivers as central agents in their child’s healing process. Rather than seeing families as contributors to a problem, we view them as essential partners in recovery. Drawing from two evidence-based frameworks, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT), FIR helps families cultivate resilience, confidence, and connection throughout the journey to recovery. Grounded in SPACE and FBT Through the SPACE model, parents learn how to recognize and reduce well-intentioned but unhelpful behaviors known as accommodations that can reinforce anxiety and OCD symptoms. By shifting from rescuing to supporting and challenging, parents develop the confidence to guide their child through discomfort, helping them build distress tolerance and self-trust. Simultaneously, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) empowers families to take an active, compassionate role in their child’s nutritional and emotional recovery. Parents learn how to support weight and nutritional restoration, disrupt the eating disorder’s patterns, and reestablish boundaries that promote health and growing autonomy. Together, these approaches strengthen both the individual and family system, allowing recovery to take root within an environment of empathy and optimism. From Blame to Collaboration A cornerstone of the FIR model is removing blame. At Thrive, parents are not viewed as the cause of their child’s struggles, but rather as key partners in recovery. Treatment focuses on joining forces to create a safe, supportive environment where: Families learn to sit with their child's discomfort alongside them without rushing to fix or control it. Parents practice compassionate firmness, setting boundaries grounded in care and safety. Teens and caregivers rebuild trust through open, honest communication. This collaborative framework helps families reestablish a sense of connection and confidence, fostering long-term resilience and open communication that extends beyond the treatment setting. Why Family Matters in Recovery Recovery from eating disorders, OCD, or anxiety isn’t a one-person job, it requires integrated care including the family. When families learn to navigate challenges together, they can model emotional regulation, reinforce healthy boundaries, and create conditions for sustained recovery. Through FIR, we aim to strengthen attachment bonds, reshape family interactions, and empower every member of the family to grow. The result is not only symptom reduction but also a deeper sense of unity, hope, and shared endurance, just like the steadfast fir tree that stands resilient through every season. Moving Toward Hope Family Inclusive Recovery invites caregivers and loved ones to become active participants in change. It’s a journey of learning, letting go, and leaning into love and acceptance. Together, families and clinicians can cultivate the courage in clients to face uncertainty, and in doing so, help them discover that recovery is not just possible, but enduring. If you’d like to learn more about Family Intensive Recovery at The Greenhouse or how we support families in eating disorder and OCD treatment, reach out to our team today.
November 14, 2025
The Greenhouse at Thrive Wellness A New Chapter of Hope and Healing in Nevada On Friday, November 14 , we gathered with our partners at Molina Healthcare to share an important moment for our community. Together, we celebrated Molina’s generous $50,000 grant , an investment that is helping bring The Greenhouse to life. Their support is not only a financial contribution—it’s a statement of belief in the young people and families of Nevada who deserve access to compassionate, evidence-based mental healthcare close to home. This gathering marked the beginning of something we’ve dreamed about for years: a place designed specifically for adolescents and emerging adults to receive the care, connection, and support they need during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Something New Is Growing In early 2026 , Thrive Wellness will open The Greenhouse , Nevada’s first residential treatment center devoted to adolescents and emerging adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD . For too long, families have faced a heartbreaking dilemma—send their child far from home for treatment or go without the specialized care they need. The Greenhouse is our answer to that gap. It will be a place where young people can settle into an environment built for healing, where they are understood, supported, and surrounded by a team that believes in their capacity to recover. The Greenhouse represents a natural extension of our mission. It’s a living expression of our belief that recovery is possible—and that with the right support, families can find their footing again. 
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