How do you provide therapy to children?

This is a common and important question when you are looking to put your trust in any mental health provider. First and foremost, we spend time developing a relationship with your child. How can we expect any progress or change to come before they feel safe and comfortable with us in the office? Every child is different in their pacing, and we believe it is our responsibility to follow their lead.

Part of following them is understanding that children naturally communicate through play. When children are struggling, whether it be emotionally, psychologically, or physically, they need a way to share this with others. Play looks different for different children (and different developmental levels), so whether it’s through pretend play, art, sandtray or games, I am following them. For the entirety of my practice with children, I have been using child-centered play therapy as a mean to assist children with sharing their thoughts and feelings.

An important part of the work we will do together is family sessions. We can provide a place for you and your child to improve your relationship and impart techniques through play that you will be able to utilize outside the therapy room. We look forward to sharing more with you about this model of therapy and how we will work collaboratively.

Can you help my teen?

Adolescents are a unique population, and we treat them as such. Remember being a teen? The pressures of school, peers and extra-curriculars all while experiencing intense hormone changes and brain development. Flash forward to today’s teen and add in social media, technology in every corner and a global pandemic! You can see the mounting stressors that make daily life as a teen feel relentless.

Teens are looking to feel a sense of belonging; some sense of fitting in and “doing it right.” In my years of practice, I have come to learn that some of the most remarkable healing happens in a group setting. At this point in their lives, they are pushing away from you (I know, it hurts!) and are turning towards peers for comfort. We currently run two teen groups as a means of fulfilling this need and providing a safe (and professionally supervised) way of doing so! Take a moment to check out our groups and feel free to reach out for more information.

With all the struggle that tends to naturally occur between parents and adolescents, it is our aim to assist with lessening that battle. We provide (and encourage the use of) family therapy to improve an understanding of each other and to learn how to communicate in a meaningful way.  After all, you built this family…don’t you want to enjoy each other?