Individual Therapy
I provide individual therapy services for children, teens, and young adults, specializing in anxiety and depression therapy. My focus is on helping individuals navigate challenges such as anxiety, low mood, friendship difficulties, family transitions, self-esteem issues, and managing emotions.
For children and adolescents, I incorporate play-based and creative arts activities. For teens and young adults, therapy sessions often concentrate on building identity, establishing and maintaining boundaries, identifying relationships, managing academic stress, and fostering independence.
Individual therapy may support young people who are experiencing:
- Big emotions that feel difficult to manage
- Changes in mood or behavior
- Friendship or peer challenges
- Life transitions or family changes
- Low self-confidence or self-doubt
- Stress related to school or performance
- Additionally, I offer trauma therapy for teens to help them process and heal from difficult experiences.
Anxiety & Depression Therapy
Anxiety and depression can be challenging to identify and even more difficult to manage during childhood and adolescence. Children and teens may exhibit symptoms like constant worry, perfectionism, irritability, low motivation, loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed, withdrawal from family and friends, and changes in sleep patterns.
I can support your child through these struggles by providing individual therapy for children that helps them understand their symptoms and their connection to behavior. Together, we will identify meaningful coping skills and develop support systems to assist in symptom reduction.
Anxiety and depression therapy can benefit children and teens experiencing:
- Persistent worry or racing thoughts
- Panic symptoms or avoidance of certain activities
- Low mood, tearfulness, or irritability
- Negative self-talk or self-doubt
- Withdrawal from friends or family
- Difficulty concentrating or decreased school performance
Additionally, I offer trauma therapy for teens to address any underlying issues that may contribute to these symptoms.
School Refusal & Emotional Dysregulation
As a former teacher and current mental health professional, I understand that some children and teens struggle significantly with managing their emotions, often leading to overwhelming feelings. If your child is facing frequent meltdowns, shutdowns, irritability, conflicts at home, or refusal to attend school, they may benefit from anxiety and depression therapy. Many children experience school refusal due to factors such as anxiety, social stress, perfectionism, or feeling overwhelmed.
When working with children undergoing emotional dysregulation or school refusal, I focus on providing education about emotions and helping them connect their emotional experiences to their physical sensations. We would also work on developing various coping skills that feel less destructive. This approach often empowers students, making them feel more in control of their emotions and improving their overall quality of life.
Individual therapy for children may support those experiencing:
- Intense emotional reactions or difficulty calming down
- Frequent arguments or power struggles at home
- Anxiety related to school, peers, or performance
- Morning distress, avoidance, or refusal to attend school
- Shutdowns, withdrawal, or feelings of overwhelm after the school day
- Difficulty tolerating frustration or transitions
Additionally, for teens who have faced trauma, trauma therapy for teens can be essential in addressing these challenges.
Trauma Therapy
Trauma can be a complex experience. Common symptoms of trauma may include increased anxiety, emotional outbursts, withdrawal from friends and family, sleep changes, difficulty concentrating, or heightened sensitivity to stress. Trauma can significantly influence your worldview and the sense of safety you feel in relationships.
I work to support clients who have experienced trauma through individual therapy for children, teens, and young adults, creating a safe space for them to cope. We would start by fostering a feeling of security and safety in the therapy room, eventually transitioning into helping the client feel more in control of their emotions and their life. Healing from trauma takes time, but clients often leave feeling more empowered and with reduced symptoms.
Trauma therapy for teens may support those experiencing:
- Anxiety or fear that feels persistent or heightened
- Emotional reactivity or sudden mood shifts
- Nightmares or sleep disruption
- Withdrawal, shutdowns, or avoidance
- Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe
- School challenges following a stressful event
Parental Coaching
Parenting a child who struggles with anxiety, emotional outbursts, shutdowns, school refusal, or low mood can be challenging and often taxing for parents. Many parents seek support because they feel uncertain about how to help their child or are unsure of the 'right' way to manage these behaviors. In my experience working with parents in both school and mental health settings, I have seen a strong desire to support their kids, yet many do not know where to begin.
I provide guidance to parents in understanding their child's mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, and help them develop practical routines and tools that enhance their ability to manage behaviors effectively. My coaching services can complement your child's individual therapy for children or can stand alone as a dedicated support system for parents.
Areas of support may include:
- Responding calmly and effectively to big emotions
- Reducing power struggles and increasing cooperation
- Supporting a child with anxiety, depression, or school refusal
- Strengthening attachment and communication
- Creating consistent routines and boundaries
- Building parental confidence and reducing burnout
School Staff Training & Professional Development
Teachers and other educators spend ample amounts of time with students in the classroom, making them the first to notice when a student is struggling. During my teaching career, I faced significant challenges related to student behavior and the need to support my students while ensuring a safe learning environment. Educators often observe signs of anxiety and depression, school refusal or avoidance, shutdowns, and behavioral challenges, yet many have not received adequate training on how to support their students effectively.
I offer supportive, skills-based trainings for Milwaukee-area schools aimed at enhancing staff confidence when confronted with behavioral challenges. My workshops provide tools, techniques, and psychoeducation to improve educator effectiveness in supporting students facing various difficulties, including anxiety and depression.
Topics may include:
- Supporting students with anxiety and perfectionism
- Understanding trauma and its impact on learning and behavior, including trauma therapy for teens
- Emotional regulation tools for the classroom
- Responding to school refusal and avoidance
- Building connection while maintaining structure
- Preventing burnout and supporting educator well-being, which can also connect to individual therapy for children.