What I do (My Philosophy)

Helping others has been a theme in my life since I was a child. I am innately drawn to help all living things and as a therapist I combine my desire to help with my passion for the human animal bond. I have worked with clients of all ages and throughout the years my work has gravitated primarily to working with children, adolescents and families. However, I also continue to work with adults who prefer a more experiential form of therapy to help them explore their challenges.

While conducting therapy my intention is to create a nonthreatening therapeutic environment that allows individuals to feel safe, understood and supported so they can reach their goals and feel good about themselves. It is important to me that I treat the whole person and whether it be child, adolescent or adult I believe it is important to feel balanced throughout your mind, body, emotional and social self.

I do understand that sometimes life can be challenging and reaching out for help can be difficult, so as a therapist my goal is to work collaboratively with my clients to provide support and find practical solutions that help to achieve a positive and balanced life. Your life’s journey matters and your story is important. I am here to help you navigate the bumps in the road.

How I Do It

My therapy dogs and I dedicate our days to working with clients who are struggling to overcome and cope with life’s challenges. When working with clients I incorporate an experiential approach with traditional talk therapy.

To read more on the details of an experiential therapy approach please click here.

My additional training in Play Therapy and Animal Assisted Play Therapy® as well as my therapy dog partners help to create a nonthreatening therapeutic environment that allows individuals to feel safe, understood and supported.  The use of playful and creative activities, which are both fun and help target clients’ interests, help to decrease clients’ resistance to the therapy process and create a trusting therapeutic relationship.

Having my therapy dogs in sessions not only increases client engagement, but also, due to their extraordinary ability to connect with people, helps to make clients feel special, accepted and loved. Additionally, I partner with my therapy dogs in group therapy work such as BARK, an anti-bullying social skills group where children and adolescents Build Acceptance Respect and Kindness (BARK) towards themselves and others.  I also have training in Expressive Arts and offer PeaceLove Expressive Arts groups that highlight the importance of a healthy mind for all.

Types of therapy approaches utilized in sessions:

• Animal Assisted Play Therapy

• Animal Assisted Therapy

• Directive and Non-Directive Play Therapy

• Parent-Child Play Therapy

• Parenting Skills

• Collaborative Problem Solving

• Sandtray therapy

• Expressive Arts

• Mindfulness Interventions

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

• Bibliotherapy

• Social-Emotional Skills