Resources
Articles & Parenting Resources
A collection of writing on play therapy, child development, and practical strategies for supporting your child or teen.
Special Time with Teens
I often teach parents of young children about “special time” and advise parents to carve out about twenty minutes a day to play with their child. During th…
ParentingSleep Struggles
So many parents, new and seasoned, have dealt with bedtime or middle of the night crying from their child at least once and for some this is an ongoing str…
ParentingHow is Emotional Regulation Learned
Emotional regulation is the ability to manage one’s feelings. As adults we have trouble with this at times so imagine a child trying to navigate such a hug…
ParentingRepairing the Relationship with Your Child After a Mistake
We hear it all the time… “we all make mistakes, nobody is perfect”. We hear it all the time because it is so true! I was first introduced to the concept of…
ParentingReframing your Child’s Behavior
I believe that as adults we sometimes get stuck in thinking that our children think like adults which is what leads parents to view their children’s acting…
ParentingTransitioning Back to School
It’s that time of year again..summer is coming to a close and school is around the corner. This can be a stressful time for families as summer time may hav…
Play TherapyMake-believe Play
An article found here discusses the importance of old fashioned play time. As a play therapist this is something I am a huge advocate of and yet see it les…
ParentingSummer Scheduling
As summer approaches children are feeling excited about the freedom they will have over the coming months, but parents are often left feeling anxious about…
ParentingKeeping Children Safe
Most of us are familiar with the “stranger danger” campaign which was designed to protect children from sexual abuse. At a recent family gathering, it was …
ParentingEmotional Expression in Children
Teaching children how to express their emotions in appropriate ways is possible. This does not mean that your child will never have a tantrum or behave in …
TeensParenting Tweens
I find a lot of parents struggle to parent their tweens who have “bad attitudes”, are “disrespectful”, and “emotional”. A great article from parenting.com …
ParentingLying..Maybe Not All Bad
A study shows children as young as 2 are capable of telling small lies. The study found 25% of children that age say little lies. It’s not just to cover-up…
ParentingWhy So Many Questions
Early on in my play therapy career I learned that asking questions during a play session with a client is frowned upon. I understood the reasoning behind i…
ParentingWhen to Set Boundaries
Janet Lansbury discusses when to say “yes” to something as a parent versus when to set a boundary in an intriguing article. She says to say “yes” to your c…
ParentingNew Study on Temper Tantrums
An article from Time magazine by Bonnie Rochman discusses a study from the journal “Emotion”. The study found that the vocalizations involved in a tantrum …
ParentingConnecting With Your Child
I recently read a great article from Janet Lansbury called “Don’t Waste an Opportunity to Connect With Your Kids”. The article discusses seven ways we can …
Play TherapyPrinciples of Play Therapy
There are eight principles of play therapy derived from Garry Landreth and Virginia Axline. These are things I like to keep in mind when using play therapy…
Play TherapyTypes of Play Therapy
There are several types of play therapy. I generally work from a couple of models including child-centered play therapy and experiential play therapy. In c…
ADHDADHD: Differential Diagnosis
ADHD is a common diagnosis among children. Prevalence rates range from 3 to 7 percent of children. Due to ADHD being a widely known diagnosis other causes …
Play TherapyIntroduction to Play Therapy
Gary Landreth discusses why play therapy is helpful for children. Children lack the cognitive and verbal abilities to participate in talk therapy. Since pl…
Play TherapyWhy Play is Important
Garry Landreth, a child-centered play therapist, has stated that play is the language of children, toys are their words, and that play is their natural med…
Looking for support, not just reading?
If something here resonates, I’d be glad to help your family in person. Reach out any time.