Services offered

Individual and play therapies

Individual talk therapy

For adults, teens, and some adolescents, traditional talk therapy may be most appropriate. While sessions will look very different depending on your age, we will leverage the power of human connection to bring about therapeutic change. Though we mostly "just talk", verbalizing your inner thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a trusting and safe environment is scientifically proven to reduce distress and increase a sense of well-being. 

For more information about my approach to individual therapy and the techniques I use, see the "My approach" and "Theoretical orientation" pages on this site. 

Play therapy

For most young children and many adolescents, play therapy is the most effective modality to promote emotional, mental, and behavioral well-being. Sessions will typically involve the child and me only, but in some cases (including with children five and under) sesions will also include caregivers/parents. 

For more information about play therapy, please see the "Resources" page. For more information about my approach to play therapy and the techniques I use, see the "My approach" and "Theoretical orientation" pages on this site. 

family therapy and parenting support

Family therapy

Family therapy treats the whole family system. You may want to work on communication patterns or relationships within your family. Or perhaps one member of the family presents behaviors or mental health challenges that initiate services for that person. However, with deeper exploration, I may reccommend some or all of the members of the family participate in therapy. Either way, family therapy will treat the family as the client to bring about systemic change in the family unit that ripples throughout relationships and individual family members.

Parent support  

Whether you are wrestling with the challenges that arose from the pandemic, navigating how to understand and advocate for your neurodivergent child, or grappling with challenging behaviors, I will help you best meet your child’s needs, and nurture a safe, mutually enjoyable relationship with your child. 

Our parent support sessions may look like concrete skills or strategies. I may unpack the neuroscience behind your child's behaviors in a way that feels accessible and hopeful. Sometimes parenting challenges come from our own unprocessed childhood experiences, insecurities, fears, goals, etc. and the work involves familiarizing ourselves with those aspects and healing where it is needed. 

Parent support can also take different forms. I may meet with you as an adjunct to your child's individual therapy. I may meet with you as a component of family therapy. Other times, I may not work with your child or family at all, and we may do our own work together that supports your ability to show up as the parent you want to be. We will work together to find the most appropriate way to meet your parenting goals. 

Parenting intensives

Perhaps you want to accelerate your parenting work, or your schedule does not allow for weekly sessions. In these cases, parenting intensives may be the best fit. 

For years, I have offered parent support sessions 50 minutes at a time. This model has its benefits, such as they may be billed to insurance (depending on the clinical focus and if I am credentialed with the client's insurance company) and they offer frequent contact with me. A common drawback is that I am only able to fully explore a bit at a time, and this process of slowly chipping away can leave parents feeling progress is delayed. On my end, I feel like the work can feel incomplete or less comprehensive until we are at least a month into our work together. 

Intensives are sessions that occur over the course of 3+ hours* at a time, along with pre- and post-intensive meetings. This format allows us to dive deeper all at once. For me, this looks like:

• Examining the child's behavior and conceptualizing. 

• We then unpack some psychoeducation about the nervous system, and we do it interactively--you are reflecting on your child's behavior as we go, and we gather tidbits of clues along the way to inform interventions. 

• Since you are the most powerful tool to support your child, we also explore your parenting reactions. Let's face it--parenting is a deeply personal, incredibly vulnerable, and at times triggering experience. The way our nervous systems respond to our children's behaviors are critical to understand with grace, curiosity, and compassion. 

• Finally, we assemble a game plan based on all of the information we have gathered thus far. This is a tailored playbook for you to understand and intervene to support your child's specific nervous system. 

At the end of the intensive, we decide if you would like to follow up 2, 3, or 4 weeks later for our post-intensive meeting, where we will reflect on the experience, assess what has worked and what has not, and adjust the plan accordingly. 

Throughout the process, a companion workbook of my own creation will offer a space to reflect and record any notes you have for your convenience. 

*A note on the duration of the intensive: The amount of time we decide to spend together will depend on multiple factors, such as the intensity of the child's behaviors, the parent's current level of support/insight, and any complicating factors. I have found that for most parents, 6 hours (not including the pre- and post-intensive meetings) is the minimum needed to accomplish our goals. I will make a recommendation at our pre-intensive meeting, which can be adjusted based on parent preference. Multiple days can be scheduled if needed. Breaks are also scheduled into the day as appropriate, which does not use up the scheduled face-to-face time. Thus, a 3-hour intensive usually actually lasts 3.5 hours, a 6-hour intensive usually lasts about 7 hours, etc.

Emotional Freedom techniques - Tapping

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), often called "tapping," is a gentle, evidence-informed approach that blends elements of cognitive therapy with acupressure. In my clinical practice, I use EFT to support clients in regulating their nervous systems, reducing distress related to painful memories, and gently shifting unhelpful emotional or cognitive patterns. This technique can be particularly helpful for addressing anxiety, trauma responses, and somatic symptoms, as it engages both the body and mind. I integrate EFT into therapy as a collaborative process, empowering clients to access their own inner calm and resilience.

You can read more about EFT here.

groups

Group therapy involves a small group of people (typically 4-10 people) who share an experience, diagnosis, or set of presenting problems and meet with a licesnsed professional to work through them together. Group formats provide an opportunity to connect with others in similar situations, among other benefits. Groups may be "open" (meaning you attend as needed) or "closed" (meaning the same members meet each week for a prescribed duration of time.) 

I offer in-person and virtual closed groups based on need/demand. Inquire about any current or upcoming groups, or message me to become a part of my email list to get updates about group offerings. Group themes may include:

• Parenting (with anxiety, co-regulation)

• Emotional regulation, interpersonal skills for children, decoding communication 

• Grief (parents, adults, children)

• Mindfulness group (various ages)

• Decoding communication 

• Stressors related to COVID-19 and living in a post-COVID world

workshops

Throughout the year, I offer in-person and virtual workshops for children and adults. Some are completed in one sitting, others are part of a series. Workshops are not clinical services. Rather, they are opportunities for education and experiential learning. You can expect to find workshops offered on topics such as:

• Grief

• Giftedness

• Parenting strategies

• Co-regulation

If you would like to request a workshop or be part of my email list to stay updated on upcoming workshops, please email me at drmaggieatlas@honeypalmpsych.com!