FAQ

Absolutely! During times of stress and changes, it is even more important to have support for your children and yourself. This is an unprecedented time to be a child or parent and I’m here to support your family as you navigate these challenges.

I am providing face to face appointments in my office as I have found that to be the most effective way to provide services to children and families. My office is following health and hygiene practices, as well as strategic scheduling to limit the risk of exposure to COVID or other illnesses.

For families or individuals who cannot come to the office I offer parent coaching using an online video platform that you can access from the safety and comfort of your home. The platform I use is fully HIPAA compliant and will protect your family’s confidentiality. You can access it from a laptop or desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Call me today and we’ll discuss how I can best support your child and you as a parent. Let’s work together to find some peace in the midst of uncertainty!

Call me at (951) 599-8383 for a free 20-minute initial phone consultation. Together, we’ll discuss your concerns, how I can help, and decide if we’re a good fit for working together. Then we’ll set up your first appointment.

Sessions are 45-50 minutes long, typically once a week.

To avoid being charged the session fee, I ask parents to call to cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment.

I understand that emergencies happen, and kids get sick. Please contact me as soon as you know that you will not be able to attend session, even if it is less than 24 hours ahead of time.

I believe in grace and will do my best to work with you. However, if repeated cancellations interfere with our work together, then I may have to charge for missed sessions.

I provide play therapy for children birth – 8 years old.

I provide parenting support and coaching to parents of children ranging from birth to 8 years old.

I also work with parents of children with developmental disabilities, who may be chronologically older but functioning developmentally within this age range.

I don’t provide couples counseling or individual therapy for tweens, teens, or adults.

If your child is my client and you feel that you would benefit from couples/relationship or individual counseling, outside of parenting issues, I can provide you with referrals.

It’s certainly possible. You’re on this Website because you’re concerned about something.

You might know why you’re worried and what’s going on with your child – or you might be in the dark. Either way, you’re feeling like something may be wrong, and you’re not sure how to fix it.

Children don’t know how to ask for help, because they often don’t know they need it. They’re clueless about why they’re behaving or feeling the way they are and have no idea what to do about it.

Kids communicate what’s going on inside of them by their behavior and emotions. I know how to decode this communication, get to the root of the issue, and provide the right support and help.

If you have concerns about your child’s behavior, ability to handle emotions, or response to a life event, please call me to talk about how we can support you and your child through this time.

Children learn about their world, process life experiences, heal, grow, and communicate through their play. The way that children’s therapists help is by joining them in their world through play.

I use art, pretend play, games, toys, dolls, books, and sensory mediums to provide children opportunities to share, work through challenges, and learn coping skills in a supportive environment.

Depending on the child’s age and what we’re working on, parents or siblings will join us in play sessions, too!

What may look like “just play” is really an incredibly powerful way for children to heal and grow and for parents to connect more deeply with their children.

I am not licensed to prescribe, change, or monitor any medication. I use relational and behavioral strategies to address the concerns you have for your child.

Nope. I don’t do forcing in my office. Big Hard Things can be scary and overwhelming for kids and adults. Pushing someone to remember or describe a traumatic event can cause more trauma, more overwhelming emotions, and more behavioral challenges.

I provide your child a safe space to be, explore, and play – and support them in working through their trauma and healing even without words.

If they want to talk, that’s fine, too! But it is always, always, always on their schedule and in their way.

No way! It’s totally normal for parents to worry about this. Kids are super complicated, and each one is different.

Even parents who have felt confident raising other children may be thrown for a loop with a new child or new situation. It’s normal. We can work on this! The fact that you’re seeking help for your child is proof that you are a great parent! Your kid is lucky to have you as an advocate for them.

Nope. If your child needs therapy, it just means that they’re having a hard time right now and need some extra support. We all have hard times, and we all have things that require extra support.

This doesn’t mean that we’re fatally flawed! It just means we’re human. That’s why I’m here to help and encourage your child and you during this hard time.

Absolutely! I have provided play therapy to foster children and support for bio and/or foster parents for several years. I would love to work with your foster child and family as you navigate this journey together.

It does! Play is the language and work of children; and through play, they learn about their world. When we enter their world and connect through play, we can see huge shifts in their behavior, relationships, and ability to handle their emotions.

Through play therapy, children learn and practice strategies to improve behavior, strengthen relationships, heal from past hurts, learn about their feelings, develop healthy communication skills, build self-esteem, and increase compassion and empathy.

To read more about how play therapy helps kids, check out this article:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-action/201601/child-s-play-how-play-therapy-works

You do not! First, most of my work is done with the parent and child in my room together.

The younger the child is, the more likely the parent will be in the room and participating during sessions.

Sometimes for older children, the parents and I will decide to try individual sessions depending on the issues we’re working on and what the child needs. However, this requires complete agreement on the part of the parents.

I never want a child or parent to feel uncomfortable in session with me.

Yes! I have years of experience working with children with special needs, as well as with families, teachers, and other therapy providers.

I am uniquely suited to support your child and family and would love to talk with you further about your child’s and family’s specific needs.

Yes, it really does! But the only way I can prove it is if you call me, and we give it a try!

I will absolutely still like your child. Part of the reason I do what I do is because I love kids. I have a knack for finding the good in the midst of the hard things. I have always, always, always found something to like and celebrate in a child.

I definitely don’t judge parents. You’re looking for help and advocating for your child – that’s what good parents do! It’s impossible to know everything or be a perfect parent. We’ll work together to help your child.

Kids’ challenging behaviors aren’t new to me. Whether it’s kids who bite, hit, kick, spit, curse, tear apart rooms, play with feces, struggle with sexualized behaviors, or throw tantrums that last hours, I won’t be shocked. I’ve encountered a lot over the years. And I still liked each child – before, during, and after.

Because I like them! I think they’re super fun and interesting.

I believe kids are incredibly important and deserve respect, dignity, love, safety, and fun.

I believe that if we can help children and families connect, manage their big feelings, and heal from hurts, they’ll have a more solid foundation to build upon for the rest of their lives.

Okay, I also still like playing with toys and making art with lots of paint and glitter, so that’s part of it, too.

I love watching parents and children connect and learn to enjoy and have fun with each other, and I love helping families build a stronger and more secure bond.

It make me happy to see children growing in their sense of self and feeling safe, competent, and confident in the world. When children, who have seen horrors, can learn to trust again and when parents gain confidence and joy in their parenting, it brings me great joy.

The baby steps along the way to big goals are just as rewarding to me and worth celebrating!

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science from California Baptist University. I attended California State University, San Bernardino, for my graduate degree and hold a Master of Social Work (MSW), with a specialization in developmental disability, children, and families.

I also have received training in play therapy, the use of art therapy techniques, trauma in children, parenting, working with children prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol, foster care and adoption, and other child, family, and mental health-related topics.

I am a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Association for Play Therapy and regularly attend conferences and workshops.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) is a licensed mental health provider. They can provide therapy to individuals, couples, families, or groups like a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or Psychologist can.

However, a social worker also is trained in advocacy, connecting people to resources and services, analyzing and conducting research, writing policy, program development and evaluation, and larger scale social justice issues.

To become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California you need to: obtain a master’s degree in social work from an accredited university; after graduation complete 3,000 hours of assessment, diagnosis, therapy, and advocacy; complete a minimum of 104 weeks of supervision; pass the California Law and Ethics examination and the National Clinical Examination.

In addition, LCSWs must continue to fulfill continuing education requirements, maintain clean criminal records, and excel at filling out mountains of paperwork.

NO! That’s a different kind of social worker, who has a different role and works for a different agency. If I took away your kid, I would go to jail for kidnapping.

It can be confusing because of the name. Social workers employed by a state agency (sometimes called Child Protective Services, Child Welfare Services, or Child and Family Services, depending on where you live) are charged with protecting children who may be abused or neglected. That’s their job title. They may or may not have a social work degree.

Sometimes a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (see above question for what that is) may choose to take a job as a social worker at one of these agencies. These types of social workers may have the power to remove children from their homes if they are in danger.

I have chosen to be a therapist. My job is to support children and families through play therapy and coaching.

When I work with children who are in foster care, I may work with social workers from a state agency assigned to oversee the child’s welfare case. Even in those cases, I don’t have the power to make decisions about custody, visitation, or removal of a child from his or her home. That’s not my job.

For over 20 years and in various roles and settings, I have been working professionally with children and families.

I have worked in homes, schools, clinics, and community agencies and have partnered extensively with teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists, public health nurses, pediatricians, developmental pediatricians, and pediatric neurodevelopmental psychologists.

Through these various experiences and interactions with these professionals, I have received vast amount of knowledge and experience.

I have worked with children, who are typically developing, as well as with those having physical or developmental disabilities.

That’s great! I offer free phone consultations and would love to answer your questions, hear about your concerns, and tell you more about the services I offer. Call me at (951) 599-8383!