What can I expect if my child is in therapy?

Taking your child to therapy is vulnerable! You might worry that you’ll be left out of the loop or judged by your child’s therapist. Let me assure you that I see you as a partner in this process, and your participation is critical to your child’s success in therapy! We’ll meet regularly to ensure that therapy is properly tailored to your child’s needs and that you are receiving support. You are truly the expert on your child.

What is play therapy?

“Birds fly, fish swim, and children play.” - Gary Landreth. Play is the natural language of children, and it’s how they make sense of their world, process challenging emotions, and learn new skills. Play is powerful. And while your child may leave the therapy office and tell you they “just played” with their therapist, rest assured that it’s play facilitated by a skilled play therapist with a specific purpose in mind. This video succinctly explains play therapy and how it can help children heal from a number of challenges.

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective and non-invasive treatment for trauma. While cognitive-based forms of talk therapy can increase insight, they often fall short of addressing the embodied experiences of trauma. Participants of EMDR can find relief without recounting upsetting details of their traumatic past. EMDR can help to target distressing memories stored in the deeper emotional layers of the brain so that the natural healing process of memory reconsolidation can occur.

What is animal-assisted therapy?

Animal-assisted therapy uses a trained animal as a therapeutic tool to enhance the therapy process. In particular, animal-assisted play therapy “integrates the involvement of animals in play interventions aimed at improving psychosocial health” (VanFleet, 2013). While animal-assisted therapy is offered as a means for enhancing the development of skills like emotion regulation and perspective-taking, it is purely optional, and not everyone will be a good candidate for animal-assisted therapy.

What is Trauma-Sensitive Yoga?

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga was developed and rigorously researched by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and David Emerson at the Trauma Center in Boston. Marrying non-coercion, choice, and a shared authentic experience, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga can increase interoception and empower participants to reclaim agency over their bodies after significant trauma has occurred. Trauma-Sensitive Yoga moves at the participants’ pace to integrate physical symptoms of trauma gradually. It is rooted in the words of traumatologist Dr. Judith Herman, “No intervention that takes power away from the survivor can possibly foster her recovery, no matter how much it appears to be in her immediate best interest.” Being a Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) facilitator means that I spent 300 hours in education, practice, and mentorship to ethically and skillfully guide clients through TCTSY.

How do you set your rates?

Since finishing graduate school, I’ve spent nearly 1,000 hours pursuing formal advanced training and education. I also pay for ongoing consultation despite the fact that this is not a requirement for my licenses. I’m deeply committed to this work. I don’t just want to be a good therapist, I’m devoted to being a great therapist. I’m willing to spend the time and money to make sure I’m proud of the care I provide.

While I don’t bill insurance, I am able to provide superbills with CPT codes to submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement.

An important part of my work is continuing to ensure that families who are experiencing a financial burden have access to good care. At this time I’m able to offer sliding scale slots to a limited number of families with priority given to foster and adoptive families in need. If you require a sliding scale, please reach out to inquire if I have any current reduced rate openings.