Therapy

I provide therapy for children, families and individuals.  I primarily work with children, ages 4 and up.  Often, I assit with the beginning of the evaluation process; looking at patterns, symptoms, sensory processing and family dynamics.  I take turns meeting with children alone, children with parents and parents alone to understand the struggles and challenges.  We will then create a treatment plan to address the child's specific goals, and guidance for parents.  Referrals may be given for further psychological testing, evaluation or treatment (eg Autism, AHDH, Occupational Therapy, etc).   Parents should be open to pursuing their own therapy during this process.  Parents responses to their children (especially when at their worst) is a BIG part of a happy, functioning family.  

My approach is ecletcic, playful, creative and fun.  I practice from a Social Work perspective, taking into account all of the relationships, stressors, strengths and support a person, or family, has surrounding them.  I utilize an individualized, trauma-informed approach, using a combination of the following techniques, depending on each person's needs.  I am gender affirming, celebrate LGBTQIA+ community members and am neuro affirming.  

I utilize many therapeutic techniques, including:

• Cognitive Behavior Therapy 
• Mindfulness
• Expressive Arts
• Play Therapy
• Sensory Play
• Behavior Modification
• Brainspotting

Brainspotting is a technique that uses the neuroscience finding of where you look affects how you feel. I will help you to find a “spot” that increases the “felt sense” of an experience (or a spot that reduces over-arousal) and then ask you to observe those sensations with a dual focus on the spot and body sensations.  Often, paying attention to body sensations takes away tension, but you may also be "led" to relevant thoughts or memories about the event. We refer to this as processing. When you no longer feel any arousal in your body, you will be asked to return to the original event or thought to find out if it still has any "juice." If so, that arousal is also processed. When your body can no longer be aroused by the memory, it becomes an emotionless fact and you may gain a new perspective about the event.  

I also work with patients who struggle with:

• Parenting skills and support
• Anxiety 
• Autism/Aspergers
• Sensory Processing
• Executive Functioning
• Neurodiversity
• Depression
• Self Esteem
• Childhood Trauma
• Teenage issues
• Women's issues
• LGBTQ+
• Inspiration/Creativity coaching
• Stress management
• Social and communication skills

When working with children, parents are always involved in the process.  This may include some or all of the following:  participating in sessions; attending parent check-in meetings; therapeutic homework or at-home play sessions.  The goal of therapy is not to fix anyone, but to instead, discover the personality, learning style, strengths and challenges of make us each unique.  Getting to know our own love languages, communication styles, sensory issues and triggers (in addition to our children)  will always strengthen, deepen and reduce stress in relationships.  

Adult clients may choose to pursue more traditional methods of talk therapy, or utilize the expressive arts to get in touch with feelings, inspiration and muses.   I am gender, LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse affirming.  

This journey is a partnership, between willing parents and kids (or adult patients) and myself.  A partnership where safety, honesty and open communication is valued and honored.  Collaborative sharing of information will empower parents to parent in a new, confident and effective manner.  Please contact me using the form on the CONTACT page.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Click here to see my profile on Psychology Today's find a therapist website.