Play Therapy

The expressive therapies allow children and adults to broaden their communication and show themselves more fully by externalizing worries and concerns through symbols, metaphor, or metaphor language. The use of expressive techniques and approaches in the context of therapy relationships ignite creative, resilient energy which can be a powerful agent for insight and change. When families in pain begin to play together, perceptions of each other are changed, communication is accomplished in less direct ways, and individuals experience a decrease in resistance. Through laughter and play, endorphins are released and feelings of well being emerge.

Mine is a life-long dedication to working with traumatized children. I cannot fathom doing anything else. I remain in awe of the reparative process that is ignited in those who sustain injuries. I am rewarded daily by the trust placed in me by children and their families.

Many of my colleagues who work in this field have found it necessary to change professions after enduring the stressors inherent in working with child abuse. I have gained harmony and balance by being a clinician who writes, teaches, supervises, consults, conducts research, and develops programs. It is very rewarding to provide assistance to Spanish-speaking clients in our native tongue.

I have an integrated, prescriptive approach to working with clients that includes individualized assessments which inform and guide the formation of treatment plans. In addition, I maintain a commitment to incorporating evidence-based practices as well as best practice guidelines. I remain vigilant of emerging literature regarding effective treatment outcome studies, promising approaches, and evolving trauma-specific assessment instruments.