SERVING the whole family to make families whole through Child & Adolescent counseling

“Play is a child’s language and the toys are their words.”

Often, children have depleted their own problem solving tools, and they misbehave, or may act out at home, with friends, or at school. Through play therapy, children learn to communicate with others, express feelings, modify behavior, develop problem-solving skills, and learn a variety of ways of relating to others. Play provides a safe psychological distance from their problems and allows expression of thoughts and feelings appropriate to their development. By confronting problems in the clinical Play Therapy setting, children find healthier solutions. Play Therapy allows children to change the way they think about, feel toward, and resolve their concerns.

I have experience working with children in both the school setting and in Play Therapy rooms. My passion is working with children through Play Therapy and I would be honored to work with your child.

In play therapy, children are given the freedom to heal in a way that is meaningful to them. Developmentally, children are unable to reason and talk out their problems like adults and, instead, may display challenging behaviors as a way to communicate their feelings, wants, and needs. The natural language of children is play and that is how they make sense of the world around them. As a registered Play Therapist, I use child-centered play therapy (CCPT) to give children a developmentally appropriate, safe environment where they are able to work through issues that they may be dealing with at home and at school.

Parents have an active role in the play therapy process, as well. Parents can learn play therapy skills they can use at home to decrease stress and increase positivity in the parent-child relationship.

As a former special education teacher, school counselor and child therapist with over fifteen years of experience, I have a unique perspective in helping families and children move towards positive growth and change. In general, I use a combination of perspectives when working with families including person-centered, attachment, and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral theories to help heal and connect mind, body and spirit.