Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About the Therapy Process
What ages do you work with?
I work with ages 4 - 21.
Do you have a specialty?
I work with children and teens with a variety of presenting concerns including behavioral challenges, anxiety, depression, adjustments to life events, and so much more. I have a deep passion to help children and teens who have experienced trauma. I have experience working with individuals who have been in involved with Child Protective Services and the foster care system.
What does a therapy session look like?
First, you’ll start with an intake assessment. This first appointment is exploring together with parent(s) and/or other involved grown up(s) in a child’s life and your child to gather information to best help me know how to work with your child. This includes exploring concerns and strengths of your child and then together we will create a plan of treatment on how to best help your child and family. An intake assessment will last typically around an hour. Following the intake appointment, therapy sessions will be scheduled on a reoccurring basis weekly or every other week and last for about 55 minutes.
How long until therapy is completed?
This depends. Therapy is unique to each individual and the presenting concerns. Each client is unique and has their own readiness for therapy. For some it could be 4-8 sessions and for others it could be ongoing for many weeks, or even years. For some clients they come, accomplish their goals at the time and then take a break and come back again when they are needing some more support again. Therapy is designed to fit each individual and that means it looks different for each person who attends.
Will I be included as a parent/involved caregiver in my child’s therapy sessions?
This is unique to each client and depends upon many of the reasons you are seeking therapy for your child. I do welcome parents to attend and offer a “check in” at the beginning of session for a quick update. I welcome working with those involved in your child’s life in the best ways that I can to help support your child. Some caregivers are include in sessions regularly, while others choose to provide their child their space, and often it is a combination of both depending on a variety of factors from appointment to appointment.
I am also trained in FECT (Familial Encouraging Connection Therapy) which is a series of 10-12 instructional sessions that come with structured homework assignments for parents/caregivers to (a) explore their own attitudes and experiences with play; (b) learn and practice basic non-directive play therapy skills that they can use when building a strong connection with their child/children; (c) explore their own rules about children, play, and parenting/caregiving; and (d) learn new tools for deepening their understanding of children’s behaviors and personalities as a way for them to better understand their child and enhance their ability to provide emotional support to their child/children. If you are interested in learning more about this group, reach out and see about parenting supports as these groups are run in small groups with other parents/caregivers for supports as well.
Do you see siblings?
It depends. This depends most often on the presenting concern for starting therapy and if sibling relationships are a significant impact in the concerns with initiating therapy. One of the most important factors with therapy is to remember that it is confidential. This means that what each child chooses to do and share within session is confidential and is not shared with the other sibling in their session. Siblings then get to choose if they want to share what they do in session with one another, just as any individual gets to choose if they share and what they share about their therapy experience with anyone in their life. So long as each sibling is made aware of this and they are included in the decision of if this is the best decision for this family, I am comfortable to talk with you more about how this could look for your family.
What if you do not accept my insurance?
I understand that without insurance, seeking therapy services may be out of your financial abilities. Insurance dictates much of each individual’s care. If I do not accept your insurance, please let me know so we can discuss options for private pay or to find a referral option that accepts your insurance panel.
What if we meet and it is not a good fit?
I welcome feedback at any time throughout the therapy process to ensure that the focus is on helping you achieve what you and your child are seeking from the therapy process. I understand that I am not the right fit for everybody’s needs in therapy. If this is a concern, please share this with me at any time via email, phone or in person so that I can help you to find a better fit for you and your child. I want therapy to be successful for all individuals and families and this includes helping to find the best fit for you/your child.
Do you have current openings?
This depends. Openings happen as clients discharge to ensure that I am able to provide you and your child the time needed to devote to therapy. Once a current client discharges from therapy, their appointment time will be made available to a new client. If the schedule is full, a waitlist will be utilized and openings will be offered to those who are on my waitlist. It is likely that if a spot becomes available, it will be a morning or day time spot. While this might not be ideal, this is the most likely option to get started and then I will let you know when there is time open to move to a later time as a spot becomes available.
Do you have afternoon or after school availability?
Yes, I do have afternoon and after school appointments. I understand this time is coveted for clients of all ages. These spots are highly coveted and fill up first on my schedule. Afternoon appointment openings are offered to current clients first, then to new clients if they are still available.
My child or myself saw you in the past and we would like to meet with you again. Do you see former clients?
Yes. I understand that therapy is beneficial for all, and not needed at all times throughout one’s life. I encourage those who are doing well to take breaks from therapy and return as needed. If this return is with me, it is welcomed. Returning clients move to the top of my waitlist if there are no current openings at the time you are ready to resume therapy.
What is your cancellation policy?
