Children and Teen Therapy

How we help your child with counseling.

Most people are curious about how therapy works with children. It’s very different! I use methods that are designed to make it easy for children to express and heal the challenges they face.

Therapy with parents involves a lot of talking and insight. With children, play opens a door that talking alone cannot. Play helps children integrate feeling, action and thought. Most children have difficulty observing their thoughts and feelings. So we play with a purpose to help your child naturally express and work through difficulties.

Play therapy helps kids balance feelings of sadness, anger and fear with happiness, creativity and well-being. . . and it happens naturally. They come away from therapy unburdened, feeling understood and resilient again.

I love working with children, parents and teachers together because:

• We can act as a supportive team for your child or teenager
• You can try out new skills and ways to communicate with your child
• When we understand your child’s daily challenges, we can help resolve them.
  Here are some of the ways children thrive in therapy and how we will work together:

Play therapy

Play therapy provides a way for kids to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self-guided, self-healing process. As children’s experiences and knowledge are often communicated through play, it becomes an important vehicle for them to know and accept themselves and others. For example a child may be angry at her brother, and rather than get in a fight, working with stuffed animals, or art, they express bottled-up feelings and find ways to resolve them.

Art Work

When children are invited to explore with color, texture, images and paper, their organic wisdom guides the process. What was unknown or scary becomes known. What is frustrating becomes tamed by coming to life on a piece of paper.

Work with Parents

Most parents these days need support! And they need tools to feel effective and confident in their role as mother or father. You may have feelings of guilt about being angry and disappointed in your child. You may have mixed feelings about even being a parent. These are natural and normal.

Changing Behavior

If your child is acting out, aggressive, spacing out, or not participating, I can show you ways to help motivate and inspire your child to take part in family life again.

Call us! We’d love to chat to discuss your concerns about your child or teenager. Why lose any more precious time. Most people who call are good parents and they have good kids. Why not get support, practical help to ease the way.

To book an appointment

Call us at 503-342-2510 or “Text us” at 503-342-2510 or email us