Evaluation and Treatment Of:
Attention Deficit Disorders
Eating Disorders
Mood Disorders such as depression and anxiety
Bullying / Relational Aggresion
Adjustment / Transition issues for new parents
Divorce
GLBT individuals and families
Grief and Loss
Blended families
Substance abuse
Social anxiety and peer problems
School issues
Disruptive behaviors
Developmental / Transitional concerns
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Therapy with Children
A common question parents, teachers and other caregivers ask is,
“What does a psychotherapist do with a 7 year old during an office visit? Do they
really sit there for 50 minutes and talk about what’s bothering them?” The answer
is that most children that young would not tolerate a 50 minute traditional talk
therapy session. Children "play" their emotions and problems, and my office is equipped
with objects and tools which help children process events and feelings which may
be troubling them. Play Therapy is the most common method used in mental health
to treat children suffering from a range of issues including depression, anxiety,
trauma or abuse of any kind, grief/loss related to divorce, moving, death, illness,
and peer problems. The foundation of play therapy assumes that given the right setting
and opportunity, children have the ability to learn how to solve problems effectively.
Therapy with Adolescents
Treatment planning with older youth and adolescents is designed on a case by case
basis and play therapy can often be modified to address many issues listed above.
In general, the older the child, the more verbally expressive they become. Younger
children play out what is troubling them while older children and teens are able
to talk about problems and participate in their treatment plan using more advanced
developmental skills such as critical thinking, and conceptual reasoning. In addition
to Play Therapy, I also use other treatment models such as Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy, Narrative Approaches, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, particularly
when treating eating disorders, personality disorders, and parasuicidal behaviors.
Family therapy
is a time when a parent and child come together and learn new ways of solving problems
in a safe environment. Parents will be supported in their role in becoming the best
model they hope to be for their child. As your provider, my role is to help cultivate
and strengthen the relationship between parent and child, and teach skills to better
manage conflicts. Parenting is humbling, stressful, joyful, demanding and requires
us to deal with problems we may be ill-equipped to solve on our own. The time I
spend working with parents and children together is one of the greatest gifts I
receive from my practice.
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