I understand that things come up and that life is messy. I ask that you be respectful of my time as well as your own. My policy states that you need to contact my office via phone or email at minimum 5 hours prior to the start of your scheduled session. This can hopefully allow me a chance to get clients scheduled that might be waiting for a time that day or week that otherwise will not have services.
I understand sickness and emergencies do not often allow for this type of time frame, so I ask you let me know as soon as you know if sickness or an emergency arises. If no showing or continual cancellations become an area of concern for you, you will lose your reoccurring spot on my calendar and that time will be made available to clients who are able to attend more consistently. If the reason for cancellations is due to a scheduling conflict or not feeling the need to meet as frequently as you are scheduled, please talk with me about this to try and ensure the best options for you and your child. I want this time to be the best use of your time as that is what will make therapy the most successful.
Resources
What is play therapy?
Play therapy is not simply just playing with a child while in a talk therapy session. Play therapy is a model designed to utilize a child’s natural language of play to communicate while in the therapy setting. In order for one to be a Registered Play Therapist™ they must take play therapy trainings, gain play therapy clinical experience, and complete supervision with a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™. I have been a Registered Play Therapist™ since October 2020 and I became Certified in Adlerian Play Therapy in December 2022. If you are interested, you can learn more about play therapy from the Association of Play Therapy at https://www.a4pt.org/
What is Adlerian Play Therapy?
Adlerian Play Therapy is an evidenced based training modality for working with individuals. Adlerian Play Therapy is one of many different theories or models that a play therapist can utilize in their work with children. Adlerian Play Therapy can be utilized with children as well as teens and adults. What drew me towards Adlerian Play Therapy is that it is a model that looks at each individual as a whole while paying attention to all the aspects that make up one’s life including family, friendship, self, spirituality/existential, and school. Adlerian Play Therapy works to encourage kids and to help them gain a sense of awareness of their own patters of communication and behaviors. With time, Adlerian Play therapy helps individuals to gain insight into these patterns in their life to be able to enact change. I would love to share more with you about Adlerian Play Therapy if you’re interested.
What is trauma?
Trauma is subjective to each individual and can look like many different things. Often trauma can be summarized into something that has happened in one’s life that happened too fast, too much or not enough. There is no exhaustive list of what trauma could look like and often it includes witnessing or experiencing any of the following: abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance use in the family, a family member being incarcerated, being bullied, someone in the home with a chronic mental illness, death, family illness, natural disasters, accidents, poverty, homelessness.
What is your experience and training background?
I worked as a school based mental health therapist and a summer camp group therapist from July 2018 through September 2020 in North West Iowa. I worked with children often involved with Child Protective Services and families with generational trauma. During the summers, I continued to see clients from my caseload while providing therapy groups at a camp offered by my agency. From there, I transitioned to a group private practice in Sioux Falls, SD where I worked from October 2020 through June 2023 providing care to children, teens and their families before branching out into my own private practice.
I am certified in Adlerian Play Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I completed training, clinical experience and supervision and became a Registered Play Therapist™ in September of 2020. In April 2021, I began my training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). I have sought additional training in EMDR to use this model with the children and teens that I work with. I have since completed Ana Gómez's EMDR Child Specialist Certificate Intensive Program, EMDR Parent, Child & Attachment Specialist Intensive Program and EMDR Sandtray Specialist Certificate Intensive Program.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy was developed by Francie Shapiro to help reduce distressing symptoms of trauma for individuals with PTSD utilizing bilateral movements of the body to help the individual to adequately process the traumatic event(s) that have happened in their life. EMDR can be a helpful tool to use with children and teens in collaboration with play therapy. With additional training, a therapist is able to utilize EMDR therapy with children and teens to help them to work through the traumatic and/or stressful events that have happened in their life.
Ana M Gómez is internationally known for her innovative work with children and adolescents and the use of EMDR Therapy. Ana has developed seven Advanced Workshops around the use of EMDR Therapy and trains therapist world wide. If you are interested, you can learn more about EMDR with children and teens at https://www.anagomez.org/what-emdr-kids/
What is TF-CBT?
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) was developed by Drs. Anthony Mannarino, Judith Cohen and Esther Deblinger and is an evidence-based treatment for treating individuals who have experienced trauma. TF-CBT provides a child with psychoeducation and understanding of trauma, education around feelings, cognitions, and behaviors, normal reactions to trauma, and coping skills needed for an individual to feel prepared to process the traumatic events that have happened.
Are therapists mandatory reporters?
Yes, by law therapist are mandatory reporters. Mandatory reporters must report to the State Department of Social Services concerns of abuse or neglect that are disclosed of children under 18 years of age or dependent adults.