Approach

Compassion for every child, teen, and family

Customized Treatment

With a warm and flexible approach, I tailor child and teen-centered treatment options to the unique needs of each client.

Furthermore, I honor the parents and family system by:

Gathering information from key family members
Providing parent consultation to help parents support their child
Listening in a nonjudgemental way to unique family circumstances and challenges

Collaborative Care

Sibling Groups and Medication Needs

Ladybug Counseling shares an office suite with additional child therapists and a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Together, we are able to collaborate and coordinate care for sibling groups and medication needs.

Modalities

Play Therapy

In the context of therapy, play leads to understanding, helping children re-establish a sense of balance and well-being.

Play is incredibly important for children as they are not always able to understand and talk about their feelings as adults can.

During play, children can access subconscious and somatic material. Play enables them to recreate experiences and emotional conflicts that are connected to their feelings and impacting their behavior. Play is a natural way for children to rehearse for life.

Play supports:

Cognitive Development
Motor Development
Emotional Development and Resolution

When playing on their own or with friends, play is focused on the first two (cognitive and motor development). When a trained therapist is present and utilizes play techniques within the context of a trusting relationship with the child, play is focused on emotional purposes.

Play therapy leads to greater understanding which helps children update their perspective on life events. This enables them to enjoy activities and relationships more and experience increased self-esteem.

Encouraged to play as they wish, play therapy provides a number of play style options so children may choose the one(s) they are most drawn to. Play options include art, sand, dramatic, and fantasy play.

Advantages of play therapy:

Provides an option for children who are not emotionally ready or able to talk on a cognitive level about their experience
Presents an opportunity to access experiences that are stored in a non-verbal way due to emotional distress that happened before the child could talk
Empowers children to be in control over how they approach their emotional distress leading to a greater sense of safety
Creates a space to connect with children and help them deeply express themselves without words

Ladybug Counseling utilizes Experiential Play Therapy (EPT) developed by Dr. Carol Norton and Dr. Byron Norton of Greeley, Colorado.

Rita completed a week-long intensive EPT training and receives ongoing consultation with Dr. Byron Norton.

"Scientists have recently determined that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain - unless it is done with play, in which case, it takes between 10-20 repetitions." - Dr. Karyn Purvis

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

IFS Therapy empowers children and teens to lead with the best version of themself that is already within them by building a relationship with all of their parts. This framework for long-term emotional well-being is adaptable to many situations.

Moreover, IFS Therapy provides an opportunity to welcome interaction with all thoughts, body sensations, behaviors, and feelings in a non-judgmental way.

By welcoming the whole self in a warm environment, children and teens learn how to be with emotions in a compassionate way rather than working to get rid of them or change them.

In collaborating with their parts, children and teens are able to help parts change the roles they take on and address their needs in alternate ways.

IFS as part of the Ladybug Counseling approach

If a child or teen seems drawn to the idea of parts, I utilize IFS in our sessions. Sometimes I use it for the full session and other times I use in conjunction with other modalities.

IFS for Children

I often introduce IFS to children with the Inside Out characters (Joy, Anger, Sadness, Fear, and Disgust). Inside Out provides a quick and easy way for children to relate to the concept that we all have different characters or parts inside of us that get big and even take over at times.

I give children the choice to have time with parts. I invite them to bring their internal experience to life in a way that is fun and engaging. They may use toys, the sand tray, or art to create their parts and the worlds their parts live in. This enables us to explore their worlds in a tangible way.

IFS for Teens

I introduce IFS to most teens and empower them to choose how much they would like to incorporate it in their sessions.

Teens are able to participate in IFS for longer periods of time and are more equipped to do work internally. They may use art and sand tray work as well.

Advantages of IFS Therapy:

Provides a framework in which one can compassionately identify, understand, and validate parts that show up in various behaviors, feelings, and roles
Shift behavior by acknowledging parts and interacting with them in different ways
Meet the needs of parts in new ways (ex: helping a part that leads with anger outbursts to feel seen and explore possibilities for other forms of expression)
Shows children and teens that they aren't bad and no parts of them need to be pushed aside or tossed out
Gives parents and children a common language when discussing emotional experiences
Helps reduce shame around challenges and experiences
Embraces the natural multiplicity of the mind (ie: wanting to do two things at once or believing two things at the same time)
Supports increased self-esteem, well-being, and belief in one's capabilities
Establishing a belief that every part (what we think, do, and feel) has a positive intention for us, even if it doesn't appear that way on the surface
Empowers individuals to develop a deeper sense of awareness and authentic self-love

IFS Therapy was developed by Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy

EMDR gives children and teens tools to help them feel safe, strong, protected, and confident. Especially useful for processing a traumatic event or recurring challenge, EMDR helps dial down emotional intensity to a more comfortable level.

In summary, EMDR shows children and teens how to pay attention to the storytellers of the body — the heart, mind, and body.

EMDR empowers individuals to recognize their internal experience and learn the difference between thoughts, emotions, and body sensations plus the importance of all three.

Teens are more able to follow a traditional EMDR approach but art, sand tray, and other play-based activities help make EMDR more relatable, engaging, and effective for children and teens alike.

Advantages of EMDR Therapy:

Supports children and teens in feeling a greater sense of peace regarding previous traumatic events such as sexual abuse, the death of a family member, or a surgery
Useful for a variety of concerns including anxiety, performance, depression, stress, and chronic pain
Reduction in fear, sadness, distress and other emotions around present-day triggers (ie: fear in car following a car accident)
Aids children and teens in breaking up an event into manageable chunks
Helps children and teens think about/hold space for an event with less emotional charge
Provides tools including Safe Place and Allies where children can feel empowered
Can help eliminate nightmares
Works well in conjunction with IFS Therapy and Play Therapy
Easily adaptable for a variety of ages

EMDR Therapy is an evidence-based therapy modality developed by Francine Shapiro. Learn more about EMDR.

Curious to see if Ladybug Counseling may be a good fit for your child or teen? I welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

Schedule a phone consultation