For parents

Show this one to your kids

Our counselors at The Heart Leaf Center have expertise in helping families work through these and many other of life’s challenges.

Here are just a few of the issues we help families with every day:

• ADD/ADHD
• Adoption and Attachment issues
• Anxiety/Separation Anxiety
• Behaviors at Home and School
• Bullying
• Depression
• Divorce Impact
• Emotional Regulation
• Grief
• Parent/Child Relationship Issues
• Peer relationships
• Self Esteem
• Self-Harm
• Sleep issues
• Tantrums

Parents usually contact us for help when they feel like they have tried everything and are out of ideas, or their child’s school or pediatrician may suggest counseling which may help them find solutions to the challenges their child is facing.

A Little Bit About Getting Started
For children up to 12, the first meeting we schedule is a parent meeting. This parent meeting is called the Intake and is usually 1 to 1.5 hours.

The purpose of this meeting is for us to meet each other, go over the reason for the referral, and gather background information. This will be helpful in putting together a plan to help your child.

The next session is typically for 45 minutes.

We meet with you and your child for part of the time and if your child is comfortable we will meet with them the remainder of the session alone.

We then meet with your child for the next 2 sessions to get to know them, build trust and assess what the issues are and how we can proceed in treating them.

If needed, we will contact your child’s school with permission or other professionals working with your child.

For the 5th session we then schedule a parent meeting to discuss what we have learned about your child and discuss a treatment plan.

Some children are very conversational and are ready to express their thoughts and concerns with words.

However, many are not able to do this and act out what’s bothering them through behavior. This can take the form of bullying, withdrawing from others, temper tantrums, hitting, etc.

This is where Play Therapy provides a window into their world and helps to bridge the gap between the problem behaviors and expressing them through language.

As trained child therapists, we find that play therapy interventions, including art, sand tray and play are extremely beneficial to many children in addressing and resolving what’s troubling them.

We also use traditional therapies as well in working with children such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT).

It is important to remember that many problem behaviors might have persisted over time, and it often takes patience and a spirit of teamwork to develop new behavior patterns.

Very young children use their natural language—play—to communicate and to resolve troubling issues, just as adults use words.

For children, toys and other therapeutic activities become the words and the play becomes their language.

Even highly verbal children may struggle with resolving difficulties using only the tool of their words.

On the other hand, children may use no words at all and do volumes of work through play during a single session.

In a safe and playful environment, the therapeutic relationship becomes the space where new learning, healthy coping and problem solving develops.

Our therapists partner closely with parents/caregivers, who are the most important people in a child’s life.

We work diligently to address troubling issues while also allowing the child to work at their own pace, so therapy can be as successful as possible.

One of the primary ways we work with children is through therapeutic play.

Play therapy helps children:

• To become more responsible for their behaviors and their choices
• To develop new and creative solutions to problems
• To develop respect and acceptance of themselves and others
• To grow in experiencing and expressing emotions in healthy ways
• To cultivate empathy for others
• To learn new social skills
• To learn to ask for, and receive help and feel more confident doing so
• To grow in a sense of inner security and confidence

The Association for Play Therapy defines play therapy as: “the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psycho-social difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.”

In play therapy, toys are like the child’s words and play is the child’s language (Landreth, 2002).

Types of Play Therapy:

• Child Centered
• Theraplay
• Directive Play
• Sand Tray
• Bibilotherapy

• Are you worried about your teenager’s choices?
• Are you concerned that your teen is unhappy or stressed about school?
• Do you worry that your teen doesn’t have friends, has trouble keeping friends, or is hanging out with the wrong crowd?
• Or, your teen may be in the throes of high-risk behaviors (substance use/abuse, promiscuity, sexting, cutting, etc.) that have become a pattern.

Being a teen is a challenging job…AND… so is being the parent of a teen!

Sometimes it’s hard to sort out what is typical teen behavior from worrisome teen behavior.

Even kids with great support systems may struggle with feelings of isolation, sadness and hidden anxieties.

We can help you with these issues and will partner with you, the parents, to help balance your teen’s growing need for independence with creative and supportive ways of parenting.

