New: FREE Consultation Opportunity for Concerned Parents:

Offered 4th Thursday of the month, this is an opportunity for parents to gain information, resources, guidance and support regarding their concerns about their child.

Location: Our office

Calendar Dates: 01/27/11, 02/24/11, 03/24/11, 04/28/11, 05/26/11,      06/23/11

Please contact us if you plan to attend. It is helpful for our planning.

"Miracles come in moments.
Be ready and willing."
(Dr. Wayne Dyer)

Children

Individual Therapy: Utilizing play-based/ developmentally appropriate strategies through social-cognitive and behavioral approaches, the therapist teaches the child new skills, and helps to eliminate or replace unhealthy behaviors.

Social-Skills & Social-Cognitive Groups: Our approach differs from other programs in that we believe that it is critical for the clinician to establish a relationship with the child and thorough understanding of her or his needs and strengths through individual therapy first. When the therapist has establish rapport, identified "social skill" goals and assessed the child's readiness for group, a small integrated playgroup is created for the child with primarily typically developing peers. This assures that the client's individual needs are met and he/she is supported appropriately for optimal outcome. Length of individual therapy depends on the child's readiness and can range from 3-5 sessions to six months.

Parent-Child Therapy: Parenting a child with special needs or a child who has trouble regulating their emotions, difficult behavior or learning differences requires assuming multiple roles such as one of a support person like a therapist. With young children, the therapist encourages parents to be present during sessions for coaching and training. When parents learn the interventions and implement them day in and day out, real change happens and parents become increasingly more independent from the therapist.

Sibling Treatment Group: A therapeutic group for siblings of children with special needs. Providing siblings with respite time away from their special needs brother or sister, strategies for improving their sibling interactions, and a natural opportunity for their own social-emotional growth. Download PDF

Social Group for Teens: A therapist-led social opportunity for teens who need support with social communication and interaction.

Back to the top

Parents

Family Therapy: Helping families adapt to the demands of caring and raising a child with special needs. This may involve developing strategies for improving daily living and/or addressing the emotional challenges of family life, redefining or negotiating roles and expectations.

Parent Therapy: Counseling services offered to a parent of a child with special needs or developmental delays can be individual or as a couple. Each parent responds differently to a diagnosis of their child. Some common feelings include initial denial, frustration, fear, anger, worry, sadness, grief, and hope. Therapy focuses on:

1. helping parents work through their feelings,
2. helping parents understand the diagnosis as it applies to his/her child,
3. sharing the news with family members, schools, and others,
4. advocating for the child’s educational needs with school districts, regional centers, providers and insurance companies,
5. supporting and guiding parents with difficult decisions about services and therapies (mainstream vs. special day class, etc),
6. helping parents become an “expert” in their child and teaching parents tools to assess the appropriateness of services for their child,
7. and enhance the family’s ability to adapt to its new definition of family life and demands.

Support Group for Parents of Children with ADHD, NVL, Tourette’s Sydrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A therapist led group for parents interested in a group therapeutic environment to gain emotional support, exchange ideas and strategies in a confidential environment.

New Support Group for DADs of ASD Children: Group led by Autism expert and father of two ASD children, Brian Salada, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Group offers a unique opportunity for fathers to dialogue with other fathers, gather information and resources, and to create a support network.

Back to the top

Support Services

Hands On Support: Organizational support to help you get and stay organized as you set-up a comprehensive treatment program for your child: coordinating multiple providers, working with insurance companies, school districts, private schools and private providers, and developing a school binder for your child, interview questions for a potential provider such as a classroom aide, and more.

Resources & Referrals: Help identifying and evaluating prospective providers, and referral list of  names of providers with high parent satisfaction ratings, etc.

Educational Consultation & Training: Assessing the learning environment, developing accommodations and modifications, facilitating a collaborative approach between parents and educators, and delivering training for educators to assist them in serving their diverse student population. Presentations and trainings on subjects of specific relevance to groups or schools can also be arranged.

The ASD Parent -Professional Workshop Series: Program designed for parents and caregivers of children recently diagnosed with ASD. Download PDF

Back to the top