Online In Montana & In-person in missoula
Play therapy for children
It can be so difficult to see your child struggle.
You might wonder if what you’re seeing is normal development, or something to be concerned about. Or if the “phase” is really just a phase, or if it’s something more ominous. You don’t want to be that parent, overly worried, but also you don’t want to neglect something that is showing up and needs to be attended to. So you turn to the experts on the socials, the articles on “the goog” and books…and find very little that’s helpful.
Maybe you’re noticing:
Your child has massive tantrums at home, but with everyone else she’s a perfect angel
Resistance to go to school, stomachaches, defiance while there, and regular emails from the teacher
Anxiety at bedtime, nightmares, clinginess, fears that seem irrational
Regression in development: Bedwetting, babytalk, refusing to do things he used to do
Trouble with friends, being a “sore loser,” a “bully” or controlling/bossy, whining
Also, if your child has experienced any of the following:
Divorce or separation
Loss of a family member, friend or pet
Medical procedures, surgery
Recent move to a new home, city, or state
Car accident
Serious injury or illness of someone in the family
Traumatic birth, witnessed violence
Racial oppression, or other systemic oppression or witnessed it
Poverty
Children can internalize and think about issues and not discuss what they are thinking and feeling with caregivers because they may not have the words to use - and may not even know what it is they are feeling, and it comes out in their behavior.
This is why play therapy is so valuable.
Integrative Nervous System–Focused Therapy
What I Offer
At Family Insights Therapy, I specialize in developmentally attuned, body-informed therapy for children and families facing emotional dysregulation, anxiety, trauma, or high stress.
Drawing from Synergetic Play Therapy® and relational neuroscience, I help children reconnect with themselves and their caregivers—supporting lasting shifts in regulation, resilience, and emotional connection.
Why This Work Matters
Research—and lived experience—shows that true healing happens through co-regulation and nervous system safety.
Some wounds live deeper than words.
That’s why, in my work, I offer more than just talk.
I integrate gentle, body-based practices that help children and families release stored stress, regulate emotions, and feel safe from the inside out.
These approaches don’t require kids to explain what’s wrong.
They’re simple, effective tools that meet the nervous system where it is — helping shift patterns of anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional reactivity without pushing or forcing.
Together, we might use:
Light touch or no-touch energy work to calm and restore the system
Gentle acupressure techniques to help the body release what it's holding
Rhythmic, child-friendly tapping to support emotional release and self-agency
Each of these methods is woven into a larger relational, neuroscience-informed process that supports deep connection, coregulation, and trust — with your child, and within yourself.
This is care that meets the whole child.
Because real healing happens in relationship — and in the body.
These tools are always introduced with sensitivity and developmental appropriateness—never forced, and always paced to your child’s readiness.
Who I Work With
This approach is a good fit for families who:
Are navigating emotional dysregulation, anxiety, trauma, or big life transitions
Are looking for something deeper than traditional talk therapy or behavioral strategies
Want a therapeutic process rooted in attachment, neurobiology, and developmental attunement
Are ready to invest in meaningful, integrative support for long-term change
Play therapy seems simple – but it isn’t.
A note to Parents
If you’ve found your way here, you’ve probably already tried a lot. You may feel overwhelmed, unsure, or like nothing is working.
Please know: it’s not about fixing your child. It’s about supporting their nervous system—and yours—in finding safety, connection, and trust again.
That’s the work I love most. And I would be honored to support your family.
Start the process today to help your child grow through play and express their feelings in their language.
What we’ll work on
Therapy can help your child:
Learn when they are dysregulated
Identify the felt sense in their body, and what it means
Set healthy boundaries for themselves
Master coping strategies when they are feeling big feelings
Feel comfortable with all their emotions, and being themselves
Your child has incredible gifts, strengths, & potential.
I’M HERE TO HELP THEM discover that.
FAQS
Common questions about therapy for children
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Therapeutic play is more than simply playing. But I really understand how confusing it might be to see your child go into a playroom, hear sounds of giggling, laughing - sometimes shrieks - and wonder “how is this helping?”
I want to assure you I track your child’s progress in therapy relative to the goals we set together. I observe their starting points, the challenges they are overcoming, and moments of empowerment I see that emerge as the work deepens.
After each session, I will give you a summary. This may include information of how your child is progressing towards their goals, themes they are working with, how you can better support them at home, their emotional age, and what they are currently working on.
My goal is that you are a part of the process too, even if you aren’t in the playroom with your child. -
Great question. Usually I will message the parents after a 50-min session, and have a parent session every 5th session or so. During these times I will support the parents by offering parenting strategies and skills that will help their child at home with what they are working on. I also can help the parent with any parenting tweaks that might help make family life at home more effective and harmonious.
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On average, a child is in therapy with me for about 15-16 sessions per issue. If there are layers, or complicated issues, it may take more sessions. Additionally, if the child is younger it could take fewer sessions. If a child comes weekly, or if you choose an intensive, it may save you time and money, than if you spaced your sessions out.
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I see children individually even as young as toddler unless it makes sense for their grown up to be in the play room too. Those cases may be for repair of attachment ruptures, or if a child has severe separation anxiety and needs time to feel comfortable with a new person. If this is something you are concerned about, contact me, and we can discuss it.
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I do. However, depending on the situation, I would probably see each child individually first, beginning at the same time, so they aren't acting out any trauma on each other in our joint sessions.
If one sibling was seeing me individually for a while and then you hoped another to see me later, we would need to discuss this with the first due to me being "theirs." If this is a problem I can help find another suitable therapist for your other child. Please contact me to discuss this if you have questions. -
Yes. I love seeing parents of children I see! The only times I would not do this is if the child doesn't feel comfortable having their parent see the same therapist. This generally happens when the child is older, 9+. I also wouldn’t see both parents individually.
If I am seeing you as a family, I will not see any of you individually but I can help you find a therapist of your own. -
I work with toddlers and young children. You can decide if your child fits into that description.
However, I am trained to work with infants,with their parents, and I do enjoy older kids and teens as well, and have successfully worked with 10-18 year olds! -
It is, at every age. I specialize in adoption, and actually did my first Masters thesis on preventing adoption trauma.
I would be honored to support your family in this way. -
I do. I am neuro-affirming and love to work with ADHD kids, autistic kids, PDA kids, or any other type of neurodivergence.
I am ADHD/autistic myself.
I do not support ABA.