Reasons for Seeking Therapy

Parents bring their school-age children to therapy for a variety of reasons. They may be misbehaving at home or at school. Or they may be showing other signs of distress, such as anxiety and fearfulness, or tantrums and anger. Often the parents need support understanding the reasons for their child’s problems and in figuring out what to do.

Young children are unable to verbalize their feelings. Often, they express their feelings with acting-out behavior. In therapy, they show their feelings through play and art work.

For the first 4 or 5 sessions, I evaluate the child’s life and symptoms. With the help of the parents, we look at home life, school, friends, and the child’s developmental history and feelings shown in play. With young children, parents are more involved in determining treatment. After the evaluation period, I recommend a treatment plan for the child

Treatment Methods I use to Help Young chilldren and Their Families

•  Play Therapy; Has proven to be the most effective way to help young children
    resolve difficult emotional issues.

•  Art Therapy; For many children art is a powerful, therapeutic way to express
    feelings and resolve emotional issues.

•  Sand Tray Therapy; A specific method of play therapy, sand tray therapy can
    be wonderfully effective.

•  Parent Education and Consultation; I meet with parents regularly to discuss
    the child’s development and behavioral and emotional issues. We look at the
    emotional issues revealed in play. We discuss behavioral problems and what
    to do about them. As the child’s play evolves and changes, the parent is very
    involved in the process too. Other methods we may use are: collaboration with
    the teacher and school, behavior charts, parent-child play.