I have worked with children, teens and their families for 30 years both in Israel and the U.S. as an infant specialist, teacher, social worker and therapist.  Holding Master’s Degrees in Child Development and Clinical Psychology, I was an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at John F. Kennedy University, where I taught Child and Adolescent Development and Treatment.

I am experienced in providing therapy to individual adults, couples, children, teens and families, but my preference is to work with individual children, teens and their families.   I have extensive training and experience in play therapy, something that I love to do!  Play really is the language of children, and they are often able to work through their concerns and issues in the safety of the metaphor during play.

Grounded in developmentally-based psychological theories, I have developed an eclectic, strength-based approach to treating children, adolescents and families that includes play therapy and the use of expressive arts such as drawing, collage, music and sand tray.  We might have sessions that include siblings, parents or grandparents – or sessions with the entire family.  Parents are always involved in the process of developing treatment goals for their child, and when appropriate, the child is involved as well.  Although I typically meet with parents every 4–6 weeks, I maintain the child’s or adolescent’s confidentiality by not sharing specifics of our sessions unless I have the child’s or teen’s permission, or if I have heard or observed something during our session that raises concerns about the child’s safety.  At the beginning of therapy I always explain confidentiality to a child in developmentally appropriate ways so that s/he can begin to develop trust in the safety of the therapeutic relationship.

When a child is having difficulties in school I often try to observe him or her in that setting before beginning our actual treatment.  My goal is to get as good a picture of a child’s entire “ecosystem,” looking for strengths in the child or teen and his or her family that will help in the therapeutic process.  I am committed to working closely with teachers when they are the referral source, or when some of a child’s problematic behaviors take place in the school setting.

My approach is open to involving those who have important relationships with each child or adolescent, yet also respectful of parents’ and teachers’ need for timely results.  Working together we can help your child or adolescent be more successful, improve relationships with peers, siblings and parents, and develop a stronger sense of self-esteem.