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| Parenting, Child, Teen and Family Therapy
My extensive
academic and clinical experience in child, adolescent and family development and therapy, combined with my personal experience
raising children, has prepared me to provide
excellent care for you and your family.
I
am familiar with the social, athletic and academic challenges that
parents and
their children face in our competitive, high achieving community, and
the impact and distractions of our high-tech, overstimulating culture as
well as our stressful economic environment. I understand the dynamics of today's modern family: divorcing, blending and changing. I grasp how challenging
it is to juggle everyone's needs and how humbling parenting can be, especially when you see your kids suffer or act out.
I can help you untangle the issues when you get overwhelmed, balance your own needs with
those of your family and marriage, and
learn how to be the best parent you can be. I help you understand your
children's problems, the underlying issues, and what you can do to help.
We work together to decide if your children need therapy, what the
goals are and what format will best meet your needs.
Here are some of the types of challenges I work with:
Anxiety and Depression Bed Wetting, Encopresis, Nightmares, Sleep ProblemsObsessive Compulsive Behavior Issues around Self-Esteem, Gender or Sexual Identity Destructive, Oppositional, Aggressive Behavior Eating Disorders, Weight Problems
ADD/ADHD, Learning Disabilities and School Problems Peer and Social Problems, Isolation or AlienationUnderachieving and Gifted Children Divorce, Grief, Loss or TraumaSelf-Destructive Behavior and Cutting Adopted, Step Children and Attachment Issues
Drug and Alcohol Use, Precocious Sexuality Suicidal Feelings or Gestures Video Game, Internet and Pornography Addiction Health Issues, Chronic Illness
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Adolescence
is a
particularly challenging stage: in addition to outside stresses, teens
are also dealing with the inner turmoils of hormones and issues around identity, sexuality and growing up. I
understand the enormous stress and pressure
our high achieving athletes and college bound students endure, and the
toll it takes on their health and well-being.
Even successful kids from
good families may begin to suffer from symptoms of distress or feeling out of control and need help coping in healthy ways. Even when they have good relationships with their parents, they may benefit from talking to an objective professional in a private context.
Without help, some
teens begin to use drugs or alcohol to manage their distress or bond with peers. Some teens can become very rebellious and challenging for parents to manage.
While they desperately need
us, they may shut us out or angrily push us away. When a child suffers or acts out, it can throw the
balance for the rest of the family off. When a suffering teen makes bad
choices and becomes out of control, it can lead to dangerous and life-altering consequences.
Their healthy, developmental need for independence and
issues
around
blended families, sexuality and relationships, drugs and alcohol, values and their
futures can make it very difficult for teens to talk to their parents.
They may not act like it, but they may
be suffering more than we realize. Teens are still children who need and
want guidance, support and admiration.
Some teens need help
seeing their parent's perspectives, taking responsibility, developing
self-discipline and impulse control, using good judgement and making healthy choices.
I
enjoy working with teens,
and have good success with them. They consistently find me to be "cool,"
"very understanding" and "easy to open-up and listen to." In my experience, helping them to work through their issues, understand and communicate with their parents and stay on
track at this critical stage has been invaluable.
| | How Child Therapy Works:
Child
therapy varies depending on the child's age. Small children communicate
mainly through play and work out their problems using toys and dolls. I
have a sunny playroom with a sink and kitchenette to work in. Middle age
children play and talk with me to work through their problems. We work out their issues using art supplies, figurines, the doll house, while building puzzles and structures, acting things out and going outside for trust walks or playing catch. Sometimes I work with a therapy dog named Sheck to help kids feel more comfortable and to open up:
In
therapy, I help kids understand what troubles them, teach them to talk
about their feelings and
understand the relationship between feelings and behavior. I help them
develop the tools to communicate their needs, think before acting,
control
their impulses, make compromises and resolve conflicts.
Children are usually very receptive to therapy, and grow and change quickly. The earlier a child can resolve their challenges, the stronger the child's foundation becomes: they are more likely to be able to concentrate and be successful at school, to have good family and peer relationships, and more easily resolve the challenges of each subsequent stage of their development--particularly at adolescence.
Therapy can help your children develop the life skills and healthy patterns--insight, resilience and
self-esteem--to cope with
challenges and be successful throughout the rest of their lives.
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| Confidentiality and Office Policies
As
a clinical psychologist, I uphold the highest academic and ethical
standards in the care and treatment of your family. I like to work with
parents, teachers and physicians as a team, and to keep parents advised
of their child's progress, albeit within the bounds of patient
confidentiality. However, each case is different and some children and especially teens need more privacy for their therapy to work. I ask
their parents to agree that what the child discusses in therapy is also
confidential, except when it regards the safety of the child. The rules
and limits of confidentially will be clearly discussed and agreed upon with the
family.
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