As a parent, seeing your child face emotional or behavioral challenges can be overwhelming. Child therapy offers a safe, supportive space where your child can express their feelings, develop coping skills, and build confidence. My approach focuses on meeting children where they are, using evidence-based techniques tailored to their age, developmental stage, and individual needs.

I incorporate structured play and interactive activities to engage children in a way that feels natural, while also using behavioral strategies to help them develop specific skills. Whether it is managing anxiety, improving emotional regulation, or navigating social situations, therapy is designed to reinforce positive behaviors and teach practical coping tools.

I also believe in the importance of working closely with parents. I will provide you with strategies to support your child’s progress at home and help strengthen the parent-child relationship. My goal is to empower both you and your child with tools that foster resilience, emotional well-being, and lasting growth.

Areas I Provide Therapy For

• Autism: Supporting autistic children in developing social skills, communication, and coping strategies while honoring their unique perspectives and strengths.

• ADHD: Helping children with attention challenges improve focus, organization, and emotional regulation through structured strategies. I also address hyperactivity by teaching self-regulation techniques and channeling energy in positive ways. Additionally, I highlight the strengths often seen in children with ADHD, such as creativity, enthusiasm, and problem-solving abilities.

• Intellectual Disability: Providing tailored interventions to support cognitive, emotional, and social development in children with intellectual disabilities.

• Learning Disabilities: Focusing on the emotional and behavioral challenges that often accompany learning disabilities, such as frustration, low self-esteem, and anxiety, to help children build confidence and resilience.

• Developmental Disabilities: Offering support for children with a range of developmental delays and challenges, including those related to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), to enhance communication, behavior, and adaptive skills.

• Giftedness and Twice Exceptionality (2e): Helping gifted children and those who are twice exceptional navigate the unique social, emotional, and academic challenges they may face.

• Selective Mutism: Assisting children who are anxious with speaking in certain situations, using gradual, supportive techniques including skills from the Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT®) program to build confidence and communication skills.

• Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity: Supporting children in coping with the emotional and psychological challenges that come with chronic health conditions, including Type 1 diabetes (T1D), cancer/leukemia, seizure disorders/epilepsy, and cystic fibrosis (CF).

• School Issues: Addressing academic struggles, learning difficulties, and school-related stressors that impact a child's emotional well-being and performance.

• Bullying: Helping children cope with the emotional effects of bullying, build resilience, and develop strategies for handling peer conflicts.

• School Refusal: Helping children overcome anxiety and other factors that contribute to school avoidance, promoting a positive return to learning.

• Adoption: Supporting children in navigating identity, belonging, and family dynamics related to their adoption experience.

• Attachment Disorders: Helping children develop secure, healthy relationships by addressing challenges related to trust, bonding, and emotional connection.

• Trauma and PTSD: Providing trauma-informed care to help children process and heal from difficult or traumatic experiences.

• Social Challenges: Supporting children in developing effective social skills, building friendships, and navigating social interactions with confidence.

• Social Anxiety: Helping children manage anxiety in social situations, reduce fear of judgment, and build comfort in interacting with peers.

• OCD: Evidence-based support to help children face fears, reduce compulsions, and build confidence using approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP/ExRP).

• Anxiety: Treatment to help children gradually face fears, reduce avoidance, and build coping skills through structured, evidence-based approaches.

• Behavioral Challenges: Addressing challenging behaviors with strategies that promote positive behavior and emotional regulation.

• ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): Child-centered behavioral strategies to reduce mealtime anxiety, build comfort with new foods, and support healthy growth, using approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID (CBT-AR) and Family-Based Treatment for ARFID (FBT-ARFID).

• Pica:  In collaboration with medical professionals, focus on identifying underlying causes of child eating non-food items and using behavioral strategies to promote safe habits.

• Grief: Helping children process the death of a loved one and find healthy ways to express their emotions.

