Helping children process feelings, develop skills, and increase connection through caring, play-oriented therapy.
You’re worried about your child, but you’re not sure how to help.
You're supposed to be doing a thousand things right now, but you're stuck, unable to think about anything else.
In the back of your mind, there’s this idea you put on a shelf for someday in the future, when you really need it: You could take your child to therapy. But that idea has stayed on the shelf because you aren’t sure things are quite that serious yet.
And still you’re losing sleep; you’re arguing with your partner; you’re fielding daily calls from your child’s teacher.
But calling a therapist feels like a huge deal.
Your mind floods with what-if’s: What if I find out there is something really wrong with my child? What if the therapist can’t help? What if they want to put my child on medication? You’re not alone in these concerns — most parents looking into therapy for their child struggle with these same questions.
The thing is, calling a therapist IS a big deal, but probably not in the ways you think.
It's a big deal in that if you find a therapist who "gets" your child, research tells us you’re likely to feel more relief and hope than you’ve felt in a long time, even from the initial phone call. And this relief is especially apparent if your child’s been struggling for a long time. You’re also showing your child that it’s okay to ask for help when we need it, which is such an important message.
Maybe your child ...
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is anxious all the time and about things that don’t seem to warrant the level of worry he’s feeling. He can’t sleep the night before a test; he’s afraid to talk to other kids at school; he is constantly thinking about bad things that might happen.
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does well in school but comes home and falls apart. She melts down the moment she walks through the door, and from then until bedtime, it’s a struggle. She lashes out at you and other family members; she throws things; she screams. This isn’t like her, and her teachers don’t see it; they see her as the perfect student.
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went through something difficult, like moving away from friends, losing a loved one, or experiencing a divorce. He hasn’t been the same since; he’s started to struggle in school, is often quiet or angry, and won’t talk about how he’s feeling, which makes it hard to help him.
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has started making comments that scare you. She talks about how the world would be better off without her or how she feels like no one cares. She used to love art and soccer, but she doesn’t want to do those things anymore. She seems angry a lot and sometimes sad, but she says doesn’t want to talk about it.
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can’t seem to regulate his energy. He’s bouncing off the walls at school when he’s supposed to be listening, and he has a hard time falling asleep at night, but he’s so hard to get out of bed in the morning. He can sit for hours doing something he loves, like building with Legos or playing Minecraft, but homework is a massive struggle every single night.
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seems different from other kids her age. She doesn’t seem to know how to make friends and often says things other children find odd. You want to help her develop friendships but aren’t sure how.
Don't lose any more sleep. I can help.
If you see your child in any of these situations, or if you have other pressing concerns, give therapy a chance.
I create a safe space where children process difficult feelings, tell their stories though play or with words, become attuned to their emotional experience, learn coping skills and stress management, increase confidence and self-esteem, and develop problem-solving skills.
In addition to working directly with your child, I will partner with you. We’ll create a plan for school if your child is struggling; we’ll find strategies to help your child at home. We will work together so that your child can grow and thrive.