Therapy for Kids & Families
It's hard to see your child struggling. They used to have this brightly shining joy and light, but recently that light seems dimmed. They're crying easily, seem to talk less, and overall appear to get overwhelmed easier than they used to. You worry about them not having enough friends at school, and how your child seems stressed and anxious often. They don't seem to be as excited about things they used to love, and you wonder where that kid you've come to know has gone.
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Kids are so resilient, but sometimes when life circumstances change, they need a little extra support to process the stressors and get back to their true selves.
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Kids might feel scared to come to therapy, or initially feel they are "in trouble" when a parent or caretaker bring them in for their first session. One of my first tasks in therapy with kids to help change this idea. Once they realize they don't have anything to fear, and that you, their caregivers, are supporting them in this process, most kids start telling their parents they can't wait for session after only a few visits, and we start seeing positive changes soon after that. Kids are changing so rapidly - it's what they do - and naturally want to heal from the challenges they face. Sometimes we just need a little extra boost to help heal, and that's what therapy can be for kids.
As a systems therapist, I strongly believe in the the power of relationships and as such, I almost always will see the family as a unit (kiddo and at least one caretaker) at least for the initial session. I know you see the challenges your child is facing and have so much insight to give that will be important to your child's success, and might want some support too - and that's also vital to your child making progress. In the initial session, we'll discuss what your child's unique struggles are, and make a plan from there about what ratio of individual to family sessions feels most helpful to reaching your child's goals. No matter what the balance of individual sessions to family sessions looks like, you will always be an integral part of your child's care and their healing process.
I worked extensively with elementary school age kids, teens and families for the first part of my career in behavioral health, becoming the lead clinician for my team during that time. I have continued working with kids and families as I moved into private practice, and love this work. I see kids dealing with a variety of challenges - anxiety, past trauma, symptoms of depression or low self-esteem, grief and loss - and most extensively, kids learning to manage changes in their family unit, such as divorce, or separation from a parent of caregiver.
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If you'd like to see if we'd be a good fit to work together to help your child, you can find out about next steps by clicking the link below.
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Areas I work with:
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Anxiety & Stress
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Social Skills
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Self-Esteem
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Coping and Self-Regulation Skills
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Depression symptoms
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Traumatic Experiences
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Divorce / Separation
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Blended Family Dynamics
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Co-Parenting
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Grief & Loss
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School Challenges
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Family Transitions and Adjustment Challenges
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Children learn through play, and as such their therapy will not look like it would for an adult. My goal in therapy is to get to know the child's strengths and inner resources, help them develop additional skills that may be helpful, and then use their own unique interests to help them navigate the challenges they are facing. Every child is unique and so too must their therapy and solutions be.
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I use Solution Focused and Narrative Therapy primarily with children. I also use some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and am trained in Trauma Focused CBT (TF-CBT) for helping kids recover from traumatic experiences. I am also trained in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).