What should you look for in an inner child therapist?
Look for a licensed mental health professional who works with adults, understands how childhood experiences carry into adult life, and is willing to explain plainly how they would approach your concerns. That is the core of it. Inner child work is a popular, informal idea rather than one standardized therapy, so the title on a website matters less than the license behind it and the way the person actually works.
In practice, that means three questions in order. Is this person licensed in the state where I live? What training do they have in approaches that work with early experiences and painful memories? And do I feel able to be honest with them? The rest of this page takes each in turn. If you want the background first, our guide to what inner child work is explains the idea.
What training is worth asking about?
Because "inner child" is a general term, therapists come to it from different directions. Some use it as plain language for something they already address in ordinary talk therapy. Others have trained in structured models that work with child-like parts of the self or with unmet early needs. Neither is automatically better. What matters is that the therapist can tell you what they were trained in, where, and how it shapes a session.
Models that work with early experiences
Several established approaches overlap with what people call inner child work. Schema therapy, developed by Jeffrey Young, describes a "vulnerable child" mode. Internal Family Systems, developed by Richard Schwartz, talks about young, hurt parts it calls exiles. Emotion-focused therapy and compassion-focused therapy also work with old feelings and self-criticism. Our pages on schema therapy and the inner child and inner child work and Internal Family Systems compare them.
A workshop is not the same as certification
Many therapists take an introductory course in a model, which is useful, but it is not the same as being certified in it. The IFS Institute, for example, says that completing its Level 1 training is not the same as being IFS Certified, which is a separate, advanced process. The International Society of Schema Therapy keeps its own directory of therapists. If a therapist names a model, it is fair to ask what level of training they completed and whether they receive consultation on their work.
How do you check a therapist's license in North Carolina?
Each licensed profession in North Carolina has its own board, and each board offers a public lookup that shows whether a license is active and whether there is any public discipline. Use the board's own site, typed directly into your browser:
- Social workers: the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board, at ncswboard.gov. Its address ends in .gov. Do not use look-alike addresses ending in .org, which are not the board.
- Counselors: the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors, which offers a Verify a License tool.
- Marriage and family therapists: the North Carolina Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board, under Verify a Licensee.
- Psychologists and psychological associates: the North Carolina Psychology Board, whose address currently forwards to ncpsychologyboard.info, where License Verification is listed.
How do you check a license in South Carolina?
South Carolina's licensing boards sit under the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and every board page has a Licensee Lookup link. The Board of Social Work Examiners covers social workers. The Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists covers counselors and family therapists. The Board of Examiners in Psychology covers psychologists.
If you live in Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Indian Land, Landrum, Inman or Campobello, there is one more thing to check. A therapist generally needs to be licensed in the state where the client is during the session, so a therapist licensed only in North Carolina may not be able to see you once you are back home in South Carolina. Ask directly, and mention where you will be for each session. Laura Bass is licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
What are the red flags?
Most therapists are careful and honest. A few warning signs are still worth knowing, because inner child work touches painful material and the field has had real problems in the past.
- Promises of a quick fix: a set number of sessions to "heal your inner child", or results described as certain. Change in therapy varies from person to person, and an honest therapist says so.
- Recovered-memory claims: telling you that your symptoms prove something happened that you do not remember, or offering to uncover buried memories of abuse through hypnosis, guided imagery or repeated suggestion. The psychologist Elizabeth Loftus set out the problems with repressed-memory claims in a widely cited 1993 paper; memories can be shaped by suggestion.
- Pressure to confront or cut off family as a condition of the work, rather than a decision you reach in your own time.
- Going deep too fast: pushing you into intense early memories in a first session, with no talk of pacing, grounding or what happens if you feel overwhelmed.
- Vagueness about credentials: no license you can look up, or reluctance to say what they were trained in.
- Claims to treat a named disorder with inner child work alone, or advice to stop medication or other care.
How do you know if the fit is right?
The National Institute of Mental Health suggests a preliminary conversation before you commit, and lists questions to ask: the therapist's credentials and experience, the approach they use, the reasoning and evidence behind it, the goals of therapy, how progress will be assessed, and the limits of confidentiality. It says rapport and trust are essential. Our list of questions to ask before starting inner child work adds a few specific to this kind of work.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness puts the fit question simply: do you feel comfortable with this person, and do you feel they are on your side? A first session may feel awkward, and that is normal. Feeling judged, rushed or talked over is different. It is fine to try someone else.
Where Laura Bass fits
Laura Bass is a psychotherapist who works with adults 18 and over. She offers inner child work as part of individual counseling, at her main practice in Charlotte and at a part-time office at The Healing Cottage in Columbus, near Tryon. She is licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina. Clients who want it can also bring in mind-body-spirit work alongside counseling, and that is always their choice.
Ask Laura directly about her training, the approaches she draws on and how she paces this work. You can reach her through the contact page, and inner child work with Laura Bass describes what she offers. Laura Bass Counseling is not a crisis service: if you are in danger, call 911, and for a mental health crisis call or text 988.
Common questions
Is "inner child therapist" a real credential?
No. It is a description, not a license. In both Carolinas the license that matters belongs to a profession, such as clinical social work, professional counseling, marriage and family therapy or psychology. Someone can call themselves an inner child coach without any license at all, so check the state board before you book, and ask what training sits behind the description.
How do I check a counselor's license in South Carolina?
Go to llr.sc.gov, open the page for the board that matches the profession, and use its Licensee Lookup link. Counselors and marriage and family therapists share one board, social workers have the Board of Social Work Examiners, and psychologists have the Board of Examiners in Psychology. The lookup shows whether the license is active.
Should a therapist help me recover memories I do not have?
Be cautious with anyone who offers to. Research on memory, including the work of psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, shows that suggestion can shape what people come to remember. A careful therapist works with what you do remember and how it affects you now, lets you set the pace, and does not tell you what must have happened.
Can I see a North Carolina therapist if I live in South Carolina?
Only if the therapist is also licensed in South Carolina, or the session takes place while you are in North Carolina. What generally counts is where you are during the session. Laura Bass is licensed in both states, so people in Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Indian Land, Landrum, Inman and Campobello can work with her. Ask her about session formats.