Counseling & Play Therapy
As the parent or caregiver of a struggling child or teen, you’re not looking at therapy as your first course of action - you’ve already tried everything you can think of (and everything every well-meaning person has suggested): reading a parenting book or blog, using rewards, ignoring, yelling, meeting with your child’s pediatrician, emailing their teacher for help and consulting with their school counselor. You may have even tried working with another therapist.
And so far, these steps haven’t resulted in long-term relief of the challenges you and your family are facing. Each morning is a fight, maybe even from the moment their eyes open. Your child continues to come home from school, defeated by their day and seems to be taking it out on the nearest family member. You aren’t able to enjoy your time together like you used to and you and/or your partner might even be feeling resentful towards your child or one another.
So here you are. And you’re not looking for just any therapist, you’re looking for the therapist who is finally going to get it. Who isn’t going to lock themselves in a room with your child for an hour and then send you on your way without a clue about what happened. The therapist who is going to get to know you and your child, who can connect with their personality and quirks, and draw out their honest selves, without judgement. You’re ready for a therapist who won’t just nod their head at you but who will be an active participant - giving you support, feedback and suggestions.
What will individual therapy for my child or teen look like?
Client concerns addressed
Navigating a Neurotypical world as a Neurodivergent human
Anxiety / Excessive worrying
Depressed mood
Strengthening one’s unique social skills
Emotional dysregulation
Anger management
Behavioral challenges
Learning differences (including ADHD)
Limited coping skills
Family changes / Transitions (such as separations, moves, changes in schools)
Grief and Loss
Mood disorders
Twice-Exceptional challenges
what to expect
Once we decide to work together, we’ll schedule a parent(s)/caregiver(s) only Intake. The intake is our opportunity to better get to know one another, discuss relevant history, and begin to explore goals and treatment approaches.
Intakes are completed remotely, via telehealth services.
Thereafter, sessions are typically held on a weekly basis at a regular time.
The overall length of treatment will vary based on a number of factors, such as:
Child’s readiness to engage with the clinician
Length of time concerns have been present
Intensity of concerns/difficulties
Child’s ability to generalize skills to the world outside the playroom
Parent engagement and ongoing support
Support and involvement of other professionals (teachers, psychiatrists, OTs, PTs, SLPs, etc.)
We recommend that you feel comfortable committing to at least 16 sessions, though a course of treatment is often longer for children.
caregiver involvement
If your child disappears behind a door and re-emerges 45 minutes later and you have no idea what happened - how can you help? You really can’t!
Your clinician is with your child once a week. As a caregiver, the rest of the time is yours! Children need your support in order to generalize the new skills they’re learning in therapy.
Caregivers should expect regular communication with their child’s clinician and you should be encouraged to ask questions.
Methods of involvement we use often include:
Brief written summaries of the session
Emails
Participation in part or all of a session
Resources (links to online articles, book suggestions or referrals)
Parent/Caregiver-only sessions