Dear Parent,
No matter how much we love our kids, parenting is hard work. Even when we try our best, sometimes kids misbehave, get frustrated, and overreact; and, even if we know they are smart, sometimes they have a hard time in school. To top it off, we may realize we've unwittingly become part of the problem. You are probably reading this because some part of your child's development has been of concern. This might be related to their behavior or learning, or their feelings and friends. You may have hoped that these difficulties were just a phase, or were concerned that "therapy" would just make it worse. Over time, though, it may have become clear that these issues are having a real impact on your child or family, and you are ready to ask for some help.
The core belief of my practice is that understanding a child's unique strengths and weaknesses becomes the foundation of what we can do to help. This includes both their learning style, how they process information, and where are their "glitches" in getting tasks done in daily life. In addition, uncovering a child's "triggers" for anxiety or anger can help empower them and guide parents, teachers, and therapy toward accommodation and resolution. Once such assessment is completed, my focus of work with children and teens then includes helping them understand themselves, developing new ways of coping and communicating, and improving relationships and success at home and in the world. In addition, I partner with many schools, physicians, tutors, and other therapists in the community toward help create successful growth for that young person.
Areas of pediatric practice:
- Learning Evaluations: Including psychoeducational assessments for developing accommodations and individual educational plans.
- Diagnostic Evaluation: For comprehensive diagnosis of attention deficit disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD's), and other developmental and psychiatric conditions.
- Neuropsychological Assessment: Testing to determine cognitive, memory and developmental functioning for children with neurological and medical disorders (including outcomes of concussion and pediatric cancer).
- Positive Behavior Support: Helping families implement plans for improving task completion and decreasing negative behaviors in daily life.
- Child and Adolescent Therapy: Including therapeutic interventions to decrease anxiety, support growth, and improve communication and social skills.
- Consultation: Providing school and community consultation in improving group interventions, addressing bullying, and improving disability awareness.
- Referrals: Creating teams for educational and behavioral support, including tutoring, family therapy, and psychiatric/medication evaluations.
“We need to take a less narrow look at our children’s problems, and, instead, see them as windows of opportunity - a way of exploring and understanding all facets of our children’s development...”