Work with a Child Psychologist

One of the hardest questions parents have to ask is whether their child's emotions or behaviors are normal kid stuff or it may be something more. Like adults, all children have tough days. You know your child the best, but it may be helpful to get a professional opinion if your child's emotions or behaviors seem out of character, are becoming harder to handle day-to-day, start interfering with life (e.g., not being able to go to school, the store, or see family and friends), or are happening frequently and last a long time. A child psychologist can help provide a fresh, objective perspective and answer your questions.

In general, child psychologists diagnose, treat, and/or research child behavior and mental health. They have many years of specialized training in working with children. As a child psychologist, I do research in autism spectrum disorders at Michigan State University. I have advanced training in conducting diagnostic psychological evaluations, autism evaluations, and psychoeducational evaluations. In my private practice, I provide therapy to children and parents. I'm especially passionate about working with sensitive, gifted, and anxious children.

I can work with you and your child to figure out what may be going on to explain your child's big emotions or behavior. We'll work together to teach you both skills to handle tough kid behaviors or emotions.

I'm in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) as a fully licensed child psychologist in Michigan (not BCN). My fee for the first intake appointment is $250, and ongoing weekly parent-child sessions are $225 (50-55 minutes). If you have another insurance provider and have out-of-network benefits, you may be eligible to receive partial or full coverage of the fee — I can give you a “superbill” to submit to your insurance to seek reimbursement.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT for short) is a specific therapy that was designed to improve child behavior by giving parents the tools they need. PCIT is based on over 50 years and hundreds of research studies that show it works — the data and numbers don’t lie. Therapists who get certified by PCIT International are required to go through an extensive training to deliver PCIT the way it was intended. This helps to ensure that the therapy works the way it was designed to and follows the process that's been researched. As a child psychologist in Lansing, MI, I realized there weren't any certified PCIT therapists in the area. I launched Atlas Psychology originally to provide PCIT to families in our community.

PCIT takes an active and collaborative approach to therapy and sees you — the parent — as the most important agent of change for your family. Instead of taking your child to see a therapist for one hour a week, where they might make gains in the office with a therapist, we'll work together to teach you the strategies that therapists use to support child behavior and learning. That way your child can get continued support everyday at home.

In my opinion, PCIT is a great therapy option for families in today's busy world who need to make quick and lasting changes for their quality of life. I've seen PCIT strengthen many families, