Children
I work with children of all ages, from birth onward. For children under the age of three, I work primarily with the parent or parent and child together. I work from a developmental-attachment perspective and conceptualize the child's need based on the current developmental tasks of their stage and the context of their attached relationship.
My area of focus with children is in trauma and attachment disruption and self-esteem/ self-worth issues. Children who have experienced hard times due to a parent having a serious illness or a family vehicle collision or other trauma are one group of children with whom I work. The other group are children with anxiety, self-worth issues or social issues with peers. If this sounds like your child’s circumstance, please email or call so we may talk further.
There are some childhood issues that do not work with including children from families in high-conflict divorce. I can provide a referral to therapists who specialize in this area. There are other childhood issues that are outside the realm of my practice. Please get in touch to consult on whether starting play therapy with me is a fit or not.
My area of focus with children is in trauma and attachment disruption and self-esteem/ self-worth issues. Children who have experienced hard times due to a parent having a serious illness or a family vehicle collision or other trauma are one group of children with whom I work. The other group are children with anxiety, self-worth issues or social issues with peers. If this sounds like your child’s circumstance, please email or call so we may talk further.
There are some childhood issues that do not work with including children from families in high-conflict divorce. I can provide a referral to therapists who specialize in this area. There are other childhood issues that are outside the realm of my practice. Please get in touch to consult on whether starting play therapy with me is a fit or not.
About Play Therapy
Play-based interventions I use include sand play, puppets, story telling, art and therapeutic games. Play is a child's first language. It is through play that a child can processes situations that are hard to understand and symbolically express emotions and challenging relationships. Sometimes children will engage in repetitive play in order to understand something better and gain mastery over it. Play helps with cognitive, emotional and physical development.
The benefit of play therapy for a child is that, guided by a trained adult in a safe place, the child is offered an opportunity to bring forward mistaken beliefs (I caused it; it's my fault) and process through tricky mixed emotions. A variety of carefully selected toys in the play area allow the child to choose and set up scenarios that process through thoughts and feelings. The art of play therapy is a mixture of being directive and non-directive and interpreting the symbolic play through tracking the themes that emerge.
Ongoing communication between me, as the therapist, and you, as the parents/ caregivers, is very important. Sometimes brief private conversations before or after therapy sessions or via email or phone is important and sometimes its starting or ending the session with the parent in the room. My goal is strengthened family connections that support the child. This varies based on the age of the child with the most privacy given to youth. This is reviewed in the first session. The goal in communicating with caregivers and parents is to: 1) to ensure I am updated about life events; and 2) to carry the work of therapy into the home and family. Parents are vital partners to the process.
Typically, the first session will be with the parents alone. This allows for a full history and a chance to identify current concerns. Parents will fill-out consent forms and have a chance to ask questions. This is also the time to talk about how therapy will be introduced to the child as a preparation for their first appointment.
I hope this helps for you to see if I am a fit for your child. If so, check out the contact and fees page for the on-line calendar link and see if there are times that will work for meeting. Feel free to email or text with any questions or to arrange a brief phone call.
Warmly,
Heather.
Play-based interventions I use include sand play, puppets, story telling, art and therapeutic games. Play is a child's first language. It is through play that a child can processes situations that are hard to understand and symbolically express emotions and challenging relationships. Sometimes children will engage in repetitive play in order to understand something better and gain mastery over it. Play helps with cognitive, emotional and physical development.
The benefit of play therapy for a child is that, guided by a trained adult in a safe place, the child is offered an opportunity to bring forward mistaken beliefs (I caused it; it's my fault) and process through tricky mixed emotions. A variety of carefully selected toys in the play area allow the child to choose and set up scenarios that process through thoughts and feelings. The art of play therapy is a mixture of being directive and non-directive and interpreting the symbolic play through tracking the themes that emerge.
Ongoing communication between me, as the therapist, and you, as the parents/ caregivers, is very important. Sometimes brief private conversations before or after therapy sessions or via email or phone is important and sometimes its starting or ending the session with the parent in the room. My goal is strengthened family connections that support the child. This varies based on the age of the child with the most privacy given to youth. This is reviewed in the first session. The goal in communicating with caregivers and parents is to: 1) to ensure I am updated about life events; and 2) to carry the work of therapy into the home and family. Parents are vital partners to the process.
Typically, the first session will be with the parents alone. This allows for a full history and a chance to identify current concerns. Parents will fill-out consent forms and have a chance to ask questions. This is also the time to talk about how therapy will be introduced to the child as a preparation for their first appointment.
I hope this helps for you to see if I am a fit for your child. If so, check out the contact and fees page for the on-line calendar link and see if there are times that will work for meeting. Feel free to email or text with any questions or to arrange a brief phone call.
Warmly,
Heather.