Children
As a parent, it may feel overwhelming and frightening to think about seeking therapy for your child. Parents often feel their child is too young to benefit from therapy, and wonder if their child really needs treatment. Children often show us how they feel through their behaviors. Whether a child is anxious and withdrawn, experiencing frequent meltdowns, or behaving aggressively, these behaviors are a form of communication. As a child therapist, Dr. Critton seeks to understand the feelings underneath the behaviors.
Dr. Critton provides therapeutic services for children who are experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Parents often seek therapy when they see their child struggling with depression, anxiety, loss, or family turmoil. Therapy may also be helpful for children who are experiencing a stressful life transition, such as a move, divorce, adoption, or loss. Other times, parents notice changes in their child without a known stressor. If you notice your child is acting differently, seeking parenting support or child therapy may help. Dr. Critton works to create a space for children and their caregivers to feel heard. When children are listened to and given space to develop their voice and discover their strengths, they are able to realize their authentic selves.
For very young children, play therapy is useful as it helps children to verbalize their feelings, and to act out those feelings they are unable to verbalize. Older children often prefer to spend their time in therapy both talking and playing. Dr. Critton utilizes a variety of techniques in her therapy with children, depending on the child’s age and the presenting problem. No matter how good a relationship between a parent and child, children facing the above issues often need an objective person outside of their family whom they don’t need to worry about disappointing or upsetting. Throughout the course of therapy, Dr. Critton also works closely with the child’s parents so that gains made in therapy can be generalized to the home and school environments.
Adults
Many individuals want to live a more fulfilling life, but struggle with issues that keep them “stuck”, repeating old patterns and leading to feelings of sadness, anger and worry. They may experience difficulty in their relationships, but don’t know how to enact positive change. Dr. Critton provides individual therapy to help clients feel more connected to the people in their life, and to experience healthier relationships. Dr. Critton works with adults who are seeking assistance for a variety of issues including anxiety, stress, depression, relationship difficulties with children or spouse, loss, grief, trauma, body image, self esteem issues, and marital/family conflict. Dr. Critton uses a relational, strength-based approach to assist adults in gaining insight into their unsatisfying patterns of behavior and replacing those patterns with positive and adaptive coping strategies.
Adolescents
Adolescence is a time of change and upheaval, and is typically a difficult time for families. Adolescents are yearning to become independent and to develop privacy and boundaries – a process that often leaves parents feeling punished and rejected. Even adolescents with a secure upbringing can begin to act out in adolescence, instead of expressing their feelings verbally. In addition, teens in today’s society are under enormous pressure to succeed, often leading them to struggle with depression and anxiety. Teens may become avoidant, defiant, and begin to use substances and overeating in order to cope with stressors. Dr. Critton works with adolescents on a variety of issues including relational difficulties (parent-child, siblings, peers), anxiety, stress, depression, coping with major life stessors (divorce, breakups) and life transitions
Parenting Consultation
As rewarding and wonderful as parenthood can be, it can also be very challenging, as well as emotionally and physically exhausting. As a parent herself, Dr. Critton uses her personal and professional experience to assist parents in being the kind of parents they want to be.
Effective parenting focuses on creating and maintaining a positive, respectful relationship with your child. Common issues addressed include sleeping difficulties, feeding/eating problems, tantrums and defiant behavior, toileting problems, and difficulties adjusting to preschool, or welcoming a new baby.
In addition, Dr. Critton also provides assistance for families who are facing a death or serious illness, or adjusting to new circumstances, such as divorce, relocation, a new job, or a change in the child’s primary caregiver (for example, a new nanny, or new childcare).
In consultation with Dr. Critton, parents learn how to identify the reasons for a child’s behaviors and to learn new communication and listening tools to develop the relationship with their child they are seeking. Dr. Critton also emphasizes parental self-care, along with monitoring parental stress.
Dyadic (parent-child) therapy (ages birth to 5)
No matter how much a parent loves his or her child, sometimes that love doesn’t translate into the kind of relationship the parent wants or expects to have with his or her child. Some parents seek treatment when they find themselves constantly yelling at their children, frustrated with their defiant and angry behavior, while other parents feel that they have lost control, and spend their day pleading with their child to cooperate, or offer frequent “bribes” just to get through the day. Still other parents feel a deep sense of sadness when they realize their relationship with their child isn’t as they once imagined it would be, or when they find themselves being the kind of parent they swore they wouldn’t be.
The causes for these relational difficulties are myriad, and Dr. Critton works with parents to determine appropriate treatment on a case by case basis. While some parents choose to seek their own therapy to address these issues, sometimes, dyadic therapy is the best course of action. Dr. Critton specializes in such therapy and uses it to increase parents’ enjoyment of their child while also teaching them how to respond to their child’s temperament and challenging behaviors.
Dyadic therapy is also useful for first time mothers who may be worried or anxious about their child’s development, or their parenting skills. In these cases therapy serves to assist mothers in understanding their children’s cues, and building their confidence in their ability to be a good parent.