+ 1 (415) 729-5901
VIRTUAL & IN PERSON APPOINTMENTS (San Francisco & Burlingame/Hillsborough)
If you're seeking support for your child, you're not alone. Together as a team, we can help your child reach their full potential and lead a happier, healthier life.
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If you are facing any of these problems with your child, I am here to help.
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1. Emotional Dysregulation: Intense mood swings, frequent tearfulness, excessive worry, or expressions of sadness or hopelessness beyond what is typical for the child's age may signal emotional distress.
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2. Academic Struggles: Persistent academic difficulties, learning disabilities, or challenges with attention and concentration may indicate the need for assessment and support from a therapist.
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3. Behavioral Problems: Persistent disruptive behavior, aggression, defiance, or difficulty following rules at home or school can prompt parents to seek help.
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4. Anxiety Disorders: Excessive fears, phobias, separation anxiety, or panic attacks that interfere with the child's daily functioning and well-being may require intervention from a therapist.
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5. Depression: Persistent low mood, lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, and thoughts of self-harm or suicide should be taken seriously and may necessitate therapy.
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6. Trauma and PTSD: Children who have experienced traumatic events such as abuse, neglect, accidents, the loss of a significant other, or natural disasters may exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and benefit from trauma-focused therapy.
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7. Social Difficulties: Persistent difficulties in making and maintaining friendships, social isolation, or being the target of bullying may indicate underlying social skills deficits or emotional struggles.
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8. Family Changes or Stressors: Events such as divorce, parental conflict, relocation, or the death of a loved one can significantly impact a child's emotional well-being and may necessitate therapy to cope with the changes.
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11. Physical Symptoms with No Medical Explanation: Complaints of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or fatigue that have no clear medical cause may be a sign of underlying emotional distress or somatic symptom disorder.
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These presenting issues may vary in severity and duration, but they all indicate potential emotional, behavioral, or developmental concerns. Over more than 20 years, I have helped children and parents overcome and/or manage these types of difficulties.
I integrate a Child-Centered approach with evidence-based approaches to help your child such as EMDR & PCIT.
Work with Parents
Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based behavior parent training treatment for young children with emotional and behavioral disorders that places emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns. Children and their caregivers are seen together in PCIT.
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Defiance
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Verbal and/or physical aggression
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Destruction of property
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Hyperactivity
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Attention difficulties
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Difficulty listening to instructions
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Anxiety
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Frequent temper tantrums
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Whining or crying for no apparent reason
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Constantly seeking attention
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Format: PCIT is based on many of the same theoretical underpinnings as other parent training models. However, the treatment format differs from many other behavior parent training programs that take more of a didactic approach to working with families. Specifically, parents are initially taught relationship enhancement or discipline skills that they are actually going to be practicing in session and at home with their child.
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In subsequent sessions, most of the session time is spent coaching caregivers in the application of specific therapy skills. Therapists typically coach from an observation room with a one-way mirror into the playroom, using a “bug-in-the-ear” system for communicating to the parents as they play with their child.
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More recent advances in technology have allowed for coaching via video feed from another room or the comfort of your home which has reduced the need for adjoining clinical spaces. Concluding each session, the therapist and caregiver together decide which skills to focus on most during daily 5-minute home practice sessions the following week.