Child Therapy
Children often cannot describe their feelings or experiences with words. The way we sometimes know that a child is suffering or struggling is through their behavior or “acting out.” A child may be aggressive with peers at school, stealing, having frequent temper tantrums, not paying attention in class, breaking toys, defying rules, withdrawing, or showing regressive behavior. Parents are often at a loss as to how to respond.
In working with children (ages 4 and up), I use play therapy to support a child’s self-expression and process of working through conflict and pain to reach a place of understanding, resolution, and healthier conclusions about themselves and the situations in which they find themselves. Methods and materials include: sandtray, clay, games, drawing, painting, and puppetry. While young children often cannot express themselves with words the way adults do, they can very naturally reveal a great deal about their lives through creative expression and play. I meet with parents separately to give feedback and insight about what is going on with their child. Parents are occasionally invited to join the child’s session where healthy parent/child interactions are supported.
Adolescent Therapy
Adolescence can be a very painful time, when life becomes much more complex and harsh. Adolescents often don’t have the knowledge, tools, or support to deal with the changes in their bodies, perceptions, emotions, and peer relationships. They are in a struggle to discover who they really are, often distancing from or defying parents in an attempt to better define themselves. This can be a very difficult time for both the teenager and the parents.
In working with adolescents, I support the development of a sense of self that is a more authentic, internally generated knowing, as opposed to a definition in opposition of family & rules or completely in alignment with peers. I educate adolescents about healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress, pain, loss, anger, and hurt. I work to build better communication skills, self-care, and self-esteem. Parents are included in the therapy and given feedback on their child on a case-by-case basis, depending on the needs of the client. While parents have a right to some information about the therapy with their child, sometimes for the therapy to be effective, the adolescent needs complete confidentiality.