Working with kids (9+)

I help kids develop a stronger sense of who they are to help them feel more confident in navigating their school, home, and social worlds.

My work with kids focuses on issues related to mood, anxiety, school difficulties, and other life adjustment problems. The therapeutic work begins with an initial parent consultation session where we work together to clarify your concerns and discuss your child’s history. It’s important for me to gather this holistic perspective of your child so that I can understand the many complexities that make up your child’s life.

In my first sessions with your child, I focus on the therapeutic relationship in order to establish safety, trust, and a positive connection. Children come into therapy with varying degrees of comfort in talking about their problems. While some kids share rather quickly through conversation, others need more time to talk openly. In these situations, game play, drawings, and use of humor is used to help with emotional expression.

I explore your child’s understanding of the concerns and pay attention to their ways of relating with me— this includes their self-awareness and degree of introspection about the problem as well as how they express their thoughts and feelings.

I typically meet with your child for three sessions before we meet again for a parent feedback session to discuss the plan for treatment. Interventions vary from child to child. They can include helping children develop a stronger sense of self, helping with emotional expression, learning cognitive strategies to improve coping skills, and learning ways of accessing greater support within themselves and from others. Throughout this process, I collaborate with you about our therapy goals and progress and integrate family sessions when indicated.  

Specialties:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• ADHD

• Family and/or peer relationship problems

• School adjustment difficulties

• Sports/extracurricular issues