Who we serve:
The Center is focused on meeting the needs of children, adolescents, and their families. In this regard, we accept:
- Children, adolescents, and adults* for individual therapy;
- Couples for relationship enhancement, divorce and separation consultation, reunification and remarriage counseling
- Families for family counseling
- Parents for parenting consultation, Filial (parent-child) Play Therapy (Individual families and groups), parenting training groups
- Consultation requests for school planning
*As we are first and foremost a Center for children, adults are accepted on a case by case basis, generally as an extension from a family therapy, couples therapy, or parent consultation context.
Services we provide:
The therapists at the Center are trained (or in training) to provide a broad range of psychological and counseling services:
- Prescriptive Play Therapy – ages 2-17
- Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy
The therapists at the Center are trained (or in training) to provide a broad range of psychological and counseling services:
- Parent Consultation
- School Consultation
- Professional Training
- Practice Management Consultation
- Clinical and Play Therapy Supervision
Getting Started:
For children, the healing process begins with an assessment. The first session is scheduled with the primary caregivers and the therapist and takes a thorough look at family history, the child’s developmental history, and etiology of current circumstances. After the initial session, several assessment sessions are scheduled to gain an understanding of the situation from the child’s point of view and to observe and learn about the child from the child. These sessions will generally entail play-based interactions between family members with the child, and ultimately one or two sessions with the child and play therapist alone. Assessments are ongoing in play therapy, but the initial phase is concluded with the caregivers to review observations, diagnostic impressions and recommendations for treatment. From here we move into a therapeutic healing process through the mutually developed treatment plan, with parents as co-therapists in the therapy as much as possible. If children meet with the play therapist alone, parent meetings are scheduled after each 4-5 sessions to review progress.
For adolescents, the assessment process begins with the parents or caregivers and the client. It is important that they feel heard and empowered in their own healing process right from the beginning. After the initial session (similar to that described above) teens meet with their therapist several sessions before a treatment plan is proposed to them and their parents, based upon the observations and experiences thus far in treatment. Meetings with their parent(s) or caregivers will happen together with the client, and at frequent intervals.
Couples and families follow a similar pattern, with the exception that in couples counseling each one meets individually with the therapist initially to create an individual history, and then together to share their mutual one. For families, parents are interviewed first, then sessions are held with specified dyads of family members or individuals, and ultimately the family together.