My Approach

I take an integrative approach, adapting therapy to meet your child’s unique needs. This means using different techniques to create a personalized plan that supports their growth and development. Some of the methods I use include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): An evidence-based approach that helps children understand how their thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected. By learning to recognize and change unhelpful thoughts, kids can develop practical skills to manage anxiety, anger, and other challenges. We use fun, engaging activities to make these concepts relatable and easy to apply in everyday life.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): This evidence-based approach teaches children how to handle big emotions without feeling overwhelmed. Through mindfulness, emotional regulation, and social skills, kids learn how to stay calm, manage frustration, and improve relationships with friends and family.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): An evidence-based approach that helps children understand that it is okay to have difficult feelings, but those feelings do not have to control what they do. Kids learn to focus on what matters most to them, such as friendships, hobbies, and goals, while building resilience and flexibility to handle life’s ups and downs.

• Coping Cat Program: A structured, evidence-based CBT program designed to help children manage anxiety by teaching them how to recognize anxious feelings and develop coping strategies. This program also includes a parent component, offering guidance and tools to support your child's progress and reinforce skills at home.

• Play Therapy: Uses play as a way for children to express emotions, process experiences, and develop problem-solving skills in a safe, supportive environment. I also incorporate behavioral strategies into play to teach specific skills, helping children learn and practice positive behaviors in a fun, engaging way.

• Exposure Therapy: An evidence-based technique that gradually helps children face and overcome fears in a controlled and supportive way, building confidence and reducing anxiety over time.

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP/ExRP): A structured, evidence-based treatment for OCD that helps kids gradually face fears and resist compulsive behaviors with support every step of the way.

• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): This evidence-based method combines mindfulness practices with cognitive strategies to help children become more aware of their thoughts and feelings. Through simple, age-appropriate activities like guided breathing, visualization, and body awareness exercises, children learn to stay present, manage stress, and regulate their emotions.

• Behavioral Activation: An evidence-based approach that encourages participation in positive, meaningful activities to improve mood and motivation, particularly helpful for children experiencing depression.

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): An evidence-based method that provides children with tools to process and heal from traumatic experiences. This approach combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with trauma-sensitive interventions to help children make sense of their experiences in a safe, supportive environment. Parents are actively involved in the process, learning how to support their child’s recovery and reinforce coping skills at home.

• Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children (RFP-C): As a Level I RFP-C trained provider, I offer this evidence-based approach that helps children improve emotional regulation by understanding and managing their emotional responses. This therapy also includes a parent component, working closely with caregivers to support their child’s emotional growth and reinforce skills at home.

• BrainWise: A program that teaches "thinking skills" to help children make better decisions, improve problem-solving abilities, and manage their emotions more effectively.

• Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders for Children (UP-C): An evidence-based, flexible approach designed to help children who experience a range of emotional challenges like anxiety and depression. This method focuses on teaching kids how to recognize and understand their emotions, develop healthy coping skills, and manage overwhelming feelings. Through fun, age-appropriate activities, children learn to face difficult situations with confidence and emotional awareness.

• Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS): An evidence-based method developed by Dr. Ross Greene that emphasizes collaboration between children and caregivers to solve problems and reduce behavioral issues. This approach focuses on understanding and addressing the root causes of behavior, helping children feel heard while building skills to manage challenges more effectively.

• Problem-Solving Therapy: An evidence-based approach that helps children learn structured approaches to solve everyday challenges, building confidence and reducing stress.

Therapeutic Values

All of my approaches are:

• Neurodiversity-Affirming: I support the unique ways children think, learn, and experience the world, creating an environment that values their individuality.

• Solution-Focused: Therapy is goal-oriented, helping your child build practical skills and strategies that lead to meaningful, positive change.

• Strength-Based: I focus on identifying and building on your child’s strengths, fostering confidence and resilience.

• Culturally Sensitive: I respect and honor the cultural background, values, and experiences of each child and family, ensuring therapy is inclusive and relevant to your unique needs.

