I work with children with issues around challenging behaviors, emotional regulation, self-esteem and confidence, coping skills, anger management, ADHD, anxiety, divorce, bullying, trauma, and more.
My experience with children, outside of being a mom of 3, began over 15 yrs ago. Children don't often know how to express or put words to what their emotions are or why they show the behaviors they do. I have extensive training in understanding children's behavior and can help you and your child better communicate and enjoy each other.
Using child-directed play therapy for children ages 2-10, I work with your child (and you, of course!) to sort through their struggles in a warm and safe environment. Using specific toys and games, including art therapy and sandplay therapy, children play out experiences, including traumatic ones, in order to make sense of and healthily adapt; much the way adults talk through their problems.
In my inviting therapeutic play-spaces, your child will learn how to express themselves, respond to strong emotions in a healthy way, grow their confidence, and form stronger attachments to you.
Parent Support
Are you at your wit's end? Tried everything and yet you feel like it's not working, not good enough, or not possible? If you are struggling with your child's behavior, your own reactions, or simply want to hone or improve your parenting skills, I would love to help you!
First, I believe that parents who love their kids and do the best they can with the skills they have are the perfect parents. You are your child's best and first teacher, the expert, and their greatest influence.
In our media-ran society, parents are bombarded with judgment, contradictory research, and an alarming amount of new parenting roadblocks. I can help you sift through these things and gain more parenting confidence in a non-judgemental and supportive partnership!
I work with parents who want to explore their current parenting philosophies, learn new skills, understand their child's behavior, or work on parenting in conjunction with their child's therapy.
My parent support is influenced by Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy,Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Making Parenting a Pleasure, Love and Logic, and Positive Solutions for Families Pyramid Plus. Ask me about support groups/classes!
Family Therapy
With my training in family systems, I sometimes work with whole families, either exclusively, or as part of play therapy and parenting skills.
Sometimes, our families allow dysfunction to become the norm and inviting the whole family in to work with a therapist can be helpful in realigning, readjusting, and reconnecting the family and its members
You might consider family therapy for many different reasons. I work often with families who struggle with deployment, grief/loss, life transitions, sibling rivalry, blended families, divorce, and more.
Often, when I work with a kiddo who initially comes to play therapy, family therapy, in the form of Fillial Play Therapy or Parent-Child Interaction Therapy skill building will naturally become part of the therapeutic process.