Therapy for Children and Adolescents:
Personalized, collaborative treatment, focused on helping kids with life's big and little challenges.
What is my belief about helping kids heal and thrive?
The saying goes, "You can only be as happy as your least happy child," and for many of us, that is definitely true. When our kids are suffering or struggling, we are also struggling. It can be overwhelming when your child or teen is demonstrating strong and/or ongoing feelings of anger, sadness, fear, worry or hopelessness. Often times children or teens are displaying certain emotional behaviors in response to a stressor in their lives, or in response to an undiagnosed challenge, life event, or genetic predisposition. Therefore, it can become highly stressful, and even traumatic, for both your child and yourself, as a parent or caregiver.
I believe my job is to help you and your child understand what may be contributing to the difficulty, and to then collaborate to create and implement helpful tools, therapies and strategies to improve, manage and help you and your child live with greater happiness, strength and well-being.
I approach therapy based upon the concepts of cognition and behaviors, attachment, relationships, and neuroscience in order to heal, understand and enhance a child or teen's growing brain, emotions, thoughts, experiences and behaviors.
A therapeutic relationship can help your child learn to express, interpret and understand their internal world so they can experience lives and relationships defined by well-being, kindness and resilience.
As a parent myself, I understand the unique challenges our children face in today's world.
When you combine those challenges with individual circumstances such as grief, divorce, learning disabilities, abandonment issues, single or blended families and/or academic and social issues, it can feel like an overwhelming task to raise children who will be well-prepared for their own journey in life.
Children and teens, like adults, should feel seen, heard and understood in life and in therapy.
My goal is to collaborate with you and your child to create a safe, supportive and nurturing environment where we can explore their internal and emotional lives, create and maintain healthy coping skills and self-awareness, and work toward helping them make sense of themselves and their place in our world.
Many times, helping you and your child learn to reduce stressful responses by understanding you or your child's triggers, improving coping mechanisms, and properly addressing any chronic stressors and/or little and big traumas, can be incredibly helpful and effective.
I encourage and maintain regular contact with parents, and believe that it is critical to have a collaborative experience within the therapeutic environment.
Why is it so vital to see a child or teen's mental health through the lens of stress or trauma?
Research continues to support the link between childhood chronic stress or trauma, and long-term mental and physical health.
The ACE's Study was one of the most important studies for the field of trauma and development.
In the early 1990s, Vincent Felitti, a physician at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, questioned why patients who successfully lost weight dropped out of a weight loss program. He could not make sense of it. He interviewed each patient individually, and learned that the weight loss made patients feel vulnerable. A large proportion of the patients disclosed experiences of childhood sexual abuse. The weight protected them.
Felitti’s findings caught the interest of Dr. Robert Anda at the CDC. Together, they launched the CDC-Kaiser Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. The ACE's Study was one of the first, and largest research efforts, conducted to examine the impact of childhood trauma on health decades later.
From 1995 to 1997, more than 17,000 adult members of Kaiser Permanente in San Diego took part in the study.
Researchers gathered information on their health and behaviors. Participants also answered questions about adverse childhood experiences, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse; physical and emotional neglect; and growing up in a home with divorced parents, domestic violence, substance abuse, or mentally ill or incarcerated household members.
The ACE's Study offered groundbreaking insight into childhood trauma.
The ACE's Study showed that childhood trauma is very common, even among white, highly educated adults with health care. Since then, research focused on childhood stress, as well as little and big trauma, (see list on home page) has also demonstrated a clear link between what happens in our childhoods, and the outcomes of our adult lives.
Obviously, the greater the experience of trauma, the greater the number of adult mental, physical and emotional health issues.
What is incredibly important is that it is not just major trauma that can impact our lives, which seems obvious.
But rather, that chronic stressors, or what we call an accumulation of "Small t's," or small traumas, can have a significant impact upon our child's well-being --both today, and in their future.
"Small t," or "Little t" Traumas
"Small t," traumas are events that exceed our capacity to cope, and cause a disruption in emotional functioning.
These distressing events are not inherently life or bodily-integrity threatening, but perhaps better described as ego-threatening, due to the individual being left feeling notable helplessness.
"Small t," traumas tend to be overlooked by the individual who has experienced the difficulty.
This is sometimes due to the tendency to rationalize the experience as common, and therefore cognitively shame oneself for any reaction that could be construed as an over-reaction or being “dramatic.”
This reaction is a form of avoidance, albeit a much less pronounced form.
Other times, the individual does not recognize just how disturbed they are by the event or situation. Perhaps surprisingly, sometimes these events are also overlooked or dismissed by a therapist. This usually does not happen due to the therapist lacking empathy, but rather it occurs due to a lack of understanding about the importance of these experiences on a person’s mood functioning.
One of the most overlooked aspects of "Small t," traumas is their accumulated effect.
While one small ‘t’ trauma is unlikely to lead to significant distress, multiple compounded "Small t," traumas, particularly in a short span of time, are more likely to lead to an increase in distress and trouble with emotional functioning.
