When your child is struggling, it can affect your entire family.

You may be seeing anxiety, defiance, aggression, frequent tantrums or meltdowns, power struggles, or behaviors that seem to come out of nowhere. Perhaps your child has experienced something difficult, and ever since then, they just have not seemed like themselves. You may know that your child needs support—but feel unsure about what kind of help will actually reach them.

You do not have to figure this out alone.

I provide child-centered, nondirective play therapy for children between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. I also work closely with parents and caregivers because, while psychotherapy can provide children with a powerful space for healing and growth, parents have an incredibly important role in helping those changes carry over into everyday life.

Together, we will support your child in becoming the healthiest, happiest, and most confident version of themselves.

Why Play Therapy?

Young children do not usually sit down and explain their worries, feelings, or experiences the way adults might in therapy.

They are much more likely to show us what is happening inside of them through their behavior and play.

Play is a child’s natural language. Toys, art materials, sandplay, imagination, movement, and storytelling give children ways to express feelings and experiences that they may not yet have the words—or the emotional readiness—to talk about directly.

In child-centered, nondirective play therapy, your child is not pressured to talk about difficult experiences or answer questions they may not know how to answer. Instead, I create a warm, accepting, and emotionally safe space where your child can lead the play and work at their own pace.

As your child plays, I remain closely connected and emotionally present. I reflect their feelings, choices, efforts, and experiences; support them in developing a better understanding of themselves; and provide appropriate limits when needed to maintain safety.

Within this relationship, children have opportunities to:

• Express feelings safely
• Process difficult or confusing experiences
• Develop greater emotional awareness
• Practice making choices and solving problems
• Experience healthy limits and responsibility
• Build confidence and self-esteem
• Strengthen coping and emotional-regulation skills
• Develop a greater sense of safety, control, and resilience

The playroom becomes a place where your child can feel understood and accepted while doing the important emotional work they need to do.

Concerns I Commonly Work With

Child therapy may be helpful when a child is experiencing:

• Anxiety, worries, or fears
• Defiance and frequent conflict with caregivers
• Aggressive behavior
• Tantrums, meltdowns, or difficulty regulating big feelings
• Power struggles and issues of control
• Trauma or frightening experiences
• Grief and loss
• Difficulties adjusting after a major life event or change
• Changes in mood, behavior, confidence, or personality

Sometimes parents cannot identify one specific cause. They simply know that their child is struggling, behaving differently, or no longer seems like themselves. We can begin there.

What to Expect

The Initial Parent Meeting

Treatment begins with an initial meeting for parents or caregivers only. Your child will not attend this first appointment.

This gives us time to talk openly about your child, your concerns, your child’s history, their strengths and personality, what has been happening within the family, and what you hope will improve through therapy.

It is also an opportunity for you to meet me, see the office and playroom, learn more about how I work, ask questions, and decide whether you feel comfortable moving forward with me.

Together, we will begin identifying goals for your child’s treatment and discussing what support may be helpful for your family.

Your Child’s First Session

During your child’s first appointment, you will initially come into the playroom together.

I will read A Child’s First Book About Play Therapy with your child and explain, using simple and child-friendly language, why they are coming to see me. I am thoughtful about introducing therapy in a way that does not blame, embarrass, or bring shame to your child.

Your child will then have the remainder of the session to explore the playroom, become familiar with me, and begin playing at their own pace.

After this first visit, many children feel comfortable coming into their weekly sessions independently. However, some children need additional time—especially when anxiety or separation difficulties are part of what brings them to therapy.

Your child will never be forced into the playroom before they are ready. When needed, we will discuss a gentle plan for helping your child gradually become comfortable attending sessions one-on-one.

Weekly Child Therapy Sessions

Children generally attend therapy once per week. Consistent weekly sessions help your child develop trust, become familiar with the therapeutic process, and maintain momentum in their emotional work.

During sessions, your child will be free to choose from carefully selected toys, art materials, sandplay materials, puppets, dress-up items, and imaginative-play activities.

Because the therapy is child-centered and nondirective, I will not decide what your child must play with or require them to talk about a particular event. Your child’s play will unfold at the pace and in the way that feels emotionally manageable to them.

Although a session may look like “just playing” from the outside, important work is happening within the play, the therapeutic relationship, and the choices your child makes.

Over time, your child may begin to express feelings more freely, approach difficult experiences with greater confidence, develop new ways of responding to challenges, and feel more secure in themselves and their relationships.

Parents Are an Important Part of the Process!

Your child’s therapy sessions are important—but your support at home matters just as much.

Children spend less than one hour each week in the playroom. Their most meaningful relationships and learning experiences continue to happen with their parents and caregivers.

For this reason, parent consultation and support are often an important part of your child’s treatment.

Depending on what brings your child to therapy, I may recommend meeting with you more frequently during the beginning stages of treatment. These meetings are generally front-loaded, with the first five or six parent sessions occurring approximately every two to three weeks.

During these sessions, I will usually introduce one or two parenting skills at a time so that you can begin practicing them at home. When we meet again, we can talk about what worked, what felt difficult, and what happened when you tried using the skills. We can troubleshoot challenges together before adding the next skill.

This ongoing coaching is important. New parenting skills can feel unfamiliar at first, particularly when your child is having intense behaviors or when the family has been caught in a difficult pattern for some time. Meeting regularly allows me to support you as you practice, make adjustments, and become more confident using the skills.

My approach to parent support is informed by Child-Parent Relationship Therapy, or CPRT, as well as my training and experience in child-centered play therapy. CPRT provides a thoughtful, relationship-focused model for helping parents respond to children’s feelings and behaviors while also maintaining appropriate limits and boundaries.

As treatment progresses and you feel more comfortable using the skills, parent meetings can usually become less frequent. You are also welcome to request additional parent sessions whenever you feel that more support would be helpful.

Parent consultation sessions may include:

• Understanding what your child may be communicating through their behavior
• Responding to strong feelings with empathy and connection
• Setting limits without escalating the power struggle
• Helping your child develop responsibility and self-control
• Supporting anxious, fearful, or easily overwhelmed children
• Responding more effectively to aggression, defiance, and meltdowns
• Strengthening the parent-child relationship
• Reviewing changes in your child’s behaviors and symptoms
• Discussing your child’s progress in treatment
• Problem-solving difficult situations happening at home

I am not here to judge your parenting or give you an impossible list of things to do. My goal is to help you better understand your child, feel more confident in how you respond, and develop practical skills that fit your child and family.

Working Together Toward Change

Children do best when they have a safe place to work through their feelings and supportive caregivers who understand how to help them outside of the therapy room.

Your child will have their own therapeutic space with me, while you will have a place to receive guidance, encouragement, and support as their parent.

We will work as a team—honoring your child’s pace, building on your family’s strengths, and helping your child move toward greater healing, confidence, connection, and emotional well-being.

Important Information Before Beginning Treatment

At this time, I do not accept families who are currently involved in—or anticipate becoming involved in—divorce, contested child-custody matters, litigation, police or child welfare investigations, or other legal proceedings related to the child or family.

Before treatment can begin, all individuals who hold any level of legal custody and the legal authority to consent to treatment must complete the required intake documents and provide consent for the child’s participation in therapy.

Is Play Therapy Maui the Right Fit for Your Child?

Reaching out for help can feel like a big step. You do not need to have everything figured out before contacting me.

If your child is between the ages of 3 and 8 and is struggling with difficult feelings, behaviors, experiences, or life changes, I would be honored to learn more about your family and discuss whether my services may be a good fit.