Welcome to my new practice!

I'm glad you're here. Hi! I’m Colleen, thanks for visiting my page :) I thought I would take a bit of time to introduce myself more than what is on my welcome page. I’m a licensed clinical social worker with a supervisor designation (LCSW-S), registered play therapist, and perinatal therapist. The supervisor designation just means that I can supervise newer licensed social workers (licensed mastered social workers- LMSW) as they work towards becoming fully licensed. I’ve worked with children, and by proxy, their parents almost my entire working life and certainly all of my professional life. 

I take a child centered, whole family approach to therapy with kids. This means that I work to see the world through the eyes of the child and also consider how the child fits into their individual family. My work is rooted in attachment theory which helps me assess the relationship the child has with each parent and even close caregivers. Ideally I work closely with parents because ultimately, it is the parents who have control of the parent/ child relationship, not the child. I think that play therapy is so important for kids to express themselves freely and authentically. Parents’ support and encouragement though will always be more important to children than anyone else’s. As a parent, I know how hard it can be to make even small tweaks in the family routine when considering all the other demands on parents these days. I also know how powerful it is when we give it the attention it deserves.

For adolescents and teens, the same is true, but adolescents often look for a space in therapy to work through their various versions of themselves including parts of them they aren’t quite ready to express to their parents. I love witnessing their vulnerability and growth. It’s just such a vulnerable time, and many of us don’t remember going through it! 

Because I take a child centered approach while also considering and respecting their place in their family, I love family therapy so much. Especially when parent/child dynamics are the presenting issue, this allows me to see in real time what parents are often expressing and then help kids and parents build skills in the moment.  

I never considered moving into the perinatal space but as I’ve worked with kids and their families over the years, I’ve inevitably worked with pregnant and postpartum parents as younger siblings arrive. I had a beautiful pregnancy but my postpartum experience was very difficult and through that, I remember moms of previous clients who I realized in hindsight were experiencing postpartum depression, OCD, and even just having a really hard time adjusting during that time, and I wish I would have had the insight I gained from my own postpartum experience then to support those moms years before.  After my own difficult adjustment to parenthood, I sought further training in perinatal mental health so that I could support birthing parents and their partners through the perinatal period which can be difficult when bringing the first baby into the family or not until the fifth child! Bringing each new child into the family is unique! 

Another area I really appreciate working with is the toddler and preschool years. When I was an embedded therapist in a school district I loved working with my elementary age clients but the days that I got to do family sessions with their younger siblings (specifically 4 year olds!) were so bright to me! That’s what motivated me to move to a child care center as the lead social worker, where I got to work with families of children ages zero to five and any siblings the family included. I LOVE toddlers and preschoolers! But I also know how difficult it can be to parent them as they grow and change and explore and question and assert their independence and autonomy! I love supporting parents of children this age through parenting groups, family therapy, and, if appropriate, individual play therapy. 

I began my private practice to allow myself flexibility to charge a lower out of pocket rate than I had been at a group practice and to begin forming connections with insurance providers to eventually offer mental health care covered by insurance.  If any of the above areas appear to be something that would benefit your family please reach out!