SERVICES
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT THERAPY
Our practice specializes in treating children with autism, anxiety, ADHD, behavioral challenges, and mood disorders. We aim to promote children's capacity for emotional regulation, resilience and self-awareness.
Therapeutic work is conducted directly with children, pre-teens and teens, but collaborating with caregivers and the entire family system is also integral to making a lasting positive impact. We prioritize nurturing parent-child relationships because we believe a sense of connection and safety is the foundation for social and emotional health.
We believe that children's challenging behaviors are a stress response.
They communicate a need or reflect a skill set that the child has not yet developed. Our job is to understand each child's unique profile in the areas of communication, emotional regulation, and impulse control to name a few. We aim to understand what situations and stimuli may trigger this kind of response. We collaborate with parents to figure out what will calm the child's nervous system and support them to co-regulate intense emotions. Fundamentally, we believe that children are doing the best that they can with the skill set that is accessible to them. We empower caregivers with increased understanding of their child's individual socio-emotional profile and provide practical tools to help kids manage intense emotions, conflict, and social demands. We incorporate play therapy, art therapy, trauma focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectic behavior therapy and mindfulness based practices.
AREAS OF FOCUS
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Autism
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Anxiety
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ADHD
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Gifted and twice exceptional (2e) children
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Positive Parenting
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Sensitive children
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Resilience and self-concept
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Tantrums and behavioral challenges
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Promoting emotional intelligence
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Navigating social challenges
TESTING
Psycho-educational and psycho-diagnostic evaluations are offered with a focus on identifying autism, learning differences (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia) and attentional issues (ADHD). The goal of an assessment is not only to identify a diagnosis but to provide a guide for how best to move forward with the understanding gained during the assessment process. For children, the evaluation outlines how to provide the most appropriate support, intervention, and structures necessary for learning and socio-emotional needs. For adults, an accurate diagnostic understanding promotes self-awareness and consequently aims to empower you to advocate for your needs.
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY FOR ADULTS
By making the choice to pursue therapy, you are putting your desire to live your best life as a top priority. You recognize that you don't have to accept anxiety, depression, feelings of isolation or ineffectiveness as unavoidable. You will have a designated time and space devoted to recognizing detrimental patterns of responding and relating to others. You will have the support necessary to work through old wounds, difficult emotions, and current struggles. You can gain the insight and tools necessary to pursue your goals and live life on your own terms. Our approach is integrative, bringing together a variety of theories, techniques, and evidence based practices. We incorporate Gestalt therapy to help clients to become more self-aware and to accept and trust in their feelings and experiences in order to alleviate distress. We also rely on Trauma Informed Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to help clients develop increased awareness of their needs and build emotional-regulation and self-management skills.
How Our Psychotherapy Services Can Help:
• Our experienced therapists are fully invested and dedicated to promoting your mental health and well-being.
• We rely on counseling and psychotherapy tools that have been found to be effective in promoting growth and enhancing positive change.
• Our person-centered approach is aimed at not only alleviating symptoms, but empowering you with the insight and tools needed to recognize unhealthy patterns, advocate for your needs, become more mindful of triggers and how best to cope with life’s many challenges.
• Therapeutic exploration will help you recognize your own personal narrative and how it impacts your choices and reactions. Becoming mindful of how our history shapes us allows us to show up more fully for ourselves and the ones we love.
• In addition to symptom relief, common therapeutic goals include:
Promoting conflict resolution skills
Improving assertive communication
Becoming adept at setting limits/boundaries
Improving self-management with regard to meeting daily responsibilities
Increasing the range of tools at your disposal when faced with overwhelming or debilitating emotions
• An initial consultation at no charge can help you determine whether one of our therapists is the right fit for you.
INDIVIDUAL AND COUPLES COUNSELING FOR PARENTS
If your child is exhibiting behavioral challenges, there is a high level of conflict among siblings, or you are just feelings overwhelmed with all that is involved in parenting, you and your significant other may benefit from counseling geared specifically towards parents. These sessions are time-limited and can provide you with increased confidence and effectiveness in parenting. Our goal is to enable couples to be on the same page with their approach to parenting by fostering effective communication and problem solving around the challenges of raising children. Moreover, we help you dig deeper to address stressors and intergenerational patterns that are getting in the way of mindful parenting.
How do I know if I need Parent Counseling?
People often assume that parenting should come naturally, when for many it’s the opposite, and can be quite overwhelming. Parenting can trigger or worsen your stress level – even if you are an easy-going calm adult. Tension, stress, and strain, when combined with a lack of sleep and challenging lifestyles, can lead to parenting issues. If you are struggling to set clear and consistent boundaries with your child, and/or you worry that your relationship with your child is not where it could be (in terms of respect and connection), then Parent Counseling is a great place to start. Our goal is that within a short period of working together, you can feel empowered and hopeful about your ability to connect with your child when it matters most.
The most common issues that bring parents to us include:
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Marital discord centered around differences in parenting style
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A desire to find your individual identify while navigating your role as a parent
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A desire to connect with your partner amidst the chaos of a growing family
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Grief or loss within the family system
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Behavioral struggles in children
Parent Counseling removes the pressure of having to parent perfectly. One of the most common reasons parents avoid counseling altogether is the idea that going to counseling means you have failed as a parent. In fact, we believe it’s the opposite. Carving out this time and space devoted to understanding how you show up in your role as a parent and as a partner in your relationship promotes your ability to be the best parent you can be. Taking steps to better yourself as a parent embodies the kind of self-care that ultimately benefit the entire family and nurture your children’s mental health.