Children do not express their feelings in the same way adults do. Play Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps kids and teenagers to express or act out their experiences, feelings, and problems using toys, games, puppets, dolls, art supplies and other play material, with the guidance or observation of a therapist. My child-friendly office is thoughtfully equipped with materials that help children of many cultural backgrounds to express their feelings about family transitions such as adoption, divorce and separation.

Family Therapy:

Family therapy focuses on the interactions between family members rather than the psychological issues of individual family members. All families experience stress and conflict, especially during times of major change. As a family therapist, my job is to help identify and mobilize family strengths, and encourage new strategies in order to respond to the changing needs of all family members. Spouses, parents, children, and other family members may be invited to participate in family therapy sessions.

Individual Therapy:

Sometimes the support and advice of well-meaning family and friends is simply not enough, especially during times of major transition. Individual therapy provides a valuable opportunity to privately address important feelings and concerns. Developing a confidential and trusting relationship with a therapist is an important step toward addressing your own needs. Individual therapy will allow you to more fully process your feelings and experiences and obtain professional guidance for resolution and proper self-care.

Parenting Education, Support, and Counseling:

Being a parent — even under the best of family circumstances — can feel like the toughest job in the world. Parents wear many hats in order to raise their children — that of teacher, coach, child-development expert, technology specialist and more. And children are not static beings. Their needs and behaviors are constantly changing! Parents must somehow manage all of this while juggling many other social and professional responsibilities.

I provide a comprehensive set of services that help parents — as individuals or as co-parents — to enhance their parenting skills and to manage the stress that comes along with wearing the many hats of parenting, especially the stress brought on by family conflict and major transition.

Parent education, support and counseling may include support groups and parent education classes, and can be very effective as a stand-alone service or as an addition to other therapy services.

Parent counseling and support services may be conducted with groups, individuals, couples, or families.

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Post-Adoption Counseling and Support:

Adoptive and foster families sometimes find themselves feeling isolated and misunderstood by well-meaning family, friends, and professionals including teachers, doctors, coaches, and even therapists. This often brings frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt to the many joys of adoption.

I am an “adoption-competent” therapist, which means I have special training, experience, and insight into issues that may commonly arise within adoptive and foster families.

I received extensive training as an Adoption Competent Therapist at the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.). I offer counseling and support that addresses many of the developmental and emotional issues experienced by adoptive family members.

Separation and Divorce Counseling:

The break up of a family is known to be one of life’s most stressful experiences. Typically, the partner who chooses to end the marriage, as well as the partner who does not, has been unhappy for a long time. After one or both partners decide to separate there are many practical and emotional hurdles to overcome. Counseling can help in sorting through the many important decisions that need to be made at a time when both partners may be experiencing strong emotions including shock, sadness, disappointment, despair, and anger.

Seasoned in the difficulties of separation and divorce, my counseling support provides a safe, creative and structured setting to reduce conflict and improve cooperation between separating partners. This counseling is also intended to instill a new model for parenting communication that will prepare parents for the future pathway of co-parenting.

Separation and divorce counseling may be conducted with groups, individuals, couples, or families.

Co-Parent Counseling:

When parents are undergoing, or have undergone, separation or divorce, children often need extra reassurance and support. Tension and strife between parents over custody, visitation, or other matters are quite distressing for children. Reducing conflict and improving the communication between parents helps children adjust and thrive within their re-structured families. After separation or divorce parents sometimes need help with developing conflict-free communication habits about the children and/or creating and implementing Parenting Agreements. Co-parent counseling can provide this help in a structured, safe format.

This service may be a voluntary, confidential family therapy service or, by agreement of both parents, it may be a non-confidential, court-ordered service. (see ADR services).

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Alternative Dispute Resolution (court related/family law)

Conflict is often a significant feature of major family transitions and a prime source of stress and uncertainty for parents and children. I provide several clinical and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to clients, attorneys, and the court for family law cases. I will conduct an initial needs assessment with clients and/or their legal representatives in order to identify and tailor the best service for each situation. If I cannot offer a needed service, I will provide referrals to another qualified service provider.

The length of time needed for these ADR services varies depending on many factors, including the number of parties involved; where the parties reside; the level of cooperation between parties; urgent matters such as relocation or school choice; and key risk factors such as protective orders, domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, substance abuse, mental health challenges, and criminal history.

ADR services and Mediation are not appropriate when there are immediate concerns about domestic violence. In these situations, clients should call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Trained advocates are available for confidential support 24/7.

Parenting Plans/Agreements:

When families are experiencing separation or divorce, parents may need professional help to develop and follow a Parenting Plan that helps them parent effectively, without excessive conflict.

Parenting Plans (sometimes called Parenting Agreements) are usually created during mediation or co-parent counseling sessions. During these sessions, the mediator or therapist provides a safe and structured format to help divorced/separated parents work together to decide what is best for their children. This is hard work for all involved, but well worth the effort, as children’s healthy growth and development will be supported by reduced conflict.

Upon request of both parents, I can draft any immediate, temporary, and long-term agreements made in Mediation or Co-Parenting sessions into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU can then be used as the basis for the document that may be filed in court.

Co-Parent Counseling:

When parents are undergoing, or have undergone, separation or divorce, children often need extra reassurance and support. Tension and strife between parents over custody, visitation, or other matters are quite distressing for children. Reducing conflict and improving the communication between parents helps children adjust and thrive within their re-structured families. After separation or divorce parents sometimes need help with developing conflict-free communication habits about the children and/or implementing Parenting Agreements. Co-parent counseling can provide this help in a structured, safe format.

This service, by agreement of both parents and/or court order, may be a non-confidential, court involved service so that information may be provided to parents’ attorneys and/or the court. This may also be a confidential family therapy service (see therapy services).

Upon request of both parents, I can draft any immediate, temporary, and long-term agreements made in the Co-Parent Counseling sessions into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU can then be used as the basis for the document that may be filed in court.

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Child Custody Mediation:

Creating and reaching agreement on an age appropriate child custody and visitation plan (also known as a Parenting Plan or Parenting Agreement) is a process that is often filled with emotion and complexity. My mediation services are designed to support a collaborative, non-adversarial process that eliminates the “blame game” and reduces stress for both parents and their children. Through a series of meetings, this process offers parents an alternative to a court battle by providing an opportunity to resolve disputes in a calm, fair, and confidential setting. Professional mediation services can help you to resolve child custody disputes and retain a sense of control over your children’s lives rather than feeling like you are at the mercy of the Court System.

My goal as a Mediator is to enable parents to work effectively toward the common goal of creating a workable Parenting Plan. As a neutral facilitator, my guiding principle is that both parents love their children and both want the best possible outcomes for their children.

Upon request of both parents, I can draft any immediate, temporary, and long-term agreements made in the mediation sessions into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU can then be used as the basis for the document that may be filed in court.

Reunification Counseling

This highly specialized, court-ordered, non-confidential therapeutic service is designed to support a safe, healthy relationship between children and estranged parents. The duration of service and the prognosis for successful reunification varies greatly depending on many factors including family history, conflict history and circumstances that led to the estrangement, as well as risk factors such as allegations of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse of the children, domestic violence, or abuse of alcohol and drugs.

Reunification counseling usually includes one or more reports to the court and attorneys.

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