Parents -

I'm guessing that you have been worrying about your child since they were born. And the fact that you are checking out this page means that you deeply care for your child. Take a deep breath before reading any more and remind yourself that you are doing the best you can.

I am passionate about working with children and relating with children comes naturally to me.

Establishing a working relationship with your child will be the foundation of our work together. I have educational training and clinical preparation that focuses specifically on working with children. I seek out ways to keep current on the cultural and therapeutic dimensions of childhood and this information helps me in connecting with you child.

Childhood is a time of exploration, play and creativity. Often times there are things though that get in the way of children being able to fully enjoy and embrace this developmental stage. There are many struggles that children face today whether it's managing their emotions, understanding social situations & making friends, grieving a loss of a death, move, or a life change or struggling with ADHD.

In my sessions with children, I utilize play and skill building. This can include toys, games, art supplies, and books. It takes time for children to discover and appropriately utilize an emotional vocabulary. Play is the natural language of children and a tool to allow them to express who they are and how they see the world. Since this comes naturally to them, it makes sense to conduct therapy sessions in their “natural language.” Children are resilient and possess innate skills to work through their struggles. I will provide a safe space for your child to work out his or her struggles through play and to unlock those innate skills. Some of the skills we may work on include emotion regulation, problem solving, frustration tolerance and social skills. I include parents in my work and have the child teach skills they learned in session to their parents.

For children ages 11 and younger, I first meet with the parents to get a family history and an overview of the current situation. Please bring the professional disclosure and child intake history forms found on the Forms page with you to the initial session.