Is your child out of sorts?

Let’s be honest, it’s been a rough three years. While remote learning, loss of daily contact with friends, and truncated holidays are in the rear view mirror, the impact is still being felt. You’ve been affected, too. Maybe there have been other big changes, like a new child, a recent move, a different school, the loss of someone near and dear, or strain in your relationship. You notice your child needs more attention and is more easily frustrated and inflexible when things don’t go their way. Perhaps their playfulness has dimmed and stress-free transitions are a thing of the past. You wish they spent more time with their friends and less time alone on screens. As you juggle more than ever, you wonder how your child — and your family — will find their way back to center.

I work with children ages 5 and up who are living through hard times and need a safe place to work through big feelings and learn new skills.

The kids I see are experiencing strong emotions, like worry, sadness, and anger, and are having a hard time keeping their impulses in check. They may be especially attention-seeking, irritable, and argue with their siblings, parents, and peers, or refuse to follow directions, resist routines, and be academically off track. They may also sleep poorly, have nightmares, or need to sleep with their parents long after they’ve been in their own beds. Some need more reassurance that things will be okay, cry easily, and say no one cares about them. Others have new realities that are profoundly painful and disruptive, like the death of a loved one, the separation or divorce of their parents, or the onset of a medical or psychiatric illness.

As confused as you might feel, I know that you are the expert on your child!

To build a roadmap for treatment, I actively partner with you to put together a picture of how your child is struggling, your theories about the factors involved, and your priorities for counseling. I’ll help you sort out what’s normal from what needs intervention and recommend the kind and length of therapy necessary to get things moving in the right direction. That might mean some upfront parent coaching followed by play therapy. Or weekly play therapy with as needed family therapy sessions or some other combination. The bottom line is I tailor treatment to meet your child and family’s specific needs and course correct as those needs change during the counseling process.

How I can help.

• I’ll teach your child the power of making choices — positive, negative, and neutral — and being responsible for those choices. That gives you a framework to support your child in reflecting before choosing, to accept what comes, and to keep the reflecting going, in an ever-widening circle of self-awareness and agency.

• I’ll show your child how to confront problems of all shapes and sizes in creative and resourceful ways. I’ll support their developing minds to see problems from many angles, to understand cause and effect, and to come upon unique ways to make sense of and cope with adversity.

• I’ll help your child learn that their feelings are acceptable and how to express those feelings clearly and constructively. And I’ll help you know how (and when) to validate your child’s feelings, empowering you to positively impact their emotional state and the quality of your connection.

• I’ll help your child sustain on-going psychological growth by consistently providing an environment of warmth, possibility, and clear expectations and giving you the tools to keep this goodness going at home, so what you do engages a positive feedback loop. In therapy terms, this is called a virtuous cycle and it’s the holy grail of healthy connection and growth for kids and parents.