• Trauma-Informed: I create a safe, supportive space where children feel secure, recognizing the impact of past experiences and ensuring therapy is sensitive to their needs.

Together, we can support your child in building the skills and confidence they need to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and joy.

Adolescence can be a challenging time not just for teens, but for parents as well. As your child navigates academic pressures, social changes, and emotional ups and downs, it is natural to feel unsure about how to best support them. I provide therapy designed to offer adolescents a safe, supportive space where they can express themselves openly and develop healthy coping strategies.

Whether your teen is struggling with anxiety, school stress, peer relationships, or identity exploration, I adapt my methods to meet their unique needs. My goal is to help them build emotional resilience, confidence, and the tools they need to manage life’s challenges.

I also have a deep understanding of neurodivergence and the unique ways it can shape an adolescent’s experiences. Whether your child is autistic, has ADHD, or identifies with other forms of neurodivergence, I tailor my approach to honor their individual strengths, perspectives, and needs.

I also recognize how important family support is during this time. As appropriate, I collaborate with parents to ensure we are working together to create a positive environment that fosters your child’s growth and well-being.

If you are looking for professional support to help your teen thrive, I am here to guide both you and your child through this journey.

Areas I Provide Therapy For

• Autism: Support for autistic adolescents navigating anxiety, depression, and social difficulties, with a focus on understanding masking behaviors and fostering authentic self-expression. I also emphasize the unique strengths many autistic teens bring, such as creativity, deep focus on interests, and innovative thinking.

• Pathological Demand Avoidance or Persistent Drive for Autonomy (PDA) Profile: Supporting adolescents with a PDA profile of autism, characterized by a high level of avoidance of everyday demands and expectations. I focus on reducing anxiety, building trust, and using flexible, collaborative approaches that respect autonomy and promote engagement.

• ADHD: Helping teens manage attention difficulties, impulsivity, and hyperactivity while building organizational skills and emotional regulation. I also work to highlight the strengths often associated with ADHD, such as high energy, creativity, and the ability to think outside the box.

• Intellectual Disability: Providing tailored support to address challenges, enhance daily functioning, and promote emotional well-being.

• Learning Disabilities: Addressing the emotional impact of learning differences, such as frustration, low self-esteem, and anxiety, while building academic coping strategies.

• Developmental Disabilities: Supporting teens with various developmental challenges, including those related to cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), to enhance their social, emotional, and adaptive skills.

• Giftedness and Twice-Exceptionality (2e): Helping gifted adolescents, including those who are twice-exceptional, navigate perfectionism, social challenges, and asynchronous development (growing at different speeds in different areas, like being ahead in reading but needing help with social skills).

• Selective Mutism: Assisting adolescents in overcoming severe anxiety related to speaking in certain social situations, promoting communication and confidence, including use of skills from the Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT®) approach, which focuses on reducing anxiety and increasing verbal communication in a supportive, step-by-step manner.

• Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity: Providing emotional support for teens managing ongoing health conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes (T1D), cancer/leukemia, seizure disorders/epilepsy, and cystic fibrosis (CF), and the associated mental health impacts.

• School Issues: Addressing academic stress, learning challenges, and school-related anxiety to improve overall school experience.

• Bullying: Supporting adolescents who have experienced bullying, fostering resilience, and rebuilding self-esteem.

• School Refusal: Helping teens and families understand and address the underlying causes of school avoidance and developing strategies for re-engagement.

• LGBTQ+ Identity and Support: Providing a safe, affirming space for adolescents exploring or navigating their gender identity and sexual orientation.

• Adoption and Attachment: Supporting adopted adolescents with identity exploration, attachment issues, and family dynamics.

• Trauma and PTSD: Helping adolescents process and heal from traumatic experiences using evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches.

• Social Challenges: Assisting teens in developing social skills, building friendships, and navigating peer relationships.

• Behavioral Challenges: Working with adolescents to understand and manage challenging behaviors.

• Social Anxiety: Helping teens reduce fear and anxiety in social situations, building confidence and communication skills.

