Child and Adolescent therapy
Young children (aged four to ten) and I engage in child-directed play therapy. This means that the child gets to choose the agenda and focus of therapy, which allows me to gain insight into the child’s inner world, and his/her worries and needs. This way of conducting therapy gives the child a chance to feel a sense of power and to gain an understanding that his/her inner life is worth attending to and is inherently valuable. And, together, in the play, we can work through the patient’s feelings, repairing hurts and building resilience.
With children aged ten to 13 (and sometimes older, depending on the child’s interests and stage of development), I use a collaborative approach, giving space for the child to direct the agenda and focus of the therapy, while also gently guiding the child to verbalize more of his/her thoughts and feelings.
Adolescents and I usually engage in talk therapy. The adolescent is given space to lead the conversation, and I assist the patient in attending to his/her feelings throughout the session. Typically, much work is done within our relationship, as the adolescent reacts to ways in which s/he perceives me as similar to or dissimilar from other adults in his/her life. In this way, the patient has the opportunity to gain understanding of his/her own mind and experiences, as well as interpersonal dynamics that arise as s/he interacts with others.