In fact, it is likely that the reason many individuals present for psychotherapy is due to an accumulation of "Small t," traumas. These traumas may have occurred over the course of one’s life or condensed in the recent past.
"Big T," or "Large T," Traumas
A "Big T" trauma is distinguished as an extraordinary and significant event that leaves the individual feeling powerless, and possessing little control in their environment. Such events could take form as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, sexual assault, combat/war zone, car or plane accident, etc.
Helplessness is also a key factor of large ‘T’ traumas, and expectedly the extent of experienced helplessness is far beyond that of a "Small t," trauma. "Large or Big T," traumas are more readily identified by the experiencer, as well as those who have any familiarity with their plight.
Avoidance takes a much different form with "Large T," traumas.
The individual tends to more overtly and decisively engage in actions that are classified as avoidance.
They may deliberately avoid phone calls from investigators, bury their military uniform and memorabilia in the attic, or avoid crowded places. Their attempts to minimize distress and reduce reminders of the traumatic event are time and energy-consuming, as opposed to the more passive avoidance that occurs with "Small t," traumas.
One "Big T," trauma is often enough to cause severe distress, and interfere with an individual’s daily functioning, and this effect is intensified the longer avoidance behaviors endure and treatment is circumvented.
Finally, if a child or teen is struggling with a genetic predisposition to a mental health challenge, it is incredibly important to properly identify that challenge, as well as understand what types of stressors or traumatic experiences might be contributing to a lack of well-being, or preventing healing and thriving.
Knowing what will help to heal and enhance a child or teen's emotional, mental and physical life is vital to long-term stability, resilience, self compassion, esteem, and worthiness.
What issues do I treat, and what are my specialties?
Anxiety. Depression. Social Media Addiction. ADHD. Anger.
Behavioral Issues. Body Image. Chronic Illness. Bullying.
Parent/Child Conflict. Gender Identity. Grief/Loss.
Low Self-Esteem/Worthiness Issues. PTSD. Divorce.
Behavioral Issues. Body Image. Chronic Illness. Bullying.
Parent/Child Conflict. Gender Identity. Grief/Loss.
Low Self-Esteem/Worthiness Issues. PTSD. Divorce.
What does it look like if a child is struggling with life stressors,
genetic diagnoses or trauma?
Hyperactivity; fidgeting
Constant movement beyond regular playing
Recurrent nightmares
Persistent disobedience or aggression or opposition
Frequent, unexplainable temper tantrums
Refusal to go to school
Unexplained and repeated stomach complaints
Unexplained Chronic Illness
Rage toward siblings/family
Loneliness and isolating behaviors
Frequent Crying
Insomnia
Recurrent conflict with parents/peers
Inability to listen or follow directions frequently
Significant change in grades or friendships
Secretive Behavior
Inability to follow directions or stay on task
Frequent conflict or tears over homework
genetic diagnoses or trauma?
Hyperactivity; fidgeting
Constant movement beyond regular playing
Recurrent nightmares
Persistent disobedience or aggression or opposition
Frequent, unexplainable temper tantrums
Refusal to go to school
Unexplained and repeated stomach complaints
Unexplained Chronic Illness
Rage toward siblings/family
Loneliness and isolating behaviors
Frequent Crying
Insomnia
Recurrent conflict with parents/peers
Inability to listen or follow directions frequently
Significant change in grades or friendships
Secretive Behavior
Inability to follow directions or stay on task
Frequent conflict or tears over homework
What does it look like when an adolescent is struggling with life stressors, genetic diagnoses or trauma?
Marked change in school performance
Inability to cope with problems
Marked changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
Frequent physical complaints
Sexual promiscuity
Prolonged negative mood and attitude
Poor or excessive appetite beyond normal developmental growth
Restrictive or binge eating
Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
Thoughts of death
Recurrent nightmares
Thoughts of causing harm to oneself or others
Self destructive behavior and habits (smoking, alcohol or drug abuse)
Frequent outbursts of anger, rage or aggression
Threats to run away
Aggressive or non-aggressive violation of the rights of others
Opposition to authority, truancy, thefts or vandalism
Strange thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or unusual behaviors
Coming straight home after being out and going to bed or to the shower
Significant peer or social group changes
Identity challenges beyond normal developmental periods
Inability to cope with problems
Marked changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
Frequent physical complaints
Sexual promiscuity
Prolonged negative mood and attitude
Poor or excessive appetite beyond normal developmental growth
Restrictive or binge eating
Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
Thoughts of death
Recurrent nightmares
Thoughts of causing harm to oneself or others
Self destructive behavior and habits (smoking, alcohol or drug abuse)
Frequent outbursts of anger, rage or aggression
Threats to run away
Aggressive or non-aggressive violation of the rights of others
Opposition to authority, truancy, thefts or vandalism
Strange thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or unusual behaviors
Coming straight home after being out and going to bed or to the shower
Significant peer or social group changes
Identity challenges beyond normal developmental periods