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Heather Houston, MA, LPCC Therapist
My deepest desire is for every child to feel known, heard, and loved. I want each individual to wholeheartedly believe that their story matters- from the big experiences of life to the little, ordinary moments. My hope is that through our work together, children can discover their immense worth as individuals, each unique in the strengths they bring to our world. Witnessing as children find their voice and discover their passions is what inspires me to do this work every day! I truly love walking alongside children as they uncover the hurts and difficulties keeping them from living life to the fullest. I consider it a great privilege to be part of their support system, and I believe that a strong and trusting relationship is the key to the work I do to foster healing, restore harmony, and build hope in individuals and families. I have been working with children and students in a variety of capacities since all the way back in my teenage years. I have served as a coach, nanny, youth director, licensed school counselor, and now a licensed professional counselor candidate. I have a Masters in Counseling from Adams State University with a school counseling specialty and have worked in multiple Colorado Springs schools in my practicum, internship, and work experiences, ranging from grades K-12. I am currently working to become a licensed professional counselor and registered play therapist. I believe that play facilitates communication, connection, and attachment. In order to foster these, I use a variety of directive and non-directive approaches in my work. Teaching individuals and families how to live in healthier relationships with one another is a big part of why I love to do this work. I am also passionate about helping to build foundational life skills such as executive functioning, emotional regulation, and social skills. As a school counselor, I bring a unique lens to play therapy and can integrate the academic experience into my work with families. Seeking help is a brave and honorable task and I am so glad you would consider me to be part of that journey! Natasha Alvandi, M.Ed, LPCC
Therapist
Therapy is a judgment-free, confidential space to be open about who you are and what you want out of life. My goal is to join children, adolescents, teens, and their families on this authentic journey of recovery and self-discovery. Since every child and their family is unique, I believe in learning about your cultural background and what individuals and the family as a whole value. I seek to learn about your child’s world to help treat the whole person within the family system. I use a wide variety of techniques tailored to your needs, including directive and nondirective play and art therapy techniques in addition to CBT, DBT, IFS, and narrative therapy techniques. I am EMDR trained (emdria.org), and I utilize trauma informed approaches to healing. Together, we will collaborate and find what speaks to you.
A bit about me: I earned my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the College of William and Mary, and I have a Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern California. I believe in the power of language. For children, play is their language, which is why it is vital that children get the opportunity to use play as a way to process what is going on in their lives and express themselves. There also is a power in rewriting the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and who we will become. Maybe your child thinks they are the "bad kid" in their class when they are seeking healthy bonds and connections with others by misbehaving. In reframing what is "bad behavior" or "attention seeking behavior" to "attachment seeking behavior," a tantrum becomes a cry for connection. Are you an adolescent or teen feeling angry, stressed, anxious, depressed, or lost? Are you struggling with relationships? Together, we will find your path to healing. You are not alone. Katelyn Bright, MS, NCC, LPCC
Therapist
There is no greater privilege than helping children and adolescents find their voice. And therapy is a great place to do so. I believe in the power of self-advocacy, especially amongst our youngest minds. My mission as a therapist is to give youth a safe space to be themselves, process their emotions, and discover how to take that vulnerability into their world to be the best they can be. Everyone has mental health, just like physical health, and there is no shame in utilizing therapy as a tool to be proactive in keeping one’s health aligned. I value the opportunity to be included in a child’s support system; it is not a responsibility that I take lightly! My goal is to work in partnership with children and their families to ensure that children feel seen and heard outside the therapy room, just as much as inside it. I want to play a role in guiding families through this journey, as I feel that parents and guardians know their child the best!
I have been working with children in many different capacities since I was a teenager myself, taking away something new from every experience I’ve had. My experiences have included care-taking, monitoring adolescent residential facilities, educational leadership in children’s museums, as well as being a School Counselor in the public school system. I have my Masters of Science in Counseling with a School Counseling emphasis from Eastern Illinois University. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate and a National Certified Counselor. My love of play therapy started when I was in my graduate program for counseling, and I was lucky enough to be able to take both Play Therapy and Advanced Play Therapy courses, as well as attend and present a literacy research poster at the Illinois Association of Play Therapy Conference in Chicago at the beginning of 2020. I utilize both directive and non-directive approaches in therapy and play. I allow my clients to guide the session in the beginning, and then tack on directive approaches as I see necessary throughout the therapeutic journey. Building rapport with my clients is key to fit therapeutic interventions to the needs of the client. Play therapy is an excellent approach for when talk therapy doesn’t fully encapsulate the client’s needs. “Play is the language and toys are the words.” ~Dr. Garry Landreth Sara Warnick, MA, LPCC
Therapist
Two of my passions in life are: working with children and growing a garden. I have found that there are many parallels between the two. Both children and seeds have so much potential already packed inside of them. However, they each require external sources to help them get on the path of positive growth. In that light, I would like to help both parents and children navigate that path through our sessions together. My goal is to provide a positive environment in three main ways. First, help children find their voice through play. Second, teach and model social and behavioral skills to children so they can have skills to navigate their world. And third, help foster emotional resilience in children as they work through personal challenges. By helping children in these three ways, it is my hope that confidence will grow within themselves so they can blossom into their full potential.
I graduated with Masters of Counseling degree from Adams State University in Mental Health Counseling. I have had over 20 years experience working with children and adolescents through a variety of professional and volunteer work. My undergraduate degree was in Child Development from Brigham Young University. I have worked with children as young as 18 months all the way through the young adult years. I use an integrative approach which includes nondirective and directive play therapy, sandtray therapy and EMDR. |