• OCD: Evidence-based support to help teens manage intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors using approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP/ExRP).

• Anxiety: Treatment that helps teens face fears, reduce avoidance, and build lifelong coping skills through evidence-based interventions.

• ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): Behavioral support to address sensory sensitivities, anxiety, or past feeding challenges impacting nutrition, using approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID (CBT-AR) and Family-Based Treatment for ARFID (FBT-ARFID).

• Pica: In collaboration with teens' medical teams, provide developmentally appropriate behavioral support to understand underlying factors of persistent eating of non-food items and build safer habits.

• Grief and Loss: Supporting adolescents through the grieving process, whether due to the death of a loved one, or other significant life transitions.

My Approach

I take an integrative approach to therapy, adapting techniques to meet your child’s specific needs and goals. I draw from a range of evidence-based and therapeutic modalities, ensuring that each session is personalized and effective. Approaches I use include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): An evidence-based approach focused on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. CBT helps adolescents recognize how their thoughts influence their feelings and actions, equipping them with practical strategies to challenge negative thinking and develop healthier coping skills. Additionally, CBT teaches valuable coping techniques for situations where altering thought patterns may not be appropriate, helping teens manage distress and navigate difficult emotions effectively.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): An evidence-based therapy that helps teens develop skills in emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. DBT is particularly effective for adolescents struggling with intense emotions or relationship conflicts, providing them with tools to navigate life's challenges more effectively.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Helps adolescents learn to accept difficult emotions and thoughts without judgment while committing to actions that align with their values. ACT encourages teens to focus on what matters most to them, fostering resilience and psychological flexibility.

• Exposure Therapy: An evidence-based technique used to help teens gradually face and overcome fears or anxieties in a safe and supportive environment by reducing avoidance and building confidence.

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP/ExRP): An evidence-based therapy that helps teens gradually face feared thoughts, images, or situations while reducing compulsive behaviors in a supportive, step-by-step process.

• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Combines cognitive therapy with mindfulness strategies to help manage anxiety, depression, and stress. MBCT teaches adolescents to stay present, recognize unhelpful thought patterns, and respond to stress with greater awareness and calm.

• Attachment-Based Therapy: Focuses on building secure and healthy relationships, often addressing early attachment patterns that affect current emotional well-being. This approach helps teens develop trust and emotional security in their relationships with others.

• Behavioral Activation: An evidence-based method that encourages engagement in positive, meaningful activities to combat depression and improve mood. By helping teens reconnect with enjoyable experiences, this approach fosters motivation and a sense of accomplishment.

• Motivational Interviewing: A collaborative approach that helps teens explore and resolve ambivalence about making positive changes in their lives. This technique is particularly effective in addressing behavioral issues and motivation challenges.

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): An evidence-based treatment specifically designed to help adolescents process and heal from traumatic experiences. TF-CBT integrates trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive-behavioral techniques to reduce distress and promote recovery.

• Supporting Teens' Autonomy Daily (STAND): An evidence-based intervention that promotes teens' autonomy and self-management skills in daily life. This approach empowers adolescents to take responsibility for their actions while fostering independence and self-efficacy.

• BrainWise: A cognitive-behavioral program that teaches adolescents critical thinking and decision-making skills. BrainWise equips teens with tools to navigate complex situations and make informed, healthy choices.

• Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents (UP-A): An evidence-based, transdiagnostic approach that addresses a range of emotional disorders through emotion regulation techniques. This flexible method helps teens manage anxiety, depression, and other mood-related challenges.

• Problem-Solving Therapy: Helps teens develop practical skills to effectively manage life's challenges and stressors. By fostering critical thinking and structured problem-solving, this approach encourages resilience and adaptability.

Core Values in My Practice

All of the approaches I use are:

• Neurodiversity-Affirming: I am affirming of neurodivergent identities, recognizing that there is no “one-size-fits-all” way of thinking, learning, or experiencing the world. My practice is inclusive and respectful of each individual's unique ways of thinking and interpeting the world.

