Treatment Approaches

My treatment with adults, children and adolescents is underpinned by the seven guidelines outlined under the theory page above. Due to developmental reasons, there are important differences in the treatment processes for each age-group of individual which are as follows:

           

Adults: The therapy I offer with adults uses language as the primary form of intervention in each session. This means that as a patient, you can arrive for each session, and as freely as you can, share anything and everything that comes to mind. Every thought, no matter how seemingly random, is important and deserves consideration. I don’t give homework, and I don’t offer advice. Instead, I focus my awareness carefully on the nuance and specifics of each moment as it unfolds between us, and use this attunement to develop my responses to you.

           

Adolescents: I largely use language in my work with adolescents as well, much the same way as outlined above with adults. However, some adolescents need more structure and guidance, and sometimes, if this is the case, I make use of mindfulness skills, particularly those that focus on attunement to bodily-based states of experience. Another important consideration in work with adolescents is protection of confidentiality, and the degree to which the parents will be involved in the therapy process. This potentially complicated aspect of the treatment process with adolescents is discussed in depth with both patient and parents during the assessment phase of the therapy process.

          

Children: Language can also be an important aspect of child therapy. Some children are comfortable talking the whole time, while others might need a combination of talking and play, or, for some, all play. Psychotherapy with children then usually involves a combination of language and the expressive use of toys, games, art, and other play-based materials. The idea here is that whether it is talking, play, or a combination of the two, children are invited to share her or his complex internal experience in the relational situation of the therapy, where it can be thought about, contained, and used for growth and forward movement.

           

Parent Support: I offer parent consultation and ongoing parent support for parents feeling stuck or overwhelmed with the parenting experience. In this capacity, I use a combination of my training in child development, my experience in a variety of clinical settings, and my own experience as a parent to offer a perspective to help parents move forward in their own development as parents.