Parent-Infant Bonding

Raising a child requires tremendous resilience. If a parent had a difficult or painful childhood, these experiences can be stirred up when they become a parent. Furthermore, 1 in 4 women will develop a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMADS) and 18% of fathers report experiencing an anxiety disorder. I support parents in becoming the parent they want to be for their infant, and in healing from their own past experiences.

From my previous position at the Parent-Infant Center at Mt. Sinai Hospital, I have experience working with perinatal and postpartum mothers. I provide parent-infant dyadic therapy to support attachment in the early years. Through our work together, you will better understand how your child's brain, relationships, and personality develop while fostering love, connection, and security in the parent-infant relationship.

I also have a special interest in working with children and caregivers who have experienced trauma (separations, violence, loss, medical issues) and families who are in the process of adoption.

Emotion Regulation in Early Childhood 0-7

I genuinely believe that every child desires positive connection with their parents. In our work, the goal of treatment is to foster more positive interactions in the parent-child relationship. I focus on helping children put words to their emotional needs and to practice coping skills to effectively manage difficult feelings. I also guide parents to better understand the unexpressed needs driving their child's negative behavior and the caregiver's individual triggers that may get in the way of effective parenting.

I am certified in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), a dyadic treatment for young children experiencing behavioral and/or emotion regulation difficulties. I am also experienced in conducting play therapy with young children who experience tantrums, irritability, anxiety, depression, difficulty with separation, sibling adjustment to a new baby, sleep challenges, eating or potty training issues, social difficulties, divorce or family conflict, and behavioral concerns in the classroom. Based on your child's needs, I offer individual and parent-child (dyadic) therapy to treat behavioral concerns in early childhood.

I also have experience working with neurodiverse children and their families with a a focus on bolstering social-emotional learning and development.

Parenting

Parents must simultaneously learn how to manage new challenges, while also helping their little ones manage daily frustrations. At times, the 'goodness of fit' between a parent's current skill set and their child's individual needs do not fully align.

In my experience, by the time parents begin considering treatment, they are already feeling frustrated with or distressed about their child's needs, and oftentimes express doubt about their ability to parent effectively. In my practice, I view caregivers as the experts on their children. I work closely with parents and consider caregiver engagement crucial to a child's success in therapy.

I am trained in behavioral parenting approaches that address problematic childhood behaviors such as oppositional behavior, talking back, and difficulty following directions. In treatment, I help caregivers work together and learn how to to give effective commands, set realistic and consistent consequences, maintain healthy boundaries, and reward positive behavior.

I am also trained in the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) protocol. SPACE is a structured, short-term (~12 session), parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders (separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, fears and phobias, panic disorder and agoraphobia) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.