Family Therapy and Play/Child Therapy
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!
Okay, not every relationship goes in this order. However, once that baby comes, we all really wish there was more guidance for all of the challenges those little people present! Kids are not easy and neither is raising a family. When you are feeling lost and uncertain, come in and let’s work together to see what we can do to turn things around.
FAMILY THERAPY
Family therapy works to help families address some of the most difficult challenges and bumps in the road that throw us off. You come in as a team, maybe a struggling team, and you work to solve the problems as a team. In many situations, working with the entire family is the fastest way to see positive outcomes.
Work with a family generally starts with a parent bringing in a challenging child or one struggling with school, anxiety or depression. In a first session, we meet with the parents to gather history and concerns. Depending on need and age, we will determine how much family involvement is needed. Sometimes older kids open up more without their parents around. Adolescents have a responsibility to learn to solve problems independently of their parents but also need their support at the same time!
PLAY THERAPY
Parents are often uncertain how play with a therapist can bring about change. Play is a child’s natural language. Through play a child can express feelings that they cannot put into words and work through issues that are normally too traumatic, frustrating, or confusing to address in any other way. When children are empowered to lead the play interaction, they naturally seek out the form of expression most meaningful to them. Through thoughtful structuring and unconditional acceptance of the child and their world, the effective play therapist unlocks the ability to grow and heal inherent in every child. In this supportive context, children naturally develop their identities, learn to regulate their own emotions, and establish a deep sense of security, mastery, and self-esteem.
“If you don’t listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won’t tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”
– C.M. Wallace
Resources & Articles
The Undeniable Pressure of “You’re Going to Miss This” Culture
"You are going to miss this!" Parents often hear this lovely sentiment when they are up-to-their-ears in diapers and vomit, have no time to shower or watch a show, and are simply exhausted. Yes, this well-intentioned advice is usually offered at a time when you are...
Books I Love: Family & Kids
Divorce Poison by Dr. RIchard Warshak - Divorce often results in a child alienating one of their parents for myriad reasons. This book guides divorcing parents in how to divorce well, implement damage control, and help your children heal. Stepcoupling by...
The Senior Year: Helping Them Soar by Letting Them Go
Congratulations parents of high school seniors! You are almost there – you are approaching the finish line of successfully launching your child into the real world. Read the whole post at Yellowbrick.