Services
Non-Directive Play Therapy
Non-directive play therapy, also known as child-centered play therapy, is a gentle, developmentally appropriate approach to child therapy. It allows children to express emotions, work through challenges, and make sense of their experiences using the natural language of play.
In my practice, I offer play therapy to children and families across the Central Coast. Sessions are led by the child and built around a sense of safety, curiosity, and emotional freedom. Your child is invited to choose from toys, art materials, and other creative tools to explore what they’re feeling in a way that feels right to them.
As a play therapist, my role is to create a warm, nonjudgmental environment where your child can feel fully seen and accepted. By observing and joining in their play, I gain a deeper understanding of what they’re processing; whether it’s anxiety, grief, trauma, behavioral struggles, or tension in peer or family relationships. Through this process, I support their growth at their own pace, without pressure or expectation.
This approach is especially helpful for children experiencing emotional overwhelm, behavioral challenges, social difficulties, or big life transitions like divorce, grief, or changes in the family. Because child-centered play therapy is rooted in the child’s lead, it honors their voice, builds confidence, and helps strengthen their ability to connect with others.
If you’re looking for compassionate and developmentally grounded child therapy or family therapy in San Luis Obispo or anywhere on the Central Coast, I’d be honored to support your child’s healing and growth.
Parent Focused Collateral Sessions
Your involvement is a vital part of your child’s growth. In my San Luis Obispo practice, I offer dedicated parenting support through regular parent collaboration sessions to help you feel more confident and equipped in responding to your child’s emotional and behavioral challenges.
I typically recommend 1 to 4 parent sessions each month, depending on your child’s needs and what feels most useful for you. These sessions are a space for you to build insight into your child’s inner world, strengthen your parenting skills, and get practical, individualized strategies you can use at home. Whether your child is struggling with big feelings, school-related stress, or emotional regulation, our work together focuses on what matters most. Together we can work toward creating a creating a calm, connected, and supported family environment.
Sessions are available in person or via teletherapy to fit your schedule. The sessions are collaborative, as you are an important resources in your child’s treatment. We might talk through what’s working, troubleshoot tricky moments, or explore new tools tailored to your child’s developmental stage. My background includes working in elementary school settings and with families navigating a wide range of challenges, which means I can offer developmentally appropriate resources and guidance rooted in both experience and evidence-based practices.
Research consistently shows that when parents are actively engaged in the therapeutic process, children benefit more deeply. These sessions help ensure the support your child receives is consistent both in the therapy room and at home. More importantly, they offer you a chance to feel supported too.
My goal is to provide down-to-earth parenting support on the Central Coast. Whatever your child’s needs are, I’m here to help you feel more equipped, less stressed, and more connected to your child.
Family Therapy Sessions
Family therapy offers a supportive space for families to come together and navigate challenges as a team. Whether you're facing ongoing family conflict, struggling with communication, or working through a transition, family therapy can help create more connection, understanding, and stability at home.
As a family therapist I provide in-person sessions for families across the Central Coast. These sessions are tailored to your unique needs; whether that means working with parents and one child, siblings, or the whole family. We’ll meet in a calm, collaborative setting where each person feels heard, respected, and included in the process.
Family therapy is often helpful when child therapy alone isn’t enough to address relational patterns or when multiple family members are feeling stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed. Together, we’ll identify what’s working, what’s not, and how to move forward with more empathy, communication, and shared understanding.
In our sessions, we’ll work to reduce tension, resolve family conflict, and strengthen your ability to face challenges together. My goal is to support your family in creating healthier, more connected ways of communicating and strengthen relationships.
My San Luis Obispo based practice is here to support your family in building stronger relationships, improving communication, and creating a more connected home environment.