Therapy Services
Helping Children Heal, Grow & Find Their Way Forward
Children don't always have the words to explain what they're feeling or what they've experienced. Katrina provides developmentally appropriate, individualized therapy that gives children a safe and natural way to communicate, process emotions and work through difficult expereinces, with parents and caregivers actively involved along the way.
Registered Play Therapist
What Is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a special model of therapy used with children and adolescents and provides developmentally appropriate means to help them process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Many times, children (and even adolescents and teens) do not yet have the language or the capacity to process probelms verbally, and play is a natural way that they can engage in meaningful therapeutic work.
"Toys are the words, and play is the child's langage."
- Dr. Gary Landreth
Katrina is a Registered Play Therapist which is a nationally recognized credential and certifies that she has had the extensive training and supervision necessary to safely and effcitvely treat children and adolescents. Katrina has been an RPT for 10 years.
Support for a Brighter Tomorrow
What Can Play Therapy Help With?
Trauma
Anxiety
Depression
Grief & Loss
ADD & ADHD
Emotional Dysregulation
Social Difficulties
Life Transitions
Divorce or Separation
Working Together
Parents Are Part of the Process
Katrina believes parent and caregiver involvment is an important part of the therapy process and necessary for helping children make progress.
Start Together: Therapy begins with a parent/guardian-only session to discuss concerns and make sure Katrina is a good fit for your family.
Stay Involved: Parents may participate in sessions, observe, or connect with Katrina at the beginning and end of appointments.
Check In: Katrina typically meets with parents or guardians every 6-8 weeks to discuss goals, progress, and concerns and offer parenting strategies and support.
Specialized Trauma Treatment
EMDR Therapy
Katrina is also trained to provide Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, a specialized treatment used in addressing PTSD and trauma. When appropriate, EMDR can be incorporated into an individualized treatment approach based on the needs of the client.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Play Therapy
Katrina believes it is imperative for parents/guardians to be highly involved in order for progress to occur. Beginning with a "parent/guardian only" session, Katrina first meets with just the adults to be able to talk openly without the child present, as well as to provide parents/guardians the opportunity to make sure they feel Katrina will be a good fit for their family before beginning therapy. During the assessment process, part of what is considered is whether or not the parent should directly participate in sessions, observe sessions, or primarily participate at the start and end of each session. Katrina also typically meets with parents/guardians every 6-8 weeks (without the child present) during the course of treatment to discuss goals, progress, concerns and to offer parenting strategies and support.
"It takes as long as it takes," is the honest answer. Play therapy is typically not a rapid process. An "average" minimum is 4-6 months, however it is not unusual for children to be in therapy 12 months or more, depending on the concerns. Patience on everyone's part is needed, and it is not unusual that there will be periods of progress followed by periods of regression.
The play that occurs in play therapy is not the same as play at home or in other environments. Toys in the play therapy room are carefully selected (and required) in order to be considered therapeutic based on research that has provided guidance as to what items are most helpful for children processing their problems and working towards growth. A play therapist is also trained to understand what the child may be trying to communicate through their play including choice of items, manner in-which they play with the toys, and recurrent themes that may emerge through their sessions. In addition, the therapist is trained to interact and respond to the child in unique ways that help take the play to a deeper, therapeutic level.
Play therapy can help treat concerns including trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, ADHD, emotional dysregulation, social deficits, problematic behaviors, and can help children who are adjusting to major life transitions such as a move, parent's divorce, or significant illness (their own or a family member's).
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Get In Touch
Have Questions? We're Here to Help.
Whether you're ready to inquire about therapy or simply have questions about services, you're welcome to reach out. No physician referral is necessary to get started.