Children are wonderful, and they are our greatest teachers. Research shows a strong link between secure attachment in childhood and increased resilience in the face of adversity – both in childhood and throughout life. A strong relationship with the children entrusted to us is fostered by consistent, responsive caregiving. It provides a foundation of emotional security that enables children to better cope with stress, build positive relationship, and navigate challenging situations with skills such as emotional regulation.
What happens then, when we, as parents, caregivers, or educators, struggle with our own emotional regulation and find the tricky parts of childhood overstimulating, overwhelming, and unmanageable?
My approach supports the integration of mind and body by bringing awareness to the surface while engaging in one’s thoughts, beliefs, inner strengths, and resources. I am actively involved in sessions with curiosity and compassion bringing my experience as a classroom teacher, high school counselor, parent, and therapist into the room. I will help clients with practical tools for regulation that can be applied immediately as a way to foster secure attachment within themselves and with their child.
How I do therapy…
Some sessions are entirely spent talking, while other sessions may include movement, art-making, music, and/or various other expressive and experiential modalities. How we work depends on what the client needs and what tools would be most useful in the moment. In most sessions, while there is a story to talk about, we focus on the here-and-now experience to bring awareness of the present sensations and feelings into the session. I believe that it is through this kind of dynamic engagement that the most overwhelming moments with our children will become more tolerable as we learn and recognize what is being activated for the client in the tricky moments involving big emotions with our children. My role can be described as a "compassionate witness" who facilitates self-awareness in the individual and supports learning of what is happening within one’s self, so that the client can then be aware and present to strengthen their relationship with their children.
