A serious illness can change a child's world in an instant—whether it is their own diagnosis or that of a parent, sibling, or someone they love. Medical appointments, hospital stays, uncertainty, and changes at home can leave children and teens feeling scared, overwhelmed, lonely, or misunderstood. Therapy offers a place where they don't have to carry those feelings alone. Together, we'll help them make sense of what they're experiencing, develop tools to cope with life's challenges, and create space for hope, joy, and childhood alongside the realities of illness.

SUPPORT FOR:

• Anxiety, depression, specific phobias, big emotions related to illness

• Fear of treatment, medical environments, or changes in the body

• Navigating shifts in family dynamics, roles, and routines

• Supporting communication with friends, family, medical team and others about illness,

  needs, and boundaries

• Processing uncertainty and building emotional resilience

• Navigating grief related to death or non-death loss

• Learning to live life to the fullest in the midst of illness

• Strengthening self confidence, self identity, and self-advocacy

THERAPEUTIC APPROACH:

There is no “one size fits all” to therapy, so I tailor my therapeutic approach based on the needs of each individual client.

• Strengths-based, mindfulness, psychosomatic therapies

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

• Existentialism

• Grief Therapy

• Person-Centered Therapy

• Play Therapy

• Exposure and Response Prevention (as needed for OCD or specific phobias)

*In addition to cancer, I have experience in supporting children, adolescents, young adults and families experiencing chronic medical conditions such as muscular dystrophy, ALS, chronic migraines, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, celiac disease, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, food intolerances and unknown chronic illness.

Watch a workshop that I led at Cancer Support Community titled “Frankly Speaking About Cancer: What Do I Tell the Kids?”