Therapy for Children and Teens

If you are a parent seeking support, you might be experiencing:

  • Behavior or emotions from your child you can’t quite make sense of

  • Concern about how a big life change might affect your child

  • Worry for your child, who comes home from school saying they’re sad or have no friends

  • Disconnection with your kid that didn’t used to be there

  • Uncertainty about what’s best for your child

  • Stress about different parenting styles between caregivers

Therapy with me can help you (the parent):

  • gain new insights into your child and your relationship

  • learn new ways to connect with your child

  • improve communication between family members

  • feel supported on the journey

Therapy with me can help your child:

  • learn to safely experience and express emotions

  • explore strategies to cope and solve problems

  • experience a sense of emotional safety

  • learn to respect and accept themselves

Simply put, parenting is tough and you don’t have to navigate it alone. I believe all parents have strengths and know their children best, and can support you and your child into deeper connection and emotional wellbeing, even in the rocky moments of life.

Specialties

Adjusting to Divorce

Your child can experience a safe and neutral space to process the changes in their family, and you can receive reinforcement for navigating the journey.

Siblings of Children with Special Healthcare Needs

An opportunity for your child who does not typically need as much support to explore their feelings and experiences in a caring and accepting environment.

Parent-Child Attachment

Learn new ways to connect with your child and strengthen your relationship in a collaborative process with your therapist.

The Process:

  1. Schedule a free consultation with me to ensure you feel comfortable before moving forward with a session.

  2. You (parents) will meet with your therapist for 1-3 sessions, as we create a holistic picture of your family and child’s needs, and begin working together to support you as parents (for parents of older teens this may look different).

  3. You, your co-parent, and your child (and sometimes siblings too!) will come in for your child’s first session. As I get to know your family, you’ll get a chance to explore the therapy room, and your child can ease into the experience (again, this may look different for teens, who are ready to come in on their own).

  4. Your child will come in for weekly therapy, and you (parents) will meet with me at least once per month for parent sessions to support the work your child is doing in therapy.

  5. Together we will continuously assess your child’s needs, and make changes to our plan as needed.

Child Centered Play Therapy

I am trained in Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), and this is my primary approach with children ages 3-10. CCPT uses play as the child’s language, and the therapist-child relationship as a key factor in healing and growth. My therapy room contains toys and materials selected to foster meaningful play, and I am trained to interpret and respond to the child’s play in a way that supports our goals for therapy. CCPT is not as much a cognitive process for the child, as it is an experiential, developmental learning process. Taken from the book Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship by Garry Landreth, here are “Eight Basic Learning Experiences” that children gain from Child Centered Play Therapy:

  • Children learn to respect themselves

  • Children learn that their feelings are acceptable

  • Children learn to express their feelings responsibly

  • Children learn to assume responsibility for themselves

  • Children learn to be creative and resourceful in confronting problems

  • Children learn self-control and self-direction

  • Children gradually learn, at a feeling level, to accept themselves

  • Children learn to make choices and to be responsible for their choices

Filial Therapy

Filial therapy helps parents/caregivers bolster their relationship with their child through non-directive play. Through this process, I teach parents and caregivers basic play therapy skills that they can then use with their children at home. Filial therapy can address issues such as bonding and attachment, separation anxiety, trauma, sibling rivalry, anxiety, and depression.

“Enter into children’s play, and you will find the place where their minds, hearts, and souls meet.”

-Virginia Axline