WHY PLAY IS IMPORTANT
Children communicate through play. Play during a session allows a child to have control over their own imaginary world and express their experiences with gender, emotion and any difficulties they are facing. They get a chance to share what it feels like to be them. Therapy that integrates play helps children:
- Develop new and creative solutions to problems.
- Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.
- Learn to experience and express emotion.
- Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others.
- Learn new social skills and relational skills with family.
- Develop self-efficacy and more confidence about their abilities and strengths.
I use both non-directive and directive play in my sessions. Non-directive play allows the child to lead the session and for me to observe how they interact with different objects and what comes up during organic play. With Directive play techniques I am able to help your child look at feelings or problems in a new way and learn strategies for coping with difficult situations.
ROLE OF FAMILIES IN THERAPY
Families play an important role in the healing processes of children. I will always strive to include caregivers in the child’s therapy process when possible. It is important for the child’s progress that we communicate regularly about the plan and progress seen outside of therapy.
I am also available to offer guidance and consultation to families navigating gender transitions. I am well connected to local and state wide gender related supports and services and am happy to provide any referrals or connections needed.
PRINCIPLES OF GENDER AFFIRMATIVE THERAPY
As I approach my work with children navigating the world of gender there are some key principles that I follow in order to create an environment that allows for a safe and healthy exploration of gender:
- There exist naturally occurring variations in gender, and these variations are not inherently negative and should not be categorized as disordered. Pathologies associated with a child’s gender diversity most often result from the negative reactions of those surrounding them and not from within.
- A child’s perception of their own gender is both real and genuine. This doesn’t mean I don’t encourage the child to explore their gender. It does, however, acknowledge that for such exploration to take place the child has to feel seen and heard as experts of their own experiences.
- Gender is not binary or just limited to two possibilities.
If my approach interests you and would benefit your child, let’s get in touch!
