Shanna Pranaitis
Kids & Teens
Help your child feel safer in their body, more confident in themselves, and better able to move through life's challenges with greater ease.
If your child has been having a hard time lately, you've probably already tried everything you know to help.
And yet...
Maybe bedtime has become a battle because their brain won't slow down.
Maybe they hold it together all day at school, only to melt down the moment they get home.
Maybe they're terrified of making a mistake, trying something new, speaking up in class, or sleeping away from home.
Maybe they complain of stomach aches or headaches before school, even though the doctor can't find anything physically wrong.
Or maybe your bright, curious child seems to be shrinking and changing in ways you know aren't them.
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Whatever brings you here, my hope is the same: to help your child understand what's happening inside them, discover they're more capable than they realize, and develop practical tools they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
What Parents Are Saying
"After 2 years of anxiety, we saw a significant improvement by the second session. She went from fear at bedtime to feeling calm and relieved."
— Parent of 9 yr old
What Brings Families Here
Families reach out for many different reasons...
Anxiety and stress
Perfectionism
Navigating Big Emotions
Neurodivergence-related challenges
Difficulty trusting themselves
Stress-related physical symptoms
Habits that no longer feel helpful
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Every child arrives with their own story.
Some children arrive with a diagnosis that has helped make sense of their experiences. Others don't.
Either way, my focus is the same:
I meet the child before I meet the challenge.
Your child is not a problem to be fixed.
They're a whole person—with their own personality, strengths, challenges, imagination, experiences, and unique way of moving through the world.
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I work with children and teens from many different backgrounds and experiences, including those who are neurodivergent.
Rather than using the same approach for every child, I adapt my work to honor how each child naturally learns, experiences, and moves through the world.
How This Work Helps
Children's brains are constantly changing.
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Every experience shapes the brain by strengthening and creating connections between neurons through a remarkable process called neuroplasticity.
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Their brains are also constantly making predictions, using past experiences to anticipate what might happen next. If a child's brain has learned to expect danger, embarrassment, failure, or overwhelm, it will often prepare their body for those experiences before the situation has even unfolded.
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Change doesn't happen because children understand everything intellectually. It happens because the brain learns through experience.
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Children usually don't need more information about what they're feeling.
Most already know they're anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, or scared.
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What they're often missing are practical ways to work with those feelings when they show up.
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My goal isn't to eliminate difficult feelings. It's to help children build new ways of responding to them while gradually helping the brain update what it expects is possible.
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To support that process, I use hypnosis, imagination, focused attention, nervous system regulation, and other evidence-informed approaches that work with the brain's natural learning processes, helping children build new patterns through experience rather than explanation alone.
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Imagine a child who always feels overwhelmed before a test. Their brain has learned to predict stress long before they sit down at their desk.
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During our work together, that child has repeated opportunities to feel calm, capable, and prepared before the test ever begins.
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As those experiences are repeated, the brain gradually updates what it expects. Over time, those new responses become easier to access because the brain has learned another way.
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That might look like falling asleep more easily, working through scary thoughts, recovering after something embarrassing happens, moving through big emotions with greater flexibility, or walking into situations that once felt overwhelming with a little more confidence.
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When children discover they can feel differently, respond differently, and trust themselves a little more, those small shifts often ripple far beyond our sessions and into the rest of their lives.
Why This Approach Works So Well for Children
Children are remarkable learners. They remind me every day how naturally human beings are wired to learn, adapt, and grow.
I've had the privilege of working with children for more than 25 years, first as a private music teacher and mentor, and now through hypnosis and change work. Across all those years, one thing has remained true:
Children flourish when they feel seen, safe, and supported in ways that honor who they are.
They haven't spent decades collecting stories about who they should be or all the reasons they can't. Their curiosity, imagination, creativity, and willingness to explore are often still wonderfully intact.
We don't have to teach children how to imagine.
They already know.
Those natural strengths become the foundation for everything we do together.
Here's what that often looks like in practice...
What Sessions Are Like
Every child is different, so every session is different too.
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I follow your child's curiosity, personality, interests, and unique way of learning.
Rather than following a scripted program, I pay close attention to what captures their imagination, what helps them feel safe, and what naturally engages them.
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One child might practice walking into a classroom, giving a presentation, or trying something new while feeling calm, confident, and prepared.
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Another might imagine turning the "volume" down on anxious thoughts before bed.
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And another might create an inner safe place before a medical procedure or a difficult day at school.
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Many sessions are full of curiosity, laughter, and moments of genuine delight.
Others are quieter.
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Sometimes a child discovers they can do something that used to feel impossible.
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And sometimes a session ends with, "Can I show Mom what I learned today?"
The goal isn't to get children to "perform" or talk about things before they're ready.
It's to create experiences that help them realize they already have more courage, flexibility, creativity, and resilience than they thought by learning new ways of working with their thoughts, feelings, and bodies that feel natural, empowering, and often surprisingly fun.
How we get there looks different for every child.
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Sometimes we're drawing.
Sometimes we're moving.
Sometimes we're telling stories.
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Sometimes we're slowing down, focusing our attention, and using our imagination to practice new ways of responding before they need them in everyday life.
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And older children and teens often enjoy a more conversational approach.
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Whatever form they take, sessions build on the ways children naturally learn: through curiosity, imagination, movement, creativity, play, conversation, and experience.
