“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” – Elizabeth Kubler Ross
One of the hardest challenges one can face is figuring out how to climb out of these depths, especially if you are a child or teen with a limited vocabulary or an underdeveloped emotional intelligence. After graduating from Columbia University, I have found my niche working with children, teens, and young adults on issues such as trauma, abuse, racial identity/adoption issues, emotional regulation, and depression/anxiety. I enjoy building a fun, approachable, and personalized rapport with each client I see – no two are ever the same. Your diagnosis is a word, but you are you, and we build our relationship and treatment plan based off of that.
Helping children and teens to overcome trauma is my clinical passion, and therefore I am trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I help my clients through a variety of experiences that they may endure, such as physical and sexual abuse, early childhood trauma, death of a parent or sibling, or witnessing something traumatic. Through TF-CBT, I provide guidance as a child works through their trauma and learn how to become less triggered, less afraid, and more confident in moving forward.
Even if it is not traumatic, the teenage and early adult years can be some of the hardest, and in some cases, depression and anxiety can manifest in externalizing ways such as self-harming or self-destructive behaviors. I use a variety of other clinical interventions and evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, DBT, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to teach distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and relaxation. Often times, I will use a mix of these modalities to help a client with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, self-harming or suicidal tendencies or behaviors to help form coping skills and tools to self-regulate in a healthy and productive way. Younger years can also be difficult. Some children experience oppositional and defiant behaviors, friendship troubles, bullying, isolation, and “mean girl” dynamics, and I love to help them learn to become happier and healthier in their interactions with their peers and family.
In helping to build positive social interactions and communication, I also use art and play therapy techniques. I find that these creative interventions can boost a child’s ability to explore their experiences, feelings and emotions, especially when words are limited. I also enjoy working with children and teens with high-functioning autism. Children with autism, social anxiety, or social communication concerns especially benefit from having a different way of talking, and have fun while doing so.
I believe that when I am treating a child, I am also treating the family, and therefore I offer parent coaching and skills-building, as well as continuous care coordination efforts with schools and other providers. Please do not hesitate to reach out for a free phone consultation, as I would love to help you and your child to live a happier, more harmonious life