Are you worried about your child’s meltdowns, defiance, hitting, challenges with routines, or constantly having to repeat yourself?

Other therapies have not worked, at least not for long, and you are tired of searching google, blogs, or social media for strategies that work.

You’re in the right place.

We serve families in Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida and 41 other states virtually.

Hi there, I’m Dr. Emily Robertson, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of the Center for Child Behavior.

We accept Aetna and United insurance & self pay

Why we are different.

Boutique Private Practice

We are a locally, women-owed private practice in Florida serving Sarasota and Manatee counties, but also families in 41 other states across the U.S. Parents receive direct access via email and phone to Dr. Emily throughout the week. She only accepts approximately 20-25 families at a given time in order to provide you with an elevated, all-access personalized healthcare experience.

Results focused

Dr. Emily’s kind and caring approach is paired with the occasional but necessary tough love to ensure parents make progress through the coaching program. Home practice assignments are critical to showing progress and she wants you to have results fast!

Research Backed

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Emily has years of experience as a clinician but also a clinical researcher. She has 35+ scientific publications in peer-reviewed academic journals and one book chapter on topics such as ADHD, behavior problems, ODD, parenting, therapy like PCIT, disabilities, among others. She loves communicating science to families in an easy to digest way.

What parents are saying

“Working with Dr. Emily for three months has changed our lives for the better. My four-year-old son had severe behavior issues that we could not mediate with occupational therapy, speech therapy, or on our own.”

- parent of 4-year-old

“We were in a very difficult place when we met Dr. Emily and really were not sure if it was possible for our situation to change much. Wow! She changed our life dramatically. She makes it so simple and user friendly we couldn't believe we were not doing these strategies before.”

- parent of 9 & 7-year-olds

“I saw counselor after counselor and doctor and other doctors. They recommended all sorts of things. No one told me about behavioral treatments or that the parents should be so heavily involved. And, thankfully, it worked.”

- parent of 7-year-old with ADHD

“We are eternally thankful for the tools, guidance, and support that Dr. Emily provided. My son is thriving - this is every parent’s dream. I highly recommend working with Dr. Emily. She will tailor the program to you while providing you tried and true proven strategies.”

- parent of 4-year-old

Common concerns we help families with:

ADHD/ADD

Oppositional/defiance concerns

Autism spectrum disorder

Morning or evening routine challenges

School behavioral concerns

Hitting/kicking/aggression

Meltdowns/Tantrums

Helping parent organize their own routines or schedule

Child listening

Couple support for parenting differences between spouses

Co-parenting with two home families

How to structure homework routine to reduce conflict

Improving parent-child relationship

**Please note our area of expertise is in the above challenges. We usually do not work with families with children whose primary challenges are significant anxiety, OCD, depression, or self-harm/suicidal thoughts. If we determine we are not the best fit for you and your child during our intake process, we will be happy to refer you to other wonderful providers in the community.

The search for help ends here.

Book your first appointment using the BOOK NOW button to book directly in our calendar.

Our Services

For families with children ages 2-12 years of age

  • Do you want to talk with Dr. Emily and get her opinion on how to move forward without starting the full programs? Confused as to if your child needs an assessment vs. therapy? Not sure how to prioritize what you need? Booking a consultation will help. She'll be transparent and explain what would help.

  • In group parent coaching, parents receive the same research-backed strategies in Behavioral Parent Traiing but in a small group setting (5 families total). This allows caregivers to learn from other families.

    Groups are 7 weeks and parents will learn strategies to help kids with ADHD, tantrums, defiance, hitting, anger, homework, difficult routines (morning and evening), & more!

    Improvements are noticeable in 1 to 3 weeks!

  • During this research-backed therapy, parents learn strategies to improve their child’s behavior, family conflict, routines like morning and homework routines, limit setting, increase positive behavior and listening, reduce arguments, and teaching your child to regulate those big emotions/reduce meltdowns.

    Improvements are noticeable in 1 to 3 weeks! Families need on average 11 sessions. Please communicate if you for any reason need to keep the program expedited such as financial reasons. She is happy to work with you and prioritize strategies based on your situation.

    Dr. Emily will teach you directly how to respond to your child in ways that will improve emotion regulation and listening. This is the gold standard treatment for child behavior problems. See FAQ page for why we don’t meet directly with the child in most cases.

  • PCIT is a research-backed, play therapy for child behavior and emotional problems like tantrums, anger outbursts, defiance, and/or aggression/hitting for children 2 to 7 years old. PCIT is helpful for children with or without a diagnosis of a behavioral disorder. We will work with you either way.

    Treatment is typically 12-16 weeks. If you are not able to commit to this length of treatment, Behavioral Parent Training will be a better option (see above tab).

  • Dr. Emily loves teaching other healthcare providers about behavioral interventions for child behavioral chalenges. She is in the process of developing an on-demand, digital course. Please contact her via the contact page to request a training tailored to your needs.

    She provides trainings for the treatment of child ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, aggression, violence.

  • Dr. Emily is passionate about speaking and educating healthcare professionals educators, and lay audiences on child behavioral health challenges. She has provided talks and trainings on child ADHD and inattention, defiance and anger outbursts, aggression and violence, juvenile delinquency all while roping in the neuroscience and clinical interventions related to these challenges.

We support parents by showing them how to teach their children to regulate their emotions and big feelings using research supported strategies.