Services
We offer individual therapy, play therapy for children (age 3 & up), adolescents, family therapy, parent coaching, public speaking, and workshops.
Play Therapy
My purpose is to create a comfortable atmosphere to create safety, inspire growth and self-expression, andmeet each child where they are true. By preparing and nurturing this rich environment, children can feel safe to be who they are, allowing for authentic expression of feelings and thoughts.
What is Play Therapy?
The Association for Play Therapy (APT) defines play therapy as "the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."
More simply put, child play therapy is a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the “language” of the child – play. Licensed mental health professionals therapeutically use play to help their clients, most often children ages three to 12 years, to better express themselves and resolve their problems.
Play therapy works best when a safe relationship is created between the therapist and client, one in which the latter may freely and naturally express both what pleases and bothers them.
In play therapy, toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language (Landreth, 2002).
Play Therapy encompasses different empirically proven techniques that help children to:
Parent-Child Sessions
Research has shown that play therapy is more effective when parents are involved, so we utilize different play therapy techniques, such as filial play therapy, because it’s a developmentally attuned way of communicating and understanding and can be used with nearly all struggles children may face. The filial therapy approach involves training parents to play with their children effectively.
Founded on the belief parents can learn the necessary skills to become therapeutic agents in their children’s lives, filial therapy incorporates family members as the main agents of change, offering a unique outlook on the therapy process.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a training intervention that teaches caregivers specific behavior management techniques as they play with their child.
PCIT focuses on improving the caregiver-child relationship and increasing children’s positive behaviors.
PCIT is appropriate for children who:
Individual Therapy Pediatric Clients
When children are brought to therapy, I utilize play therapy to help them and their families to heal what’s hurting or to learn what’s challenging. Children, in particular, have a natural way of connecting with others through their first language, which is play.
I’m committed to providing my clients with the most up-to-date, proven treatment modalities to facilitate optimal healing and growth. I’m ready to help you and your child through…
Teen and Adult Clients:
Individual therapy is one type of psychotherapy we offer where clients work through personal issues they have been facing. It is an effective treatment for various emotional difficulties such as stress, family and relationship issues, anxiety, time management, life transitions, etc.
When a client comes to therapy, I treat the whole person, not just symptoms you may experience. Getting to the root of the problems is key to achieving meaningful and lasting change. After a thorough, comprehensive initial evaluation to better understand your situation, the struggles you’re facing, and the journey that led you here, we can identify your goals in therapy.
We can identify your coping style and determine which works best to get you to your goals as you navigate your challenges.
Although it’s vital to understand a client’s past, it’s not useful to dwell on it. Therefore, I apply strength-based therapy techniques because people can discover hidden strengths through adversity and hardship. We utilize various techniques to help people overcome their emotional and mental challenges. Strength-based therapy focuses on the positive, emphasizing the client’s ability to heal using resources they already have within.
Solution-focused therapy is a collaborative approach between therapist and client where 1. clients define how they want their life to be different, and 2. what it will take to make it happen.
We strive to offer a powerful balance of compassion, support, and challenge that is action-oriented and results-focused. We collaborate with you to develop a personalized treatment plan and continuously monitor your progress.
Our commitment to individualized treatment, the diversity of professional skills, and empathic and nurturing approach to your health and healing allow us to provide you with the tools you need for recovery.
Family Therapy
Relationships with parents, siblings, and other family members go through transitions as they move along the life cycle. Resilient families realign their relationships to respond to the changing demands and stressors within the family system. Those unable find themselves in repetitive patterns marked by conflict and distress, often resulting in their need to seek treatment.
What Family Therapy Can Help With:
Therapy approaches that are focused on families can be helpful for several different issues that affect family members.
Some conditions and problems that it may be used to treat include:
We utilize different proven family therapy techniques to help our clients:
Family systems therapy: A form of psychotherapy that focuses on the family as a whole unit. A central tenet of this approach is that a family is an emotional unit, and individual behavior must be considered from the context of the family. People are influenced by their family, but each person also influences their entire family.
Intergenerational family therapy: This technique focuses on understanding how generational influences affect individual behavior and how the family unit functions. It helps families understand how patterns acquired from previous generations affect the family and learn new ways of interacting.
Narrative therapy: This is an approach in which people develop a story of their life that helps them better understand their experiences, behaviors, and roles.
Psychoeducation: This involves teaching family members about different aspects of mental health and treatment. This can be helpful when one family member is dealing with a mental health condition. The individual's support system responds more effectively and empathetically to their needs by educating family members.
Structural family therapy: SFT focuses on helping people identify and understand how the family is structured. The goal is to help people improve this organization as needed and learn how to communicate with one another more effectively.
Strategic family therapy: This technique focuses on identifying interventions to address specific problems. Each problem requires a novel approach that is specifically designed to address the unique issue the family is facing.
Types of Therapy Techniques
Modality
Specialties
Rates & Fees:
Individual Intake Evaluation Session: $220 per 60 minutes/pro-rated per hour
Individual Session: $190 per 50 minutes
Sliding Scale: I offer a sliding scale, which means I have limited space for therapy sessions offered in good faith at a reduced rate based on your financial situation.
Telehealth: I can offer HIPAA-compliant video services for clients within California. Not all issues are appropriate for video sessions.
To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation, please call Dr. Violet at (626) 403-3040.
Cancellation Policy:
The full appointment fee will be charged if no notice is given at least 24 hours before cancellation. Two missed appointments are allowed per quarter, and missed appointments in excess will be charged at the therapist’s full fee.