
Our Services
ASSESSMENTS:
We complete comprehensive psychoeducational and Psychological Assessments to determine if the referred individual has a learning disability or another disability that significantly impacts his or her educational performance. The assessments will measure the following:
Cognitive (i.e. intellectual) ability, processing abilities (visual, auditory, phonological, visual-motor integration and expression) assessments, academic achievement levels. This evaluation may also measure social/emotional (anxiety, depression)/behavioral/adaptive functioning, ADHD, executive functioning Autism, and the impact of these disabilities on the child’s academic success.
We also complete assessments to determine if college students may qualify for accommodations including extra time to complete graduate school admissions tests (MCAT, LSAT, GMST, DST).
COUNSELING:
We provide Individual counseling for children, adolescents, and adults struggling in school or work; behaviorally (ADHD, Autism), academically (learning disabilities), and/or socially/emotionally (anxiety, depression).
Counseling Techniques We Use:
Executive Functioning Training
We will work with you build/improve executive functioning skills:
-
Attention
-
Planning
-
Working Memory
-
Initiation
-
Organization
-
Emotional Regulation
-
Inhibitory Control
-
Self-Monitoring
-
Flexibility
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques CBT
A short-term, problem-focused form of counseling/behavioral treatment that helps people see the connection between thoughts and feelings and helps them to change their behaviors. CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person’s perception of events, rather than the events themselves, that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.
Some CBT techniques are:
-
Journaling
-
Challenging beliefs
-
Relaxation
-
Meditation
-
Mindfulness
Use of CBT techniques during a counseling session structures the counseling session, keeps the session focused so that the therapist and the person in treatment work on specific counseling goals.
CBT techniques can help with:
-
Depression
-
Anxiety
-
Panic attacks
-
Phobias
-
Obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD)
-
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
-
Anger management issues
If you or your child suffers from any of the above issues, you may benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Please contact me today! I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help through the use of CBT.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy Techniques (MBCT)
Designed for people who suffer from repeated bouts of depression or chronic unhappiness. It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness.
Recent research has shown that people who have been clinically depressed three or more times in their life find that learning mindfulness-based skills help to considerably reduce their chances of depression returning.
What do MBCT techniques help treat?
-
Depression and anxiety
-
Food and eating issues
-
Low mood and negative thoughts
-
Body sensations such as weariness and sluggishness
MBCT helps people to separate themselves from their thoughts and moods, and teaches them how to recognize their sense of being.
If you or your child may benefit from mindfulness-based therapy techniques, please contact me today for a free consultation. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.
Counseling for Anxiety
People of all ages experience stress, fear and worry. But it’s when these fears and worries begin to disrupt you or your child’s day-to-day life that it becomes a problem.
Some symptoms/signs of anxiety include:
-
Feeling sick
-
nervousness
-
restlessness
-
feeling tense
-
feelings of danger
-
panic
-
feelings of dread
-
Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
-
Increased or heavy sweating
-
Trembling or muscle twitching
-
Weakness or lethargy
-
Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
-
Insomnia
-
Obsessions about certain ideas (a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder)
-
Anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that has occurred in the past (a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder)
Therapy can help to uncover the underlying causes of your or your child’s worries and fears. Learn how to relax, look at situations in a new, less frightening way, and develop better coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills.
If you or your child is suffering from anxiety-like behaviors, I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation.
Play Therapy Techniques
Play therapy refers to many treatment methods/techniques, all applying the therapeutic benefits of play. Play therapy techniques help children to address and resolve their own problems and builds on the natural way that children learn about themselves and their relationships in the world around them
Play therapy techniques help children:
-
Become more responsible for their behaviors and develop more successful coping strategies
-
Develop new and creative solutions to problems
-
Develop respect and acceptance of self and others
-
Learn to experience and express emotions
-
Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others
-
Learn new social skills and relational skills to use with family and friends
-
Develop self-efficacy and self-reliance
If you’re interested in learning more about play therapy techniques and how it can help your child grow, contact me today for a free consultation.
Art Therapy Techniques
The goal of the use of art therapy techniques is to utilize the creative process to help people explore self-expression and, in doing so, find new ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills.
The creation or appreciation of art is used to help people explore emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, boost self-esteem, and work on social skills.
Techniques used can include:
-
Collage
-
Coloring
-
Doodling and scribbling
-
Drawing
-
Finger painting
-
Painting
-
Working with clay
As clients create art, they may analyze what they have made and how it makes them feel. Through exploring their art, people can look for themes and conflicts that may be affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Some conditions that art therapy may be used to treat include:
-
Anxiety
-
Depression
-
Eating disorders
-
Emotional difficulties
-
Family or relationship problems
-
Psychosocial issues
-
Stress
Benefits of Art Therapy
According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, less than an hour of creative activity can reduce your stress and have a positive effect on your mental health, regardless of artistic experience or talent.
Clients who have experienced emotional trauma, physical violence, domestic abuse, anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues can benefit from expressing themselves creatively.
Some situations in which art therapy might be utilized include:
-
Children experiencing behavioral or social problems at school or at home
-
Children or adults who have experienced a traumatic event
-
Children with learning disabilities
-
Individuals living with a brain injury
-
People experiencing mental health problems
Effectiveness:
-
In studies of adults who experienced trauma, art therapy was found to significantly reduce trauma symptoms and decrease levels of depression.
If you think you or someone you love would benefit from art therapy techniques, give me a call to set up a free consultation.
EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY
-
We offer direct services to children, adolescents, and college students.
-
We possess in-depth knowledge of California's education code regarding special education.
-
We will walk you through the difficult to interpret/understand IEP and/or 504 process.
-
We will attend IEP and/or 504 meetings with you for support and/or to advocate for your child.
-
We will review assessment reports and make recommendations for effective interventions and/or accommodations in the school setting.
-
We will collaborate with educators/school staff to assist your child in the school setting. This may include school observations to look at behaviors and learning styles.
-
We will collaborate with educators/school staff to assist your child in the school setting. This may include school observations to look at behaviors and learning styles.
COLLABORATION
We will collaborate with other assessors, medical professionals, psychologists, and counselors who have worked with you or your child. If you want us to contact another provider, be sure to complete the Release of Information Form available on our Website.
PARENTING/PARENT SUPPORT
We will work with you to help you understand your child and/or to help support you through your journey of parenting your child.