Working with Children & Adolescents

Creating a space that feels safe, comfortable, and even fun (I promise!) is critical to successful treatment. For our work together to lead to meaningful change though, co-creating a clear vision of what your child wants their life to look like, what they want to change, and what it will take to get there is crucial. My work is most often focused exposure and response prevention, cognitive-behavior therapy, and acceptance & commitment therapy. Together, we learn and practice emotion regulation and anxiety management skills, as well as strategies for building healthy relationships. Helping clients face their fears and witnessing them re-engage in aspects of life that anxiety has held them back from is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Ultimately, I want your child to recognize and use their strengths in order to develop confidence and a healthy sense of self that extends way beyond therapy.

Seeking Help

Seeing your child or teen struggle and feel emotional pain is one of the hardest things a parent can go through. Mental health challenges can have a negative impact on school-work, friendships, confidence, overall well-being and not to mention family functioning. This is one of the most crucial times to seek outside help, and also a time when engaging in therapy can be most transformative.

We know that emotional challenges have significant overlap with learning and developmental challenges. Should you or I (or the child’s teachers) suspect that ADHD, ASD, or other learning challenges might be getting in the way socially or academically, I have a close network of psychologists whom I collaborate with to streamline the process of psychoeducational testing. I can help you and your child understand the testing process from start to finish, as well as facilitate any interventions that are recommended both in and out of school.

When helpful or requested, I collaborate with school counselors or administrators in order to gain a full understanding of your child’s functioning and maximize the support they can receive in their school environment.

parent support & communication

I know that you are a good parent, maybe you’re even breaking a major family pattern just by considering mental health support for your child. Take a breath, remember that taking care of your (and your child’s) emotional health is a positive step, and trust your parent instincts in the search for a therapist. I know how vulnerable it can feel to allow someone outside of your inner circle to have an impact on your child. I don’t take this responsibility lightly.

Depending on the child’s age and difficulties, I work closely with parents in creating goals, planning treatment, tracking progress, as well as providing guidance and feedback to help you best support your child at home. This process can differ based on your families specific needs and situation, but below are my general guidelines.

For children under the age of 7, I most often work exclusively with parents to help create supportive, effective strategies to help prevent, or improve symptoms.

For children ages 7-13 years-old, parents are typically actively engaged in treatment, meeting with me anywhere from every other week to once per semester.

With teens 14 and up, the increased needs for autonomy, trust, and privacy in the therapy relationship are always balanced with keeping parents informed and connected. My first session is always with parents only. Thereafter, I meet with your teen 1-3 times before re-convening for another parent-only session where I will share my clinical impressions, treatment plan, feedback, recommend strategies, and answer questions.