• Solution-Focused: Therapy is geared toward identifying practical solutions and setting achievable goals, empowering teens to create positive change in their lives. This approach emphasizes strengths and progress rather than focusing solely on problems.

• Strength-Based: I focus on recognizing and building on your child's existing strengths, fostering confidence and resilience. By highlighting areas where your teen is successful, we can leverage these abilities to overcome challenges.

• Culturally Sensitive: I respect and integrate your family's cultural background, values, and identity into the therapeutic process. My approach acknowledges the influence of culture on experiences, beliefs, and behaviors.

• Trauma-Informed: I approach therapy with an understanding of how trauma can impact development and behavior. This means prioritizing trust, safety, and empowerment throughout the therapeutic process.

If you are ready to explore how therapy can support your adolescent’s growth and well-being, I am here to help every step of the way.

Navigating the transition from adolescence to adulthood can be both exciting and overwhelming. Young adulthood often brings major life changes—starting college, entering the workforce, building relationships, and discovering personal identity. These shifts can also come with challenges like anxiety, stress, self-doubt, and difficulty managing expectations.

For many young adults, this period can also be a time of exploring and understanding neurodivergence. Whether you are navigating a recent diagnosis of autism or ADHD, or you have long recognized your neurodivergent identity, therapy can provide a supportive space to process these experiences. Embracing neurodiversity means recognizing that there is no one "right" way to think, learn, or experience the world, and I am here to help you celebrate your unique strengths while addressing any challenges you may face.

I offer therapy for young adults, ages 18-35, to support you through this pivotal stage of life. Whether you are dealing with academic or career pressures, relationship issues, self-esteem struggles, or feeling uncertain about your direction, I provide a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore your experiences and make progress toward your goals.

Together, we will develop coping strategies, build emotional resilience, and strengthen your confidence, so you can face life’s challenges with clarity and purpose. My approach is personalized to ensure your unique goals and needs are always at the center of our work.

Areas I Provide Therapy For

• Autism: Supporting individuals in navigating the complexities of autism, including social interactions, anxiety, sensory sensitivities, and masking (the effort to hide one's autistic traits to fit in), which can lead to emotional exhaustion. I also focus on identifying and celebrating the unique strengths and talents that come with being autistic, fostering self-confidence, personal growth, and self-advocacy skills.

• ADHD: Helping manage attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity challenges, while developing strategies to improve focus, organization, and self-regulation. I also work to identify and harness the unique strengths often associated with ADHD, such as creativity, energy, and problem-solving abilities and provide support in developing self-advocacy skills.

• Intellectual Disability: Providing supportive therapy tailored to enhance life skills, independence, and emotional well-being.

• Developmental Disabilities: Addressing unique developmental challenges, such as those related to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), while fostering personal growth, social skills, and emotional resilience.

• Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity: Supporting emotional health while managing the ongoing stress, uncertainty, and lifestyle adjustments that accompany chronic health conditions, including Type 1 diabetes (T1D), cancer/leukemia, seizure disorders/epilepsy, and cystic fibrosis (CF).

• School Issues: Assisting with academic pressures, learning challenges, and navigating school environments, including college transitions.

• LGBTQ+ Support: Offering affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ individuals navigating identity and relationships.

• Adoption: Exploring identity, attachment, and relationship issues related to adoption, including feelings of belonging and family dynamics.

• Trauma and PTSD: Providing evidence-based therapies to help process traumatic experiences, reduce distress, and foster healing.

• Social Challenges: Helping improve social skills, build confidence in interactions, and navigate complex social environments.

• Social Anxiety: Supporting individuals in overcoming fears related to social situations and building confidence in interpersonal interactions.

• OCD: Treatment to help young adults manage intrusive thoughts and reduce compulsive behaviors using evidence-based approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP/ExRP).

