Timing

Adult sessions: 50 minutes.

Child sessions: 45 minutes (Child sessions require additional set up and clean up time). Ooccasionally, high value therapeutic content will arise at the end of session, and I will determine whether extending the time of session 5 or 10 minutes would be indicated. I ask that parents be in the lobby by 45 minutes after start time.​

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Waiting area etiquette

We are a suite of trauma therapists and ask that our clients use quiet voices in our lobby. If you need to take phone calls or converse, we ask that you do this in the hallway. Please encourage little ones to use quiet voices in the lobby.

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Virtual Appointments

Virtual appointments will be held over the Simple Practice video platform. Link will be sent automatically or you can reach out to me to send you a link if you don't receive it. We may use Zoom as a backup. For best therapeutic results, please ensure that you have a private space and solid internet connection.

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Child Therapy

I will sometimes utilize the extra playroom in the adjacent suite in our building for children who need space and freedom to be very loud. While there are toys in this space, I prefer to do treatment in my own office, where the kids are familiar with the toys and where I have set up the space intentionally for that specific child. I will work with children therapeutically to determine whether the need for loud expression outweighs their need for my specific office. Sometimes this decision will be made on the child’s ability to control their own volume (in order not to disrupt therapy going on in adjacent treatment rooms). 

 

Parent sessions

Parent sessions are held virtually.

Depending on the age of the child, regular parent-therapist meetings may be necessary for therapy to be most effective. Not only is this time used for sharing information about the child’s therapeutic themes and treatment, but it provides time for the therapist to gain valuable insight about the child’s experience outside the therapy room, including their home/school/extracurricular life, significant life events, behavior patterns, parent observations, typical routine, as well as historical data. Sometimes I will want to meet with the child several times before meeting with the parents and vice versa. Parents are welcome to email me current concerns between sessions if they feel comfortable doing so.

 

Confidentiality

Depending on the age of the child, I will often ask the child ahead of time what they want me to discuss and what they would like me to not discuss and keep private in my conversations with their parents. This allows the child to assert autonomy and privilege over the content of their sessions.

 

Why I don’t bring parents into session

While some therapists bring parents into the session, I prefer to maximize the time I spend with the individual child in order to maximize the therapeutic process in session. Instead, I prefer separate parent sessions where we can discuss the child's treatment candidly. This allows us to focus on how to best support the child both in and out of therapy. I have also found that when children view the therapy room as “their” space, they settle into it in a more meaningful, connected way than when the space is shared space with family members. We have a unique dynamic and tone in the treatment space that often leads to a novel experience for that child.