For infants and young children from birth to five years old in Tacoma, WA.
Infant Mental Health Counseling
Your baby may come home from the hospital with a blanket, but they don't come home with a manual.
does this sound familiar?
Is your infant or young child….
Having extreme reactions when the garbage truck goes by or they spilled juice down their shirt and you can't figure out why.
Displaying aggressive behaviors and are being asked to leave their daycare or preschool.
Having difficulty falling and staying asleep at night.
Emotionally escalated when you try to support them in the midst of a crying spell and you're terrified of messing them up.
Having difficulty separating from you, refusing to leave your side even to go do fun things like play at their favorite park.
Experiencing a delay in development and you’re worried about the impact this will have on their future.
When our littles are struggling with big feelings and big behaviors it can be extremely hard to figure out what's wrong. With the limited amount of words, self awareness, and coping skills they have, no four year old is going to clearly state, “When I hear loud noises, I feel physical pain,” or “I’m terrified to sleep without you because I worry you aren't here anymore.”
You have to decode their behavior like an FBI profiler, oftentimes with limited amount of support and resources.
This leaves you feeling anxious, fearful, and stressed beyond belief. Your sleep is either interrupted by your infant or your own fear that you are messing up your child in some big way. Your relationships may suffer or fall to the wayside as you are giving your all trying to fulfill your new parenting role and meet your child’s needs. Your life at work may become more stressful as your focus is frequently getting pulled to your new baby or young child’s difficulty transitioning into daycare.
Helping you crack the code to your infant or young child’s feelings and behaviors.
Receiving support early on helps establish a solid foundation on which parents and infants can thrive for years to come. All behavior is a form of communication and is our earliest form of language. By having an understanding of these early stages in development you can begin to speak their “language.” The more fluent you become the less disruptive those big feelings and big behaviors become.
My approach utilizes a holistic lens to consider all factors that may be contributing to you and your infant's challenges. I frequently collaborate with other providers such as pediatricians, daycare providers, schools, and occupational therapists. Together we will identify and discuss you and your infant or young child’s unique circumstances to ensure you have parenting strategies tailored to their specific needs.
You will gain a deeper insight into your child's development, behaviors, learn how to support emotional regulation skills, and get concrete strategies to support them for years to come.
Therapy for Infant Mental Health can help you…
Gain knowledge and insight into how your child is developing.
Cultivate secure attachment and feel more bonded to your child.
Learn practical ways to help nurture your infant’s social and emotional development.
Improve your ability to interpret your child’s behaviors and feelings to more accurately meet their needs.
Receive support and additional resources to help you advocate and meet your child’s needs.
Lay the groundwork for your infant or young child’s feelings, connection with others, and thinking skills that will have long-lasting effects on their happiness and health throughout life.
Together, let’s build a strong foundation of understanding for you and your child’s relationship.
FAQs
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As you might expect they are vastly different from traditional talk therapy. Sessions will be tailored to you and your infant’s exact needs so it can vary. In general, it often involves at least one parent and the infant or young child engaging in a developmentally appropriate activity. For infants it might be practicing tummy time, for 1-3 year olds we may explore board books, and for 3-5 year olds we may play with the kitchen set. There may also be some parent only sessions incorporated to provide additional parent support and/or discuss issues not appropriate to discuss in front of the child.
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No, not at all! Utilizing infant mental health services does not mean your infant or young child has to have a mental health diagnosis. However, please note that if you are trying to submit a superbill for partial reimbursement, it will require giving a mental health diagnosis.
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Depending on your specific insurance plan you may have what’s called out of network benefits. You would pay the full session fee upfront. Then you will be provided with what is called a “Superbill” to submit to your insurance provider for partial reimbursement. It will depend on your specific plan as to how much of the fee they will cover. You can call your provider's member services line to inquire about your plans specific coverage. I am also happy to help support you in figuring out coverage.
Private pay means you pay for services out of pocket. Billing and payments are strictly between provider and client. It also means a diagnosis is not necessary to receive services. Please reach out to discuss which option works best for you and your family.
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How often you and your infant will attend sessions will depend on your current needs. In general, I will consider imminent risk, such as self harming behaviors, as well as the frequency and intensity of symptoms and overall parental stress. However, it is ideal regardless of severity of symptoms to attend weekly for at least the first 4-5 sessions in order to build rapport, establish a predictable routine in session for the child, and thoroughly assess.
There are situations in which bi-weekly sessions may feel appropriate. Once monthly sessions are reserved for treatment maintenance only. Once an initial intake evaluation is completed session frequency will be discussed.