• Neuroscience-Informed: The scaffolding that frames my play therapy work is the Polyvagal Theory and the Window of Tolerance. These concepts guide how I understand and work with the nervous system, helping children feel safe and regulated in the therapy process.
• Trauma-Focused: All challenges are viewed through the lens of trauma—understanding that trauma can show up in many forms, from acute incidents to developmental and relational trauma. I consider any experience that disrupts a child’s sense of safety or trust as a potential trauma. Together we explore material in the nervous system that has not been digested and find ways to free the child from the weight of their past experiences.
• Based in Child-Centered and Expressive Play Therapy: Every child is met where they are, with respect for their inherent worth and dignity. Therapy is tailored to each child’s individual needs, following their lead, while providing gentle, curious guidance when necessary. The therapy always works within the language of symbols, metaphors within the play.
• A Somatic Therapy: Change happens through the body. We live in a culture that is left-brained—focused and predominantly disembodied. To facilitate true healing, we must reconnect with the body. The work emphasizes regulation, co-regulation, and self-regulation. As the therapist, I am attuned to my own emobodiment, which provides critical information about what’s happening in session and what the child needs.
• Attachment-Informed: Relational Embodied Play Therapy is deeply grounded in attachment theory. We explore how attachment shapes a child’s sense of self and how to repair any injuries to attachment that may have occurred. This also includes fortifying existing positive relationships, especially with caregivers and parents.

Sitting with a play therapist and having a consultation conversation can feel simple and organic. But translating the essence of this work into an orderly, digestible course format is a different challenge altogether. It’s like trying to explain every nuance of an orange—what makes it sweet, what makes it sour, what each part contributes—without losing the experience of the orange as a whole. In a consultation, the orange remains just that, the whole fruit, seen from various angles, appreciated in its entirety. In a course, I need to break it into smaller, bite-sized pieces. But it’s not always easy to pull apart something that feels inherently interconnected.