My services include psychoeducational and neurocognitive assessments to evaluate intelligence-ability, academic achievement, learning strengths and weaknesses, attention/processing/memory difficulties, behavior disorders, developmental disorders, and psychological/emotional functioning. I also provide individual psychotherapy for children, adolescents, young adults and parent education/counseling.
Treatment specialization includes testing and psychotherapy for:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Learning Disabilities, Underachievement
- Behavior and conduct problems
- Peer relationship problems
- Parent-child relationship difficulties
- Bereavement
I conduct psychoeducational and neurocognitive evaluations. Testing can often uncover underlying neurological, cognitive and/or learning deficits, of which the child often has little control or understanding- this can lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression if not properly diagnosed. Testing also helps assess the child's level of emotional and behavioral functioning to determine an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan for the child.
I use a cognitive-behavioral treatment approach with children, adolescents, and young adults. Cognitive therapy is a research based approach found to be the most effective treatment for depression and anxiety. This approach challenges self-defeating thoughts and negative thinking to help children and teens have a more positive view of themselves and others. One of the goals of this approach is to empower children by helping them learn strategies to manage their emotions and behavior- this in turn has a positive impact on their peer and family relationships. While we can't always change difficult situations, I work with children and teens to help them develop or improve their skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, and assertiveness training, all of which builds their self-confidence and self-esteem. Although I work individually with children, I meet collaterally with parents to encourage them to reinforce and generalize the skills children learn during sessions to real life situations.