Tel: 970-460-8015
A Little Bit About Tracy
Parenting is DIFFICULT. Navigating the meltdowns, school challenges, parent-child conflict, separation anxiety, discipline, child anxiety, and behavioral challenges can be exhausting. Finding the right tools to support your child can feel impossible, or at best, extremely time consuming and overwhelming. You do not have to tackle this alone. I am here to help!
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A little bit about me:
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I’ve been all over the world but was born in Canada (eh?!). I’ve been working with kids in some capacity for the last 20 years. In a former life I was a kindergarten teacher, nanny, ABA behavior therapist, and children’s crisis counselor. In the last five years, I have been working in private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor. I am also a Registered Play Therapist and a Certified Sand Tray therapist with a Masters degree in mental health counseling.
Also, full disclosure, I’ve been entrusted with the care of a small human/future adult as well. It’s been the most rewarding, important, scary, and confounding thing I’ve done in my life. Although we all have unique circumstances, I get some of what it can be like to parent these days. It’s HARD!
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My approach as your child's therapist:
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I’m a play therapist, which in a nutshell means I’m trained to use a child’s play instead of their words to work through their big feelings and presenting issues. Think of it this way, a wise man once said, “play is the language and the toys are their words.” A child’s brain isn’t developed enough yet to sit down and verbally process their big feelings and thoughts the same way an adult can; some adults don’t have that ability! Even if they did, that can be some pretty vulnerable stuff to lay all out on the table to a stranger. Am I right? So, my job is to interpret their play, help them process, gain insight, facilitate growth, creativity, courage, capability, and collaboration.
Each child and family is different, so I don’t use a cookie cutter approach. Although I have magic wands in the playroom, there are no magic wands to “fix” your child. I am a huge believer in treating children with respect: their session is their time and we, as the trusted adults, are there to support them through their process. As a team, WE will work together towards healing and understanding together. This means collaborative parent sessions on a regular basis mixed in with your child’s individual sessions. At the end of the day, sure I might have a degree, but you are the expert in your child.
For the older kids and teens, my approach is more talk based. I meet them where they are. Remember that magic wand thing I mentioned earlier? That applies for teenagers too. Developing our therapeutic relationship is of the utmost importance.
For kiddos and teens, this can take at least 5-6 sessions of trust building before we get into the “meat” of why they are here to see me. Sometimes other kids take much longer, so be patient with the process. I use a prescriptive approach depending on each individual’s needs. I draw upon cognitive behavioral, art based techniques, sandtray, motivational, and client centered approaches.
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I am currently accepting Aetna, Optum/United Healthcare, and Cigna, as well as private pay. I cannot offer support to those qualifying for Medicaid or Medicare at this time. Please see the home page or the FAQ section for more details about insurance coverage and payment options.
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Are you ready to take the next step?
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If all of this sounds like a great fit to you, or if you have further questions, feel free to give me a call at 970-460-8024 or set up a FREE phone consultation under the services tab. I currently have immediate afterschool availability, if needed! I offer both in-person and virtual therapy, depending on ages and needs. I look forward to support you, your child, and your family!