Common Spring Therapy Group

09/06/2026

Group registration can now be completed online!

Visit our website to explore our currently available groups, learn more about upcoming opportunities, and reserve your spot.
Prefer another payment option? You may still pay by cash or check, or use insurance by contacting our office before registering.

Check out our active groups and register online:
https://www.commonspringtherapy.com/event-list

09/06/2026

Parenting can feel especially discouraging when you are trying your best, but the same behaviors and conflicts continue.
You are not failing, and you do not have to figure it all out alone.
The Art & Science of Parenting is a five-session therapy group created to help parents look beneath their child’s behavior, strengthen connection, and learn practical strategies for communication, discipline, and repair.

The group begins January 12, 2027, at Common Spring Therapy Group in Midland. To learn more or register, call (989) 402-3340 or email [email protected].

08/23/2026

If you've been considering play therapy or mental health counseling for your child, now is a great time to get started. We have immediate openings for new clients at Common Spring Therapy Group! Through play therapy, our therapists help children express emotions, build coping skills, strengthen relationships, and feel supported as they work through life’s challenges.
If you're ready to schedule or have questions about whether play therapy is a good fit for your child, we'd love to help. Visit https://www.commonspringtherapy.com/play-therapy or call 989-402-3340 to learn more!

Commons Spring is Midland's leading child, teen and adult mental health agency! Including services like play therapy and EMDR.

08/17/2026

Backpacks are packed, school supplies are ready, and a new school year is right around the corner! But for some kids, back-to-school season brings more worry than excitement.

Back-to-school anxiety doesn't always sound like, "I'm nervous about school." It might look like stomachaches, trouble sleeping, irritability, clinginess, meltdowns, repeated reassurance-seeking, or suddenly not wanting to go to school at all.

So how do you know what's a normal case of first-day jitters and when your child might need a little more support? Our newest blog, Back-to-School Anxiety: When It's More Than Just First-Day Jitters, explores the signs parents can watch for and practical ways to help children feel more confident as they head into a new school year.

Check it out here:

A new school year brings a lot of change! Maybe new teachers, new classrooms, new expectations, new routines, new classmates, or for some children, an entirely new school.A little nervousness about going back to school is normal. Even children who are excited may wonder who they'll sit with at lunch...

08/15/2026

Common Spring Therapy Group was nominated for the 2026 Midland Daily News Readers’ Choice Awards!

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve our community and honored to be recognized for the work we do. Thank you to our clients, families, community partners, and everyone who continues to support Common Spring. It means so much to our entire team!

We’re so grateful for the support of our community, and we’d love to have your vote for Common Spring in the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards!

This is your chance to make your voice heard through our community!

08/10/2026

The Art & Science of Parenting is a 5-session therapy group designed to help parents better understand themselves, their children, and the relationships they are building together.

Throughout the group, we’ll explore how our own experiences shape the way we parent, build practical tools for connection and communication, look beneath children’s behavior to understand what they may be communicating, and learn how encouragement can help create a more connected family culture.
And in our final session, parents get to play! You’ll experience sandtray, Quick Draws, and other therapeutic play activities firsthand, giving you a glimpse into how children communicate, process, and connect through play.

Starting January 12th, 2026 | 5 Tuesdays | 5–6 PM
Hosted at Common Spring Therapy Group
Led by Abby Rainey, LMSW-C, RPT-S™ & Arianah Rankin, LMSW-C
Space is limited. Contact us at [email protected] to learn more or register.

08/02/2026

It can be easy to see challenging behavior as something that needs to stop immediately. But behavior often tells us something important about what a child is feeling, needing, or struggling to express. Understanding the message behind the behavior does not mean removing limits. It means responding with curiosity while helping children build the skills they need to communicate and cope more effectively.

Our newest blog, Behavior Is Communication: What Your Child Is Trying to Tell You, explores what may be happening beneath the surface of challenging behavior and how parents can respond with both connection and boundaries.

Read the full blog here:

Children are constantly communicating with us. Sometimes they do it with words. Sometimes they do it with hugs, laughter, or smiles.And sometimes, they communicate through behaviors that leave us feeling frustrated, confused, or even helpless. A slammed bedroom door. A meltdown in the grocery store....

07/29/2026

Meet the friendly face behind the scenes at Common Spring Therapy Group!

We're excited to spotlight our incredible Office Manager, Sue Kackmeister. With more than seven years of experience in the mental health field, Sue is often the first person you'll connect with when reaching out to our office. Her kindness, compassion, and dedication help make the process of starting therapy feel a little easier.

We're so grateful to have Sue as part of the Common Spring family!

07/27/2026

Behavior has a purpose!

When children misbehave, they're often trying to communicate something they don't yet have the words or skills to express. In Adlerian Play Therapy, we call these the four goals of misbehavior:
1. Power
2. Attention
3. Revenge
4. Proving Inadequacy

Instead of asking, "How do I stop this behavior?" try asking, "What is this behavior trying to tell me?" That simple shift can change the way we respond and strengthen our relationship with the child in the process.

07/26/2026

As parents, it's natural to want behaviors to change. We set consequences hoping they'll teach a lesson. And while consequences have an important place, they often don't address why the behavior happened in the first place.

Children aren't born knowing how to regulate big emotions, manage disappointment, or express difficult feelings. Those are skills that need to be taught, practiced, and supported. When we shift from asking, "How do I stop this behavior?" to "What is my child trying to tell me?" we often discover new ways to help that lead to lasting change.

Our newest blog explores why consequences alone don't create lasting behavior change, what behavior is really communicating, and how connection and skill-building work together to support growth.

Read the full blog here:

If you've ever found yourself thinking, "I've taken away the tablet." "I've grounded them." "I've tried time-outs." "Nothing is working." You're not alone.Many parents have been taught that consequences are the primary way children learn. While consequences certainly have a place, they're often only...