• Anxiety: Support to help navigate worry, avoidance, and stress through practical, skills-based interventions tailored to life transitions and daily demands.

• ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): Address persistent feeding challenges, whether related to sensory issues, limited appetite, or food-related anxiety, and build more flexible eating habits, using approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID (CBT-AR).

• Grief: Assisting with coping after the loss of a loved one, processing grief, and finding ways to move forward while honoring your loss.

My Approach

I take an integrative approach to therapy, adapting techniques to meet your specific needs and goals. Depending on what feels most helpful to you, I use the following evidence-based and supportive methods:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): An evidence-based approach focused on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. CBT helps you recognize negative thinking patterns, challenge them, and replace them with more constructive thoughts, leading to healthier emotions and actions. Additionally, CBT equips you with practical coping skills for situations where changing thought patterns may not be appropriate, allowing you to manage distress effectively in the moment.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): An evidence-based therapy that combines mindfulness with skills to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and improve relationships. DBT is particularly helpful for managing intense emotions, enhancing interpersonal effectiveness, and building resilience.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): This approach encourages you to accept difficult thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them, while committing to actions that align with your core values. ACT helps you live a more meaningful life, even in the presence of challenges.

• Exposure Therapy: An evidence-based method for gradually facing fears and anxieties in a safe, controlled environment. By confronting avoided situations or thoughts, exposure therapy helps reduce fear responses and build confidence.

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP/ExRP): An evidence-based treatment for OCD that helps individuals gradually confront feared thoughts, images, or situations while learning to resist compulsive responses in a supportive, goal-oriented process.

• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Combines cognitive therapy techniques with mindfulness practices to help you manage stress, anxiety, and depression. MBCT promotes present-moment awareness and reduces the tendency to get caught up in negative thought cycles.

• Attachment-Based Therapy: Focuses on understanding how early relationships and attachment patterns influence current emotional experiences and relationships. This approach helps foster healthier connections and emotional security.

• Behavioral Activation: An evidence-based approach aimed at combating depression by encouraging engagement in meaningful, enjoyable activities. This method helps break the cycle of avoidance and inactivity that often accompanies low mood.

• Motivational Interviewing: A collaborative, goal-oriented approach designed to enhance your motivation and commitment to change. This technique is particularly effective when you're feeling ambivalent about making life changes.

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy: An evidence-based treatment for trauma-related disorders that involves safely revisiting and processing traumatic memories to reduce distress and promote healing.

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): An evidence-based therapy for trauma that focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful beliefs and thoughts related to the traumatic experience. CPT helps reduce feelings of guilt, shame, and fear.

• Problem-Solving Therapy: An evidence-based approach that equips you with practical strategies to address life's challenges and reduce stress. It helps you break down overwhelming problems into manageable steps and develop effective solutions.

• Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP): An evidence-based, transdiagnostic approach designed to treat a range of emotional disorders by targeting common underlying factors. UP integrates cognitive-behavioral strategies with emotion regulation techniques, helping you better understand and manage your emotions across different life situations.

• Finding Solid Ground Program: A structured approach specifically designed to support individuals dealing with complex trauma and dissociative symptoms. This program focuses on grounding techniques, stabilization strategies, and building a sense of safety and control, helping you navigate the challenges associated with trauma recovery.

All of my therapeutic approaches are:

• Neurodiversity-Affirming: Embracing and respecting diverse ways of interpreting and experiencing the world, including autism, ADHD, and other developmental differences. This approach values individual strengths and promotes self-acceptance, while also providing support for accompanying challenges.

• Solution-Focused: Prioritizing practical strategies and forward-thinking approaches to help you achieve your goals efficiently. This method emphasizes your current strengths and resources to create positive change.

• Strength-Based: Highlighting your existing skills, talents, and resources to foster resilience and personal growth. By focusing on your strengths, we can build confidence and empowerment.

• Culturally Sensitive: Acknowledging and respecting your cultural background, values, and experiences so therapy is tailored to your unique identity and lived experiences.