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Because when children experience themselves differently, they begin moving through the world differently, too.
"I'm so proud of myself! And I'm sad it has to end. I feel like a portal has opened and all those feelings just shrunk and went away."
— 9-year-old client
Children have an incredible capacity to learn, adapt, and surprise themselves. It's a privilege to witness those moments when they begin to see themselves differently.
Supporting Your Child
Supporting a child who's struggling can be exhausting, confusing, and heartbreaking. Most parents I meet care deeply. They simply want to help their child feel better and aren't always sure what to try next.
One of the unexpected gifts of this work is that it often becomes something the whole family grows through together.
Because children grow within relationships, I intentionally include parents throughout the process.
Sometimes that means learning a little about how the nervous system works. Sometimes it means experimenting with small shifts at home that create more moments of safety, connection, and regulation.
And sometimes the most magical part happens after a session, when your child proudly teaches you the new skill they just learned.
Throughout the process, you'll always know what we're working on and how you can support your child between sessions.
Small shifts in the environment around a child can create remarkable opportunities for growth.
By learning alongside your child, you're helping create the conditions where that growth can continue long after our sessions end.
Why Six Weeks?
Children grow through repetition, experience, and relationships.
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That's why I typically begin with six weeks together. It gives us time to build trust, create momentum, and help new patterns become part of everyday life.
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Every child is different, so we'll talk together during your parent consultation about what kind of support makes the most sense for your child.
Sometimes six weeks is exactly what's needed. Sometimes a child benefits from a little more support, and occasionally families return later for a tune-up session as new stages of life unfold.
We'll decide together what feels most supportive for your child.
A typical support plan includes:
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An initial parent consultation
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Weekly one-on-one sessions with your child
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Parent support and integration
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Practical tools your child can continue using at home
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A celebration and thoughtful wrap-up so your child leaves feeling proud of how far they've come—and excited to keep using what they've learned.
The goal isn't simply for your child to feel better during our sessions.
It's for them to carry what they're learning into everyday life...at home, at school, with friends, and wherever life takes them.
What change can look like...
Sometimes the changes are ordinary moments that begin adding up to a different daily life.
Bedtime becoming more peaceful.
Walking into school with a little more confidence.
Trying something new without immediately giving up.
Raising a hand after months of staying quiet.
Hearing, "I handled it, Dad!"
Watching your child tell you they're scared instead of melting down.
Seeing disappointment become something they move through instead of something that stops them.
Watching them trust themselves a little more.
More laughter.
More ease.
More moments where your child simply gets to be themselves.
"I'm so glad I know Shanna! This would have made me really anxious before, and now I'm ok!"
— 9-year-old client
These moments don't happen because children become different people.
They happen because they're discovering more of who they've been all along.
A Few Important Notes
This work is designed to support children and teens as they build greater confidence, emotional flexibility, self-trust, and a healthier relationship with their thoughts, feelings, and nervous systems.
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It can also be a wonderful complement for children and teens who are already receiving support for anxiety, neurodivergence, OCD, depression, or other mental health challenges.
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At the same time, this work is not a replacement for medical or psychological care.
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If your child has a more complex mental health diagnosis or is receiving ongoing psychological or psychiatric care, I may ask for:
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a referral or approval from your child's psychologist, psychiatrist, or other licensed provider, or
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confirmation that they're receiving appropriate clinical support.
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I may also ask to share my session notes with their other providers when appropriate.
This helps ensure everyone supporting your child is working together in a way that's safe, thoughtful, and aligned.
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If you're not sure whether this applies, don't worry—we'll talk it through together during your consultation.
Experience & Training
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Certified Integrative Hypnosis
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Certified Kids & Teens Integrative Hypnosis and Change Work Practitioner
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Certified Integrative Change Work Coach
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25+ years teaching and mentoring children through private music instruction
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Trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming approach
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Learn more about the science behind the Integrative Hypnosis & Change work tools I use
Fees
The 6-Week Foundation Package is $750
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This includes the parent consultation, six individual sessions, parent support throughout the process, personalized tools, and our final wrap-up together.
I believe every child deserves access to this work, regardless of their family's financial circumstances. To support that commitment, I reserve a limited number of reduced-fee spaces each year for families experiencing financial difficulties.
If cost is the only thing standing in the way, please reach out. We'll have an honest conversation together and see what feels respectful, sustainable, and workable for both of us.
Every Child Is Welcome Here
Every child deserves to be met with curiosity, compassion, and respect.
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I welcome children, teens, and families of all backgrounds, identities, bodies, beliefs, and lived experiences. Whomever your child is, they deserve a space where they can feel seen, supported, and free to become more fully themselves.
Let's Start With a Conversation
Everything begins with a parent consultation.
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This is simply a chance for us to get to know one another and talk about what's been happening, what you've already tried, and what support might be most helpful for your child.
You don't need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
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Many parents come into this conversation unsure—and that's completely normal.
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During our conversation we'll talk about:
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what's been happening
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what you've already tried
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what you're hoping for
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whether this feels like the right next step for your child and your family
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If your child is already working with a therapist, psychologist, physician, or another provider, I'm happy to collaborate when appropriate so everyone is supporting your child in a thoughtful, aligned way.
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There's no pressure to move forward.
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Our first conversation is simply an opportunity to meet, get curious together, and see whether working together feels like the next right step.
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A simple first conversation. No pressure to commit.
Still curious?