Child Therapy is Therapy in a Child's Language
Words are one way to connect
The best therapy happens in the language a client feels most comfortable with. For adults, that's usually words. For children, words are just one option — and often not the most natural one.
For children, play is always another option.
Your child takes the lead
Your child chooses how they want to communicate. They might talk, or let me know about their life through a puppet show, a dollhouse story, or an entire world they've built from scratch.
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A plain 20-inch cardboard box — one of the most popular items in my office — has become, in different children's hands, an animal sanctuary, a burial chamber, and a fighting opponent.
Children are fluent in many languages of play.
All feelings are welcome!
It may not make sense — to you or even to your child — why they're afraid of elevators. But the fear itself is real, and that's what matters.
Feelings don't require logical explanations.
Every feeling your child expresses, whether in words or actions, is welcomed without question or doubt. Curiosity is always the starting point, never judgment.
Feelings versus behaviors
While I welcome all feelings, I will set limits if a child’s behavior breaks any one of my three rules - a child cannot harm themselves, cannot harm me or cannot harm any items in my office.
When limits are needed, I set them calmly and consistently.
For many children, that steadiness is itself a relief. Together, we'll gently explore the emotions under the disruptive behaviors and find healthier ways for those feelings to move through them.
Outside-In and Inside-Out
When a child starts therapy, it's natural to want the focus to be on the obvious outside behaviors. But underneath behaviors there is an inner world of thoughts and beliefs shaping how a child feels about themselves.
I work with both the inside and the outside.
Inner shifts change how a child responds outwardly, and new outward experiences reshape how they feel within.
Emotions over content
One of the most powerful shifts that can be made in heated moments is focusing on a child's feelings rather than their words or behavior.
A child who reacts angrily to missing a gaming session with friends may actually be carrying a deeper fear - that they're losing those friendships, that no one will want to sit with them at lunch, that they won’t be included … for the whole school year!
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The outburst is rarely the whole story.
Parents and child therapy
In parent consultations, we'll talk about what's hard for your child and what's hard for you — because both are important.
I want to hear about what's been happening in your family's life: new stressors, shifting dynamics, and how your child is responding now compared to when they started therapy. While I meet with your child individually, parents are never on the outside of this process.
Your child's journey is one we take together.
Partnering with professionals
Your child has a lot of people in their corner and we should all be on the same page.
With your permission, I'll reach out to the teachers, school counselors, pediatricians, and psychiatrists who are already part of your child's life, so we're all working toward the same goals.
You're always at the center of that conversation, nothing gets shared without your consent.