• Trauma-Informed: Creating a safe, supportive environment that recognizes the impact of trauma on mental health. This approach prioritizes your emotional safety, autonomy, and empowerment throughout the therapeutic process.

Together, we will find the approach that feels right for you, ensuring that therapy is both effective and empowering.

I provide family therapy services tailored to families with children and adolescents. My approach is grounded in Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT), a holistic model that recognizes the complex interplay between family dynamics, individual behaviors, and the broader social environment.

My Approach

Using the ESFT framework, I work collaboratively with families to identify patterns of interaction that may be contributing to conflict or stress. Building on your family's strengths, I focus on strengthening relationships, enhancing communication, and fostering resilience within the family unit. I consider not only the immediate family structure but also external influences such as school, peer relationships, and community factors that impact your child's well-being.

A key component of this work is the enactment approach, where I guide families to actively engage in real-time interactions during sessions. This method helps bring relational patterns to the surface, allowing us to address issues directly and practice healthier ways of communicating and connecting. By observing and modifying these interactions in the therapeutic setting, families can develop more effective ways to relate to one another outside of therapy.

Who I Help

My services are designed for families navigating challenges related to:

• Behavioral concerns in children and adolescents

• Navigating a child's diagnosis or disability

• Family transitions such as divorce, relocation, or blending families

• Academic or social difficulties

• Parenting challenges and support

• Sibling conflicts or rivalry

• Coping with trauma or significant life changes

What to Expect

In family therapy sessions, I create a supportive environment where every family member’s voice is heard. Sessions may involve:

• Mapping family structures and roles to better understand relational patterns

• Developing practical strategies to improve communication and resolve conflicts

• Empowering parents while fostering healthy autonomy in children and adolescents

• Integrating insights from schools, healthcare providers, and other key systems to support holistic progress

My goal is to empower families to build stronger, healthier relationships that support each member’s emotional and psychological growth. By addressing both individual and systemic factors, I help families navigate challenges together, fostering a more harmonious and resilient family life.

Parent-Child Dyadic Therapy focuses on strengthening the emotional connection and communication between parents and their children. This evidence-based approach is especially effective for young children and those experiencing behavioral, emotional, or developmental challenges, particularly related to difficulties with attachment related to adoption or trauma.

In dyadic therapy, both you and your child participate together in sessions with me, creating a safe and supportive space to explore your relationship. I will guide you in understanding your child’s needs, emotions, and behaviors, while also helping your child express themself more effectively. Through play, conversation, and structured activities, you will learn strategies to support your child's emotional development, manage difficult behaviors, and foster secure attachment.

A key component of this therapy is enhancing attachment, which refers to the emotional bond that forms between a child and their caregiver. Secure attachment is fundamental to a child’s development, influencing their sense of safety, ability to regulate emotions, and relationships with others. Dyadic therapy helps you become more attuned and responsive to your child’s emotional cues, fostering a trusting and secure relationship that supports long-term emotional well-being and resilience.

Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that help individuals manage time, stay organized, regulate emotions, and achieve goals. These skills include planning, attention, problem-solving, working memory, flexibility, and self-control. When executive functioning challenges arise, they can affect academic performance, work productivity, and day-to-day responsibilities.

Executive function coaching provides personalized, practical strategies to help children, adolescents, and adults strengthen these essential skills. Through one-on-one coaching, clients learn techniques to improve organization, time management, task initiation, and emotional regulation. Coaching sessions focus on setting achievable goals, developing routines, and building confidence in managing daily tasks.

Whether navigating school demands, work responsibilities, or life transitions, executive functioning coaching equips individuals with tools to foster independence and long-term success.

The PEERS® for Preschoolers (and Kindergarteners) program is an evidence-based social skills intervention designed specifically for young children ages 4-6 who may struggle with making and keeping friends. Developed at UCLA, PEERS® is widely recognized for its success in helping children with social challenges, including those with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other developmental differences.

