Is therapy right for you and your child?
Therapy for children is not an instant fix, it is a process and takes the work of the child, parent, and therapist working together to make change. See a list of my services below.
Individual Counseling
For ages 12 and younger
I have experience in helping children with many childhood issues such as (but not limited to): anxiety, depression, divorce, trauma, grief/loss, anger management, behavior management, and/or difficult life transitions that may be causing stress in their lives. During your child’s initial intake session, we will determine the best modality of treatment for your child to reach their goals.
I became a licensed mental health counseling in the state of Iowa (LMHC) and earned my Registered Play Therapy (RPT) Credential both in 2009. My main modalities of treatment is Child-Centered Play Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I firmly believe that play is the child’s work and means for communication. Young children cannot sit across from me on a couch and express how they feel; they need their own tools, the play therapy toys; to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and stories. You can learn more about play therapy by visiting www.a4pt.org.
Please note: I do not do psychological testing for ADHD, Autism Spectrum/Asperger’s, or Learning Disorders. To have testing done, please contact your primary care physician or contact my office and I can provide you with a list of child psychologist in the area.
EMDR
(Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)
If your child is struggling with a history of trauma in their life, a recent single traumatic situation, or severe anxiety, EMDR may be the best approach to help your child overcome this. I have completed basic EMDR training, as well as EMDR training specific for children. Please visit https://www.childtrauma.com/treatment/emdr to learn more about EMDR for children.
Theraplay
Are you struggling to connect emotionally with your child, whether they are biological or adopted? Not having an emotional connection with your child can lead to many issues as they reach adolescents and young adulthood. Theraplay may be the best approach for these issues. It will start with an assessment called the MIM (Marschak Interaction Method) and involves a series of games for you and your child to do together to work on building a better relationship through structure, challenge, nurture, and engagement. Visit theraplay.org to learn more!
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Does your child NOT LISTEN to you? Are you pulling your hair out on a daily basis trying to get them to do a chore or task? Are your days filled with power struggles with a 5-year-old? If YES, then Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) may be the best option to help you, your child, and your family. This approach is a 10-12-week parent coaching training. A 2-way mirror is used to work on , first connecting with your child and second, learning effective strategies to get them to listen. PCIT involves a specific time-out protocol. It is important that parents are mentally prepared to be consistent. Parenting young children in our society today is challenging and hard, with PCIT your child can see that you care and understand yet are consistent in setting limits to keep them safe and healthy. For more information visit: www.pcit.org.