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Child Therapy
As children make their way through the world emotional challenges are bound to arise. Sometimes these emotions can feel big, hard, or scary. When a child suffers, it impacts not only the child individually, but inevitably the entire family as well. All healthy children experience an array of emotions just as adults, and we can expect to see our little ones feeling sadness, worry, and fear from time to time. After all, it is not an easy thing to grow up. However, for some sensitive souls emotions can overpower them to the extent that they are adversely impacted. Some children may have received a diagnosis (e.g., ASD, ADHD, Learning Disability) that may be impacting their emotional regulation, others may just be born into the world wired in a sensitive way, while other children may have endured a difficult life event or a trauma (e.g., divorce, death of a loved one, an accident, illness, neglect, abuse, witnessing something tragic). While some children are able to move through these difficult experiences with the help of their beloved grownups, other children are impacted in more significant ways and require greater support in processing and integrating these experiences into their being.
Signs your child may be in need of therapeutic support
- Exhibiting consistent symptoms of anxiety, fears, repetitive or obsessive play, ruminating or obsessive thinking, bathroom accidents
- Exhibiting particularly irritable, angry, or sullen moods, prone to lots of tantrums and dysregulation, overall sense of unhappiness
- Displaying lots of sadness and negative thinking
- Perfectionistic behavior, self-degrading comments, and low self-esteem
- Consistently testing limits, breaking rules, and “getting into trouble”
As is important to work with children therapeutically, it is equally as important to work with and support parents. Parenting a child who is struggling emotionally can be exhausting, stressful, confusing, and worrisome. As I get to know you and your child, we will identify how to respond to your child’s unique and individual needs while maintaining healthy parental boundaries, taking care of both you and your child simultaneously. We will explore the experience of being a parent, and in particular what it is like to parent your child. Working together we will learn how to best support your little one as they move through their big feelings and experiences, seeing them in their authentic nature, and working to create a safe and healthy environment for them to thrive.
I work with children ages 4 and up and tailor my approach to each child’s individual needs. For many children, play is the symbol through which they are best able to self-express, and research tells us that play is a powerful medium which allows the brain to generate new synapses at a rate faster than talking, encouraging healthier modes of thinking, feeling, and seeing the world. In addition to play therapy I utilize methods of CBT, DBT, and mindfulness to support children in whatever ways they may need. Child therapy is a beautiful unfolding in which kids are granted the time and space to reveal themselves just as they are and are given just what they need to help them feel better, more in control, and less distressed.
Parent Guidance
Parent Guidance is a service I offer just for parents to explore their experience and role as parents. While this is a space just for parents, children benefit greatly as well. Transitioning to parenthood and moving through its transient phases as your journey parallels your child’s development, may bring up your own emotional experience. You may recall being parented when you were a child and want support in processing that piece of your experience. Not only will we explore what it means to you to be a parent, examine and understand your experience being parented as a child, but I will also provide guidance in your approach to parenting your child. Being a parent is one of the most important roles you will play in life. Taking time to think about your relationship to it and how you want to approach this role is a valuable and admirable undertaking.
Teen + Young Adult Therapy
Moving through your teen years into young adulthood can be so hard. New and seemingly more intense emotions begin to arise, hormones course through your body, you are yearning for your own identity all the while trying to fit in and maintain your relationships. This time in your life can be rife with twists and turns. Relationships, friendships, family dynamics, school/athletic/work expectations, social media, so much to navigate. You may also have gone through something tragic in your life – the loss of a loved one, a divorce, sexual assault, bullying, illness, an accident. This time can be challenging in various ways for all people, and some may benefit from therapeutic support to move through this time with more ease. There is help, you do not have to burden it all on your own.
Reasons You May Seek Therapy As A Teen
- Feelings of sadness, hollowness, emptiness that seem to follow you wherever you go
- Anxious or worried feelings about your own life and about the world
- Feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem which impact your decisions
- Thoughts of self-harm or turning to drugs and alcohol to soothe unwanted emotions
- Over-reliance on social media as a way to take care of tough emotions
- Difficulties in relationships – familial, platonic, or romantic
- Confusion about your identity or a desire to greater understand yourself & behaviors
I work with teens and young adults to support them with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, identity, relationships, stress management, and overall wellbeing.
Adult Therapy
Being an adult in this world is…no joke. The expectations are relentless and everyone seems to want a piece of you at all times. The endless juggling; so much to do and so little time- syndrome. As an adult the hits just keep coming, don’t they? Familial obligations, relationship needs, professional demands, taking care of your home, your body, your mind, your spirit…meeting all of these can be immensely hard and depleting. When other life demands make their way into the mix, this can throw off the already delicate ecosystem that we exist in. When dealing with hardships such a toxic work environment, a challenging relationship, or dissatisfaction with our life circumstances to name just a few, we can move out of a state of delicate balance and into the throws of distress and overwhelm. It may feel like in the midst of managing everybody else’s needs there is no space or room for you to acknowledge or take care of your own. As you continue to pour unconditionally from your cup without taking time to replenish it, you may feel burnt out, depressed, anxious, or out of control. It is time now. Time to take care of yourself in this small way. Time to show up for yourself as you show up for everyone else in your life. You are SO worth it!
Reasons You May Seek Therapy
- You feel emotionally overwhelmed, overburdened, or depleted
- You feel anxious, unable to quell worried thoughts, fearful
- Your thoughts feel negative and pessimistic, you are always thinking of the worst case scenario
- You feel the need to control everything, unable to relax or allow things to just be as they are. Letting go can feel scary.
- You rely on drugs, alcohol, or other things to separate you from your stress and responsibilities
- You have a short fuse and find yourself becoming agitated and angry often. Everything seems to upset you these days.
- You are going through a hard moment in your life – divorce, illness, death, accident, trauma
- You often feel insecure and down on yourself
- You are uncertain of who you are or what you want, you’d like to learn more about yourself
- Your relationships are volatile or challenging in some way
- You’d like a space to process what is happening in your life, to have someone really listen to you
