M.S., LMFT Supervisor, RPT-S, IMH-E
Dallas, Texas Therapist Specializing in Children, Play Therapy, Parental Support and Coaching, Positive Discipline Strategies, Parent Child Interaction Therapy, and Perinatal Mental Health Counseling
My primary focus is supporting families with young children. Many times, these families are proactively seeking guidance through family support and parent coaching. Other times, these families may be struggling with a range of psychological and emotional challenges impacting their daily life. These challenges may include anxiety, a change in family structure, lack of emotional regulation, difficulties at school, sibling conflict, grief, divorce, or other behavioral problems.
As my practice has grown over the years, so has my realization that today!s parent is eager for support and information regarding effective and healthy parenting strategies. Often, I treat children by first specifically supporting their parents and caregivers. I help parents develop positive discipline strategies and better communication skills so they are prepared to handle parenting challenges as they arise, resulting in the development of healthy relationships with their children.
Particularly, I encourage and educate parents as they strive to create and maintain a parenting philosophy that works for their family and contributes to the overall health of their child and the family as a whole. Luckily, this type of intervention is beneficial at many developmental stages of a family’s life.
Parents can begin understanding their new roles before their children are ever born in pre-parent preparation sessions based on the principles of Gottman’s Bringing Baby Home program. As a Perinatal Mental Health Counselor, I am trained to identify the unique mental health needs of a parent from conception to the time their baby turns one. Managing their own mental wellness is one of the most responsible ways a parent will love and support a new baby. One way I care for a new parent is by facilitating parent-child connection. In these sessions, parents learn to talk to, play with and care for their baby, contributing to the safety and security in relationship to the parent.
As a family develops over time, so do their needs. In addition to offering parents various strategies and support about raising their children, many families benefit from including their entire family for periodic wellness sessions to maintain progress, make connection and focus on healthy communication.
When working directly with children, I use play therapy. For children, play is a significant part of the therapeutic process. Play therapy encourages children to communicate, express their feelings, develop problem-solving skills, and discover ways of relating to others.
In fall 2022, I began a partnership with the team at Oak Cliff Pediatrics. I will be working with families at the Oak Cliff Pediatrics office once a week on Thursdays. These sessions are focused on pre-parent preparation, perinatal mental health, parent-child connection, parent coaching, and family wellness visits. All scheduling for sessions at Oak Cliff Pediatrics is arranged through the main Insights office.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, a Registered Play Therapist, an Infant Mental Health Specialist and certified in Perinatal Mental Health.
Since 2016, I have been one of four owners of Insights Collaborative Therapy Group. I am also the author and creator of Little Worm: A Story About Worry. This children!s book supports my work as a therapist by giving families an opportunity to connect and share special time reading together as children learn to communicate, express their feelings, develop problem-solving skills, and discover new ways of relating to others. If you!d like a copy for your family, visit Amazon.com.
I was born and raised in southern Indiana before I moved to Dallas to start my collegiate career and begin my life in a new city. My free time consists of discovering new recipes, catching up with my favorite sports teams, and spending time with friends and family.
I am available for speaking engagements in the community, specifically in a school setting or for parent groups. To contact me directly about an upcoming opportunity, please fill out the email form below.
For more information about my practice, please check out this article about me in Voyage Dallas magazine.
My rate is $175 for each 45-minute play therapy session; $290 for each 80-minute parent and family consultation session. Texas Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#201973). Click here to request an appointment.
A quote that resonates with me:
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. -- Plato