Sara Warnick, MA, LPCC
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.
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.
Katelyn Bright, MS, NCC, LPCC
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
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
Clorinda, "Clo", Dake, MS, MFTC
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I am passionate about building strong, thriving families. With a diverse educational background, I bring a unique and multifaceted perspective to my work. I obtained my Associate in Art of Criminal Justice in from the University of Phoenix in 2013 and worked in law until 2018. After receiving my Bachelor of Science in Psychology in from Capella University in 2018, I received my Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2021. Specializing in Early Childhood Development and Perinatal/Maternal Mental Health, I am dedicated to supporting parents, children, and families in El Paso and Douglas Counties. As a person of color, I am familiar with the systems we must actively work against to build a better future for ourselves and our families. As a proud parent of three wonderful children myself, I understand the joys and challenges of parenthood firsthand. Through gentle parenting, TBRI, Circle of Security, and Parent Management Training methods, I strive to empower parents with effective tools for nurturing and bonding with their little ones. Often, I see parents struggling with behavioral difficulties in their littles, establishing routines, or struggle to simply connect and encourage them to follow the child's lead in therapy. Trust, communication, and authenticity are the foundations of any relationship, and play-based therapy makes use of these key components all on its own. Play is the language of children and helps them better understand their world as well as process their experiences. Many times, children exist in a world of rules and structure, affecting the quality of their interactions with their grown-ups. Play-based therapy works to bridge the gap between adults and children's worlds, allowing the family to express internal and external conflicts symbolically to improve family dynamics. Play-based therapy cuts through the noise of predictability, defenses, and power struggles that can occur in traditional family talk therapy by facilitating a closeness and unspoken understanding through the innate exchanges of play between parents and child. Play-based therapy can be incredibly useful in creating and repairing attachment wounds, encouraging vulnerability, as well as facilitating the family’s natural tendency toward connection. I strive to provide littles with play-based therapy and that will bring them the playfulness, peace, courage, wisdom and skills to continue on their journey to their best lives and selves.
Let's embark on this beautiful journey of family growth together!
Let's embark on this beautiful journey of family growth together!
Jenna Roe, LPC, RPT-S
I have had a passion for children and adolescents for over 20 years. I have always enjoyed being around kids and especially found that I felt the best when being supportive. My journey began as a mentor with children in the foster care system and then I proceeded to work with teenagers that had been expelled, suspended or had dropped out of school or had found themselves in trouble with the law. Through the years, I have come to love the younger ages as well. I believe that infants and toddlers' mental health is just as important as adolescents and adults mental health. Oftentimes, early intervention can change the entire path for a young child. Most of all, I know that all children can be resilient, even in the face of the hardest challenges, if given the opportunity, and if they have a strong support system. My hope is that I can help ensure that the children I work with are resilient through a strong therapeutic relationship. I believe that sometimes it does take a village to raise a family. I believe that we, humans, need each other and that people should NEVER struggle alone.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Colorado and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. I earned a Master's degree in Counseling from Regis University. I have specialization and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Child and Adolescent Counseling and specialized training in EMDR (further information can be found at www.emdria.org). I previously served as President of the Colorado Association for Play Therapy (further information can be found at www.coloradoapt.org). When working with children and families, I utilize non directive and directive play therapy techniques. I believe that children work through their issues while playing and gain insight about themselves as well as find healing. When working with adolescents, I tend to use more relationship building and allow the adolescent to guide the session. I believe that most people search for wholeness and therefore hold the answers and the healing inside. Sometimes, it just takes a little guidance. When working with families and parents, I use a collaborative approach. Let's face it, you know your child the best and most. Therefore, we will pair together as a united team and solve the concerns together.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Colorado and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. I earned a Master's degree in Counseling from Regis University. I have specialization and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Child and Adolescent Counseling and specialized training in EMDR (further information can be found at www.emdria.org). I previously served as President of the Colorado Association for Play Therapy (further information can be found at www.coloradoapt.org). When working with children and families, I utilize non directive and directive play therapy techniques. I believe that children work through their issues while playing and gain insight about themselves as well as find healing. When working with adolescents, I tend to use more relationship building and allow the adolescent to guide the session. I believe that most people search for wholeness and therefore hold the answers and the healing inside. Sometimes, it just takes a little guidance. When working with families and parents, I use a collaborative approach. Let's face it, you know your child the best and most. Therefore, we will pair together as a united team and solve the concerns together.
