Child Psychologists and Child Therapists in Salem, WI.

Are you worried about your child? Is your child stressed? I'm here to help! I specialize in working with youth ages 3-25. Young children tend to communicate through their actions, and it's the adults' job to figure out what they are saying. I support both the child and the parent. Even good parents need support sometimes! Play therapy and Theraplay (working on parent-child connection) are two helpful types of therapies I do to assist stressed kids. Counseling is one of the most loving things you can do for a child. Give me a call today and we can figure out together what is causing your child distress and start right away on making life more fulfilling for you and your child.

I have counseled children from ages 5 through 12 in both individual and group settings for several years. My approach in working with young children is to create an atmosphere of trust, rapport and fun, and I use play therapy and art therapy to build that trust and rapport. I have helped more children in counseling playing board games, sports or anything that allows them to want to talk to me, because I care about who they are and what they need to do if they are to trust me and talk to me, with honest and sincerity, and with a gut-level trust that I care about them and want only the best for their lives.

While not everyone may look forward to counseling, it is essential that young ones enjoy the counselor and the process. We engage children by expanding on their interests, strengths, and talents. We want them to feel special. Presenting the counselor as a coach is helpful. Kids understand the role of a coach and it is easier to accept the reason for going to counseling. We address a wide variety of concerns with the intention of changing difficult behavior that is actually stressful for the child, not just the parent. Careful assessment is required for anger display, overwhelming anxiety, or loss of self-esteem, and when distinguishing between ADHD, autism, and other behavioral issues.

Families play an important role in children’s healing processes. The interaction between children’s problems and their families is always complex. Sometimes children develop problems as a way of signaling that there is something wrong in the family. Other times the entire family becomes distressed because the child’s problems are so disruptive. In all cases, children and families heal faster when they work together. The play therapist will make some decisions about how and when to involve some or all members of the family in the play therapy. At a minimum, the therapist will want to communicate regularly with the child’s caretakers to develop a plan for resolving problems as they are identified and to monitor the progress of the treatment. Other options...(view profile to read more)