Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about your work experience?
A: Following graduation from my Bachelor of Arts degree, I began my career in social work as a Foster Care case manager as I also continued my education by working on my MSW. I found that I enjoyed working with children and families and made a decision to focus on this population. I was engaged in the Victims of Crime Act program for my Master’s level internship where I worked with children that had been sexually abused and their non-perpetrating parent(s). From this experience I began to understand the importance of non-traditional therapy for these children and after graduating with my MSW I began to work on earning my credentials to become a Registered Play Therapist. I continued working with children and families in therapy and discovered that play therapy provided a safe, nurturing environment where children could express themselves in their own way through the language of play.
After approximately 10 years of working with children in therapy my life circumstances required a more flexible schedule and an unplanned opportunity presented itself and I changed focus and began working in the field of medical social work through Munson Home Care. Having attended a private, vocational program to become a Medical Assistant following high school, I was somewhat knowledgeable of medical terms/issues and was comfortable moving into this area. I was involved with Munson Home Care for about 4 years and then transitioned over to Chronic Care Management where I continued my work as a medical social worker in a palliative care setting. After some time I was again presented with an unplanned opportunity to switch over to the role of Care Manager for a large medical practice. I worked in this capacity for about 2 years and began to realize that while I enjoyed working with adults I really missed working with children and families and so began the next leg of my journey with Adaptive Counseling to again take up Play Therapy and working with children as well as traditional therapy with adults.
Q: What drew you to this profession?
A: I have to say that I had never really planned to become a therapist. I was a “late bloomer” in terms of starting my professional career and while I had a year of college following graduation from high school, I then got married and had a family of 4 children. When my children were young I took a class or 2 at a time at NMC but did not pursue my degree full time until my children were teenagers. I had originally planned on something else, but the program that opened up at the time I wanted to return to college was Family Life Education, so I signed up. Within a couple of months of study, I realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life, and I have been working with children and families ever since.
Q: Have you had any special training during your career?
A: I have been credentialed in Play Therapy through the Association for Play Therapy and have studied the Marschak Interaction Model (MIM) at the Theraplay Institute. The MIM is a model used to perform bonding assessments between children and their caregivers. It can be very useful in determining levels of attachment.
Q: Can you tell me more about your experience with Play Therapy? And the benefits of Play Therapy?
A: I conducted play therapy for approximately 10 years with children who had experienced abuse and/or neglect as well as issues of anxiety, depression, behavior and attachment issues. Play therapy works for children because due to their level of brain development, they are unable to engage successfully in traditional talk therapy. Play is a universal language for children and they are able to express themselves through play in meaningful ways that helps them to process their feelings. It is also about the relationship between the play therapist and the child as the child learns to feel safe within the environment of the playroom which enhances their ability to work through their issues.
Q: What areas of counseling are you passion about?
A: I feel strongly about providing assistance to children and adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression and other issues that lower the quality of their lives. I utilize Play Therapy, Mindfulness, CBT and Narrative therapy to assist clients in developing coping skills that will hopefully lead them to discover their true potential for enjoying their lives.
Q: What do you think someone who is considering seeing you for counseling should know about you?
A: I strive to provide a supportive, non-judgmental environment where clients can feel safe and empowered to make changes in their lives.