Play is at the heart of my work with young children, providing a natural entry into the therapeutic process. When children play, they are digesting the world. Play is a child’s language and it is how they process their experiences, release tension and practice regulation. The most natural way that children process their thoughts and feelings, and communicate them is through play. Even very verbal children can have difficulty articulating what’s on their mind (adults included).

Play is a child’s work. They are constantly testing to see how the world works and figuring out their impact on it. It’s learning about their body, materials, constructing ideas, relating to others, expanding their window of emotional tolerance, problem solving, role playing and so much more.

DIR Floortime

This is an evidenced based treatment, but also a way of life that positively changes children’s developmental trajectories to promote their own sense of self, independence, confidence and intimacy with others. Although helpful as a lens for all children, it has become most widely known as an approach to support children with an autism diagnosis, sensory integration challenges, social emotional and other developmental delays.  I will provide understanding and strategies that will make it a point to capture joy filled moments with your child over and over again, creating opportunities for greater connection and learning in order to build intelligence and social capacities.

Floortime™ utilizes play and the power of relationships to support development. Promoting the parent-child bond creates the optimal environment to boost your child's desire to connect, carry out their intentions and organize their experience to empower him/her to construct an enriching life. By building on a child’s interests, Floortime™ helps to facilitate engagement, create sustained reciprocal interactions, and promote increasingly more complex thinking over time. Where are they now and where do they need to go?! 

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Play Therapy

Play provides a safe psychological distance from a child’s problems and allows expression of thoughts, feelings and sensations. This one on one work is grounded in building a trusting, respectful relationship that will provide your child a safe, consistent and accepting environment for them to be fully them and to feel fully seen. Outcomes lead to improved self-esteem and decreased shame. As they explore and process their inner emotional world, they will also begin to tolerate the intensity of how those big feelings show up and modulate that emotional activation. I work at their pace to help make interpretations of play themes, put words to feelings and develop their own organizing narrative. They will deepen their awareness and attunement to self and others as well as strengthen problem solving capacities and expand coping.

Parent-Child sessions

The goal of this work is to foster positive interactions between you and your child. The work is to promote joyful ways of engaging with your child and working through challenges. This will be a safe and empathic space to work through conflict and negative feelings. To have our distress recognized and empathized with is a fundamental human need at all ages. We will work closely to foster a deeper insight into your relationship with your child and build confidence in your ability to understand and reflect on both yours and your child’s experience so that you can both come to expect more positive outcomes.