Children 6-12yo
Is your child feeling nervous, worried, lost, or sad?
Is it hard for them to pay attention in school? To make friends?
Are they struggling to finish their homework, study for tests, or engage with their teachers?
I’m here to help. I use both a structured and a play therapy format with children in this age group, and I work in close collaboration with parents and school staff to help children thrive, and to feel supported and understood.
In the structured component of our work, I help children learn coping, mindfulness, prosocial, and self-affirmation skills using goal-oriented games, creative arts, as well as fun physical activities to engage them in the process. We practice skills in session, and I encourage parents to help their children practice these skills regularly at home between sessions.
To compliment this skills training, I use open-ended play therapy techniques to further help children communicate in a safe way, and to explore and develop insight into possible sources that may underlie their distress.
The insights gained through play therapy can help me more thoroughly and effectively address their struggles and concerns.
In my work with parents, I provide support, teach parenting skills, and empower parents to advocate for their children’s needs. I also help to strengthen the parent-child emotional bond. Such a positive bond is critical for promoting healthy self-concept in children, which in turn, empowers children to have a “can do” attitude and to strive for success.
With school staff, I collaborate on the development of strategies and reinforcement systems to help children function and perform well in class. As needed, I also help school staff understand cultural factors which may be involved in a child’s distress, in order to better facilitate school-parent communications and collaborations.