Whether it is navigating school pressures, peer issues, feelings of depression and anxiety, anger issues, shifting family situations or something else, teens receive individualized support tailored to their situations.

A Little Bit about Getting Started
We find it helpful to meet with the parents and the teen together for the first session. If you are having trouble getting your teen to come to counseling we can meet with you alone and help with strategies to help your teen to come to counseling.

The first session is typically 1 hour. The next sessions may last for 45-60 minutes.

We meet with you and your teen for part of the time.

We develop a plan after the first session and using a variety of treatment modalities in working with children and families, we’ll use the information and goals discussed in the initial session to tailor the plan to your family.

We may contact your teen’s school (with your permission) and assist with any school issues.

We also will work collaboratively with other professionals who may be involved with your teen.

We engage in talk therapy with teens, but sometimes when teens aren’t comfortable talking we use alternative methods to help them work through their problems. We find that using other therapeutic interventions, including art and sand therapy are extremely beneficial to allow them additional tools to work through and address concerns.

What is Expressive Therapy?
Expressive Therapy is appropriate for children, pre-teens, and teens. Expressive therapy utilizes creative approaches to help children and teens process thoughts and feelings that are hard to put into words. Expressive therapy can be used on its own or along with talk therapy.

Types of Expressive Therapy:

• Art
• Music
• Movement
• Writing

It is important to remember that just as troublesome behaviors may have persisted over time it will take time to develop new behavior patterns and improved relationships.

Sometimes life’s challenges become overwhelming.

We provide a caring, supportive atmosphere to help you figure out what you want, set goals and support you in making the needed changes for life to be less stressful and more happy.

Usually the first step-reaching out is the hardest one.

We recognize the courage it takes to seek help and work with you to make the sessions as helpful as possible.

Similar to other relationships, building a therapeutic relationship is a process.

A Little Bit about Getting Started
At the first session, your therapist invites you to discuss your concerns, relevant background information and what you are hoping to achieve from this process. Together, you will develop a working relationship based on your goals.

Sessions are typically 45-60 minutes, but some people request longer sessions. Weekly sessions are most helpful, especially at first. If a person is in extreme distress, they may benefit from more than one session weekly until the crisis passes.

Many people find that therapy helps them grow personally, improve their relationships, address family concerns and bring calming strategies to the hassles of daily life.

In some ways, the therapy process is similar to trying on “new lenses” to see oneself and others from new vantage points. This in turn empowers the change process, opening up opportunities for growth and progress.

Theraplay is a type of Family play therapy using play to build and enhance attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement. It is based on the natural patterns of playful, healthy interactions between the parent and child which is personal, physical, and fun.

Theraplay interactions focus on four essential qualities found in parent-child relationships:

• Structure
• Engagement
• Nurture
• Challenge

Theraplay sessions create an active, emotional connection between the child and parent or caregiver, resulting in feeling worthy and lovable and relationships as positive and rewarding.

In treatment, the Theraplay therapist guides the parent and child through playful, fun games, developmentally challenging activities, and tender, nurturing activities.

The very act of engaging each other in this way helps the parent regulate the child’s behavior and communicate love, joy, and safety to the child. It helps the child feel secure, cared for, connected and worthy.

Theraplay is beneficial to children struggling with:

• Shy, withdrawn, or clingy behavior
• Acting-out, angry, or disruptive behavior
• Defiant, oppositional or controlling behavior
• Behavioral problems at school or with peers
• Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Developmental disorders such as Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders
• A history of trauma, abuse, or neglect
• Attachment disorder due to adoption or multiple changes in living arrangements
• A history of social deprivation due to living in an institution
• Psychological trauma due to medical care or serious illness

To learn more about Theraplay, watch this video.
To learn more about Play Therapy, watch this video.

Family Therapy for all types of families (e.g., traditional, blended, same-sex, adopted, step, single, etc.). We utilize Play based therapies to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

Collaborative relationship between the parent and provider with the goal of helping parents problem solve strategies to improve mood, reinforce more effective behaviors, and strengthen the relationship between parent and child.

Telemental Health is a therapist or counselor providing psychological counseling and support over the internet through video conferencing. There are potential benefits and risks of video-conferencing (e.g. limits to client confidentiality) that differ from in-person sessions.