In this engaging, play-based group, children learn foundational social skills such as:

• Listening and following directions

• Sharing, taking turns, and cooperative play

• Asking a friend to play

• Managing big feelings

• Building confidence in social situations

Parents are actively involved in the program, serving as their child's social coach and learning strategies to support their child's social development and reinforcing skills at home. Through structured activities, role-playing, and positive reinforcement, children gain the tools they need to develop meaningful friendships in a fun and supportive environment.

Whether your child is shy, has difficulty joining in with peers, or faces specific social challenges related to autism or other neurodivergent identities, the PEERS® for Preschoolers program provides a warm, structured setting to nurture essential social skills.

As a certified PEERS® provider, I ensure that you and your child receive expert guidance grounded in the latest research and best practices.

Groups are 16 weeks. Please reach out if interested in your child joining an upcoming group.

I am a certified provider of the PEERS® for Adolescents program, an evidence-based social skills intervention developed at UCLA for motivated teens (13-17) who want to make and keep friends. This program is designed for adolescents with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or other social challenges, and it focuses on teaching the skills necessary for meaningful, lasting relationships.

In this group, I guide both teens and their parents through practical lessons that cover topics like initiating and maintaining conversations, handling teasing and bullying, using humor appropriately, and managing disagreements. Parents participate as social coaches, helping their teens practice these skills in real-life situations outside of sessions. By combining direct instruction, role-playing, and real-world practice, PEERS® empowers teens to build confidence and form authentic connections with their peers.

If you are looking for structured, research-backed support to help your teen navigate the social world with greater ease, I am here to help.

Groups are 16 weeks. Please reach out if interested in your child joining an upcoming group.

The Children’s Friendship Program is an evidence-based social skills group designed to help children build meaningful peer relationships and navigate social situations with confidence. Originally developed at UCLA, this program has been widely recognized for its effectiveness in supporting children who may find social interactions challenging—such as those with autism or ADHD.

Tailored for children ages 7 to 12, the program focuses on teaching essential skills like making and keeping friends, engaging in conversations, and resolving conflicts. Through proven techniques, role-playing, and guided practice, children learn how to initiate conversations, read social cues, and engage with peers. Sessions are interactive, supportive, and designed to create a safe space where children can practice new skills in real-time with peers.

Parental involvement is a key component of the program, with parents receiving tools and strategies to support their child’s social development outside of sessions. The goal is to empower children with the confidence and skills needed to form lasting friendships and thrive in social environments.

Groups are 12 weeks. Please reach out if interested in your child joining an upcoming group.

I am a Level I Certified Provider of the Resilience Builder Program® Group (Alvord, Zucker & Grados, 2011), a structured, evidence-based social skills and resilience training program designed to help children, adolescents, and young adults develop the tools they need to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. This cognitive-behavioral group approach focuses on building essential life skills such as emotional regulation, problem-solving, self-confidence, and positive peer interactions.

Through engaging, interactive activities in a supportive group setting, participants learn how to:

•    Manage stress and cope with challenges

•    Improve communication and social skills

•    Build stronger friendships and relationships

•    Enhance self-esteem and confidence

•    Develop effective problem-solving strategies

Personalized Goals and Parent Involvement

Each participant begins the program with an individualized assessment to identify specific strengths and areas for growth. Based on this, personalized goals are created to ensure meaningful progress throughout the program. We believe that parental support is key to a child’s success, so the program includes regular parent involvement. Parents are encouraged to participate in periodic check-ins and receive practical strategies to reinforce skills at home, fostering consistency and lasting change.

The program is customized to meet the developmental needs of different age groups and supports children, adolescents, and young adults with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other learning or social challenges.

Whether your child struggles with making friends, managing emotions, or navigating everyday stressors, the Resilience Builder Program® Group offers practical tools and a supportive environment to foster growth and success.

The program includes two 15-week sessions. Participants can engage in either one or both sessions. Please reach out if interested in your child joining an upcoming group.