For 15 years of clinical practice, I have had the opportunity to specialize in Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health and Development for children birth – 6 years old, and Perinatal Mental Health during the prenatal and postpartum periods. My clinical background and therapeutic approach are rooted in psychodynamic principles and attachment-based interventions.
Specialties:
- Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health, Development, and Behavior (Birth – 6 years old)
- Neurodiversity, Autism, and ADHD
- Parenting Support
- Early Attachment Relationships
- Perinatal Mental Health (Prenatal and Postpartum)
Early Childhood Therapy
Play Therapy: Play therapy provides a unique environment where children are given the opportunity to increase self-awareness and self-confidence, understand their thoughts and feelings, become more resilient and adaptable, learn to manage big emotions in healthy ways, develop age-appropriate coping skills, and adjust to life events and transitions. I observe and reflect on the themes that emerge in child-directed play to explore the unconscious thoughts that may be contributing to a young child’s behavior, and utilize these themes to guide the therapeutic work.
Child-Parent Play Therapy: Play therapy sessions with children under 5 years old are often dyadic, meaning both parent and child are present in the room. The goal is to support attachment and attunement, strengthen the parent-child relationship, and promote optimal social-emotional development for young children. A space is created for both children and parents to develop tools together to co-regulate, and to learn how to experience and express emotions rather than becoming overwhelmed by them. The resulting co-construction of new behavior patterns supports long lasting, growth-promoting changes in the parent-child relationship.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT): PCIT is a structured treatment program that addresses challenging behaviors in young children, 2-6 years old. PCIT focuses on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship, while decreasing negative behavior patterns and increasing joy in parenting. I observe parent-child interactions and use in-the-moment coaching to teach positive parenting skills and behavior management techniques. The goal is to create a supportive environment that decreases parental frustration and increases feelings of safety, security, and connection between parent and child.
Play-Based Developmental Therapy: Play is essential to the development of young children. Play-based developmental therapy is beneficial for children who do not yet have age-appropriate play skills, as well as for children who do not know how to play at all. The goal is to teach children to use play as a means of communication, to create meaning, and to express their needs. We work to develop the play skills necessary for learning, increase verbalizations, improve cooperative problem-solving strategies, reduce aggression, increase innovation, and increase imaginativeness. Play-based developmental therapy is appropriate for a wide range of children including, but not limited to, children with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities, neurobehavioral disorders, neurodiversity, and autism spectrum disorders. Parents are involved every step of the way and are often included in the playroom.
Perinatal Mental Health
Perinatal Psychotherapy: We often hear that the bond between parent and infant is instant, or that being a parent is instinctual, breastfeeding will come easily and naturally, parents will instantly fall in love with their baby, or that parents should innately “know” each of their baby’s cries and cues. These are all socially constructed assumptions and can contribute to, or worsen, perinatal depression and anxiety. Some parents do not immediately experience this feeling of bonding with their baby, some may be frustrated or overwhelmed by parenting, some are easily distressed when their baby fusses or cries, and some parents may experience ambivalence, anger, or resentment. Sometimes parents simply feel stressed and overwhelmed. Perinatal psychotherapy is available to all parents at every stage, from contemplating pregnancy through the first two years postpartum, and every phase in-between. I work with mothers, fathers, and non-birthing parents.
Parent-Infant Psychotherapy: My training as both a Perinatal Mental Health Specialist and an Infant Mental Health Specialist provides me a unique perspective and understanding of how perinatal anxiety and depression affects both parent AND baby, and the importance of including baby in treatment, when appropriate. Parent-Infant Psychotherapy (PIP) values a parent’s experience of their baby while simultaneously supporting parental mental health, promoting infant attachment, and coping and healing in the context of the infant-parent relationship. PIP is beneficial for parents with current or past perinatal depression and anxiety, birth trauma or trauma during the neonatal period, separation in the neonatal period, parents who have experienced loss of another infant or child, and parents who have experienced childhood trauma. PIP can also help parents who are experiencing challenges transitioning to parenthood, caring for a very fussy baby, having difficulty reading baby’s cues, or even feeling like they are not bonding with their baby.
Parenting Support & Parent Coaching: We know that every child is different, and they don’t come with individual instruction manuals. Sometimes we need concrete support to understand and develop new skills and strategies for addressing child behavior and development, without requiring play therapy or other longer-term psychotherapy models. Parent consultations provide an opportunity to gain insight and knowledge on a variety of topics related to parenting young children and offer practical tools and strategies to parent more effectively. I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, and I tailor services to reflect your family’s values and goals. Through parenting support and short-term coaching, my goal is to increase parents’ feelings of confidence and competence caring for their baby, toddler, or pre-school age child.
Education and Training: I completed a dual degree for my graduate coursework, earning my MSW in Clinical Practice from Hunter College, with a concentration in psychodynamic psychotherapy, and my MSEd from Bank Street College of Education, in Infant-Parent Development and Early Intervention. I hold an Infant Mental Health Endorsement (IMH-E®) as a Clinical Mentor and a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) in psychotherapy and perinatal loss. I am a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), where I utilize an infant/perinatal mental health approach when addressing breastfeeding challenges. I am also trained in Parent-Infant Psychotherapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), FASCETS Treatment for Neurobehavioral Disorders and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy.
