Specializing in Relationship Enhancement
Parents and Kids
Couples
As a Registered Play Therapist, I have experience and training in helping children better understand their emotional world through play therapy. Play is an amazing tool that comes naturally to children as they try to understand their world and their place in it. As a play therapist, I provide a warm, supportive environment for your child to express their problems in safe and manageable ways, while providing the conditions they need to feel more secure. Play therapy research shows that the best treatment outcomes are directly connected to parental involvement in therapy, so I make sure to take a supportive role in helping parents feel more confident and in control.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Sue Johnson and it is now considered to be the most effective form of couples therapy with about 75-80% of couples experiencing a reduction in relationship distress after 8-25 sessions. Not only that, but the majority of couples who engage in this form of therapy actually stay well after treatment ends because once they learn how to build a new secure bond with their partner, it’s a powerful and unforgettable experience. Adult love relationships are built on attachment bonds that are actually as essential to us as air, food and water!
Individuals
Whether you’re 18, 88 or anywhere in between, there are so many good reasons to seek out therapy. Perhaps you are wanting to handle your emotions more effectively, to understand yourself better, and to learn WHY you do what you do. The best explanation of therapy I’ve heard lately is a “safe adventure” (a wonderful term coined by the late Sue Johnson, founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy). Within the safety of the therapeutic relationship, people are able to see themselves and their relationships in new ways, and take healthy risks, both big and small.
About Me
Hi! I’m Allison. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Play Therapist. Just like you, I’m sometimes overworked; an occasional worry-wart; I try hard to be “good enough” (whatever the heck that means) and sometimes I don’t always get it right with the people in my life who matter most. I certainly don’t have it all perfect, but I know how to help myself when I get stuck. Through my own personal experience in therapy, and my clinical training, I’ve learned the power of attachment and the benefit of turning to others in times of distress. We all feel inadequate, not good enough, or even “too much” at times! What I love about being a therapist is that I get to give people new experiences around turning to and trusting others, learning to be safely vulnerable, and developing a more secure sense of self. The best explanation of therapy I’ve heard lately is a “safe adventure” (a wonderful term coined by the late Sue Johnson, founder of EFT), meaning that you get to take small risks with another person, with the potential for a big reward – building better bonds with those who matter most to you!