CHILD AND ADOLESCENT THERAPY

I love working with children (and their families) because it is such a rewarding experience. I am amazed to watch a child leave feeling relieved, supported, and looking forward to their next session, after witnessing them come into my office (sometimes kicking, and screaming), feeling fearful, resistant, and uncertain. Children are so resilient, open-minded, and eager to learn. I don’t have to spend a lot of time convincing them to try a new coping skill; they just do it. They’re able to recognize that I’m on their side, and I want to see them succeed in overcoming whatever obstacle is in their way. 

I find it extremely important to partner with parents throughout your child’s therapeutic process. After all, you know your child best. Prior to each session, I ask parents for an update on how your child is doing at home and at school. I also ask if there are any concerns you would like me to address. I then ask your child to join the session. I allow your child to choose whether they would like for you to remain in the session or if they would prefer to meet with me one-on-one. I explain to each child, they are in control of who is permitted to be a part of their session. Once we have established rapport, hopefully your child will feel more comfortable meeting with me individually. My goal is to provide your child with a safe place where they can openly express feelings without fearing how it will be perceived. I am certain you can recall a time when you may not have wanted to share your own feelings with a close family member or friend. 

From the very first session, I will ensure your child understands confidentiality limitations. That means if they tell me they’re going to hurt themselves, hurt someone else, or if someone is hurting them, I am required to inform parents and sometimes others (Children’s Services, law enforcement, etc.) in an effort to keep them safe. I also ensure your child recognizes if there is something important beyond the limits of confidentiality you should know from our session, I will support them by providing a safe place to share that with you. Prior to asking you to rejoin the session, I will review with your child what information will be shared with you. This is again to reassure them our conversations will remain private and confidential. I will not share intimate details of our discussion; only what they are comfortable with me sharing. Most of what I will review with you will consist of the progress your child is making towards their counseling goals, and what I would like for them to work on between sessions. 

I refer to the children and families I work with as “my” because that is how I view them, like they are my own. I feel so honored to be a part of each of every one of “my children’ and “my family’s” journeys, even if it is only for a short while. After all, my goal is not for you and your child to come to therapy forever, it is to give you and your child the skills you need to manage problems or concerns you have on your own. I know that the time I have with you and your child is precious, and hopefully something you will all value in years to come. 

I am interested in working with people dealing with trauma because it’s incredible to witness the amount of growth people can make over time. My faith in humankind has been restored by helping my clients take ownership of their life stories! I help my clients become supported, inspired, and confident enough to share their traumatic journeys with others, such as their families, friends, and support groups. I am delighted to work hard for my clients because my goal is to improve their quality of life. 

Prior to beginning any type of trauma work with you, I will ensure you possess healthy coping skills and strategies needed to manage your symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and or depression. For many clients, this is simply a review of coping skill sets you already have. The problem is that when your emotions take over, it’s often difficulty to remember the coping mechanisms you have in your toolkit. Once we have established rapport and your symptoms have stabilized, trauma work can begin.  

Your left brain performs tasks related to logic and reasoning, while your right brain controls emotion. Often people have difficulty talking about the trauma they’ve experienced. This isn’t necessarily because they don’t want to; it’s because they physically can’t. After a trauma, your left and right brain stop functioning together as a whole. The two sides of your brain begin to fight against itself, meaning your left brain stops communicating properly with your right brain. This reaction is your body trying to protect you from further emotional damage. The work I do as a Certified Trauma Practitioner is to find a safe way to tap into your right brain so that your left and right brain can begin to function together as a whole once again. 

Most people recall a specific image of the traumatic event they experienced that becomes “engrained inside their head.” This is because trauma is very sensory. It’s not unusual to remember the things you saw, smelled, heard, touched and even tasted during the traumatic event. Through engagement in a carefully guided creative process, where the focus is on ensuring client safety, your left brain can let its guard down, enabling the words needed to process the trauma to come. 

Often, the work I do with adults entails utilizing the same methods and workbooks that I utilize with my adolescent clients. This is especially true for an adult who has experienced childhood trauma. When a person experiences a trauma, they can become “stuck” at whatever age they were when that trauma first occurred. This means that although the person is aging chronologically, they are not advancing developmentally, especially in their ability to cope with stress. If this is the case, it becomes necessary to go back and process through their childhood trauma in order to assist them in advancing their coping mechanisms.

Victims believe they have no choice but to have their lives defined by the trauma they experienced. While they are correct in that they can’t change what happened to them, they can choose how they allow it to impact their lives. Survivors choose not to allow their trauma define who they are as a person, instead they view their trauma as only part of their life story, with a lot of life left to live. I would love the opportunity to help you move from feeling victimized to being a survivor. 

Depression and anxiety are uncomfortable, yet very common, emotions that we all experience at one time or another. Whether you can identify what triggered these emotions – such as the loss of a loved one, or a difficult life transition – or have no idea what triggered your depression and/or anxiety, I’m here to support you. Through counseling and treatment, I can help you recover your motivation, perspective, and joy that you once had in your life. 

Unfortunately, stigma surrounding mental health continues to be a contributing factor to why many people don’t seek treatment. I recognize the amount of courage it takes to reach out to someone and admit that you need help. You’re far from being alone; we all need help at some point in our lives, and I want to be there for you.

In order to begin your healing process, it’s important for me to have a better understanding of the severity of your depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. As we begin treatment, I may ask you to complete a depression and or anxiety assessment with me. These help me determine the best treatment approach to take. Often, I repeat these assessments several months into treatment so that you can see the progress you’ve made. 

Often depression and anxiety go hand and hand, or one leads to the other, causing you to feel alone and overwhelmed. I want you to have a better understanding of what stressors trigger your depression and/or anxiety, what symptoms you should watch for, and when you should seek additional help. I don’t want you to have to see me forever; I want you to have the skills you need to manage life on your own. – However, should something come up in the future where you’re having difficulty, please don’t hesitate to reach back out to me. 

Most people use distraction as their main coping strategy; changing your activity, even if just for a little while, can often help to get your mind off what’s bothering you. This could be anything from surfing the web, to binge watching Netflix, to getting lost in your favorite book. While this works temporarily, over time, your stressors continue to build into a sea of problems, where the tiniest raindrop could cause a giant tsunami of avoidance. 

Have you ever been so mad that you ended up crying, in front of someone, making you feel even worse? How about obsessing over every little detail of a project to the point of giving up before you even get started? Anger and anxiety have a lot in common because they’re the two emotions we have where we feel the most out of control. I want to help you expand your toolkit of coping strategies so that you feel more prepared to handle whatever life throws at you.  

Beginning your counseling journey can be intimidating. You may worry about finding the right therapist, someone who won’t judge you;someone who accepts you for who you are and where you’re at in life. Therapy animals do just that; they love unconditionally. They can help you feel safe and comfortable enough to make opening up in your sessions even easier. 

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is defined as a guided interaction between a specifically trained animal and an individual or group – facilitated by the animal’s handler. Animal assisted therapy interactions are intended to improve your mental, social, emotional, and physical functioning. It can involve activities like walking, grooming, petting, playing with, or taking care of the therapy animal. Just like any other therapy, the specifics of an AAT session are based your unique and individual needs. 

Safe Harbor Columbus has two therapy animals. Tipsy is a 2-year-old tuxedo cat born in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Tipsy’s mom and her 4 siblings were fostered by our veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Mahle, in her home with her 3 children since Tipsy was only a week old. Tipsy helps teach visitors the importance of feeling safe in your environment. She usually starts out under the couch, but she warms up quickly (as long as it's on her terms). You'll know you've won her heart when she allows you to feed her treats. 

Chubb is a black Labrador retriever therapy dog in-training. He is attending obedience courses and trying his best to learn the commands to pass his Canine Good Citizen test. Chubb was born on a farm in northeastern Ohio in November 2020. He was raised along with his 3 brothers and 4 sisters in a family with 4 young children. Chubb is a people-lover and wants everyone to be his friend. Chubb was named after Nick Chubb, a running back for the Cleveland Browns. 

Some of the benefits of pet therapy include the following: 

· Release of endorphins (feel-good neurotransmitters)

· Reduced stress and anxiety 

· Improved self-esteem

· Improved mood

· Improved focus and concentration 

· Better communication

· Improved development of mindfulness and the ability to be in the moment

These benefits help to provide you with a more enriching therapy experience. If you are interested in having Tipsy or Chubb be a part of your therapy experience, please let me know. 

Safe Harbor Columbus, LLC is offering telehealth sessions so that you can receive the same quality care as you would during in-person sessions. Most insurance companies cover these therapy visits with the same cost share (copays, deductibles, or co-insurance) as in-person visits. Client sessions are private and offered wherever clients feel the most comfortable. The virtual platform I uses is Simple Practice. It’s convenient, safe, effective, easy to use, and most importantly, HIPAA compliant. 

There are many benefits to utilizing Telehealth. To begin with, there’s the convenience of being able to have your appointment wherever and whenever. Often, people may avoid mental health treatment because they feel like they don’t have the time for it. For people with busy schedules, the flexibility of Telehealth enables them to more easily fit their appointment into a timeframe that works for them. 

Missed appointments can negatively impact your treatment process. With Telehealth, there are many fewer missed appointments. Telehealth eliminates the potential for getting stuck in traffic or being held up at work from interfering with your therapy session. Stuck in traffic? Pull off the road and have your session in the privacy of your vehicle at a park. Supervisor kept you late at work? Use that to your advantage and your office becomes our office for your session. Working from home? You can have your session on your couch, and you’ll never have to step foot outside your door. 

Telehealth also provides you with easy access to therapy. Maybe it’s having a new baby or difficulty finding childcare that is the difference between you making it to your therapy appointment or skipping it. Maybe you’re traveling and can’t meet with me in person. Telehealth allows me to literally meet you wherever you are. 

Consistency and routine can play significant roles in reducing anxiety. Particularly living in Columbus, rush-hour traffic might be a deal breaker when it comes to seeking out therapy. Telehealth counseling eliminates these stress factors. Being able to take your appointment anywhere can allow for increased consistency. Sticking to routinely scheduled appointments can be made possible by the flexibility of location. This routine, in turn, can help to reduce anxiety or other feelings of stress.

Many individuals around the country face mobility problems, or they live in rural areas with limited resources. This could prevent them from seeking and getting the care they need. Telehealth counseling enables me to see anyone living in the state of Ohio, not just Columbus. Please don’t allow your inability to come to the office or living farther away prevent you from getting the care you need and deserve.