With younger children, using a combination of talk therapy, therapeutic play, and art allows me to communicate in a language they have created and understand. With this foundation I am able to hear the stories they are ready to tell. I will work with them to safely integrate distressing experiences while gently guiding them to healthier resolutions. At the same time, I will also help the child to develop adequate coping skills for the future.  

With older children and teens, they will ideally view our sessions as a refuge where they can talk with an adult who is not a parent or family member. Games, artwork, and other creative activities can serve to facilitate discussion and create a more comfortable and less clinical atmosphere. Clients should feel secure knowing that from the outset, what is said in session is confidential except in instances of abuse or life-threatening harm to self or others. I seek to foster a safe, validating, and non-judgmental atmosphere (with some humor and fun thrown in when appropriate) for clients to communicate, explore, repair, and build. 

Additionally, I believe attentive family members are vital to a child’s therapeutic process.  As a result, I prefer to incorporate family members or guardians into the work with family support sessions when appropriate. These sessions are often scheduled every 6-8 weeks and are an opportunity for all of us to chat about how things are going at home and discuss additional at-home supports that may be useful for the child/teen.