What type of psychotherapy do you practice?

Psychotherapy does not refer to a specific treatment, but rather to a genre of treatments which have different histories, traditions, and methods. What these all have in common is an interaction between the therapist and patient designed to foster improved emotional and behavioral functioning. While I have received training in a variety of different methods, my own style is uniquely focused on the development of a strong interpersonal connection, over a period of time, with the children and adolescents whom I treat. This connection provides the necessary therapeutic attachment, as well as the sense of safety and containment, by which the child can identify and work through what is bothering him or her inside. In facilitating this process, I attempt to build skills in the child or adolescent, which helps them learn improved problem solving abilities and coping skills, leading to a stronger sense of confidence and self-esteem, improved functioning, and strengthened relationships.

I Speak Fluent Kid

My style of psychotherapy includes the use of different modalities of communication. While psychotherapy is most commonly associated with talking, it is quite apparent that some children and adolescents have great difficulty communicating their internal world verbally. In such cases, for therapy to be effective, non-verbal means of relating are essential. I actively make use of play, physical activity, and music in my work with children and adolescents. These avenues often are quite helpful for the child in and of themselves, but also may facilitate the child’s ability to develop the skills to put their thoughts and feelings into words. I strongly believe that a key component of effective therapy is to “speak fluent kid”- to identify and practice the particular and individualized form of communication which creates emotional connection with a child or teenager and become part of their world, rather than rely on a boiler plate, “one-size-fits-all” approach for everyone.

Several children with whom I have worked have commented to me that they found psychotherapy with me much less threatening and much more “normal” in its tone than what they were expecting and that this was a key ingredient to feeling comfortable and for the experience to be helpful and positive. Intuition suggests, and studies have confirmed, that the relationship with their therapist is the most important variable influencing people’s perception of psychotherapy as helpful, regardless of the specific methods used.