I specialize in the treatment of child anxiety and related disorders. These may manifest in various ways:

• Excessive worry about different things like social situations, school, illness, death, and the possibility of “bad things” happening
• Excessive fear about specific things like vomit or having a panic attack.
• Physical manifestation of anxiety (headaches, upset stomach)
• Ritualistic behaviors or obsessions
• Recurrent hair pulling
• Motor or vocal tics (blinking, repeating words, etc.)

Regardless of the form, these worries, fears, obsessions, and behaviors are hard to control, interfere with life, and certainly interfere with being a child! The descriptions above are incredibly simplified. You can find more information about childhood anxiety disorders here.  

Your child’s worry may be normal. Your child may grow out of it. Depending on the symptoms, it may even be likely! Our first appointments will be devoted to information gathering, answering any questions you have, and outlining what treatment with me would entail, should it be indicated. You can get a preview of my treatment approach here.

I specialize in working with parents of children with a range of symptoms including:

• Refusal to follow rules and requests
• Temper tantrums
• Aggressive or destructive behaviors

I’ve been trained to work with parents to address children’s aggression and non-compliance. This work is tailored to your family. At the same time, it’s driven by core principles identified as most helpful to addressing child behavior problems by research scholars¹ and the CDC². These principles both work to amplify what is good and positive through parent-child interaction, attention, and rewards and to decrease undesirable behaviors through clear expectations and consistent responses to child behavior.

¹ Kaminski, J. W., Valle, L. A., Filene, J. H., & Boyle, C. L. (2008). A meta-analytic review of components associated with parent training program effectiveness. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(4), 567-589.  

²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parent Training Programs: Insight for Practitioners. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control; 2009.

I provide telehealth services using a confidential video service in addition to in-person services. Mental health services delivered virtually (“telehealth”) have been found to be effective at addressing mental health concerns for both children and adults. Some concerns and ages are more or less conducive to the online format. People report that the experience of telehealth is convenient and still feels very personal. We can figure out the ideal format (all-in person, all telehealth, or some combination) based on your needs and preferences, which can absolutely change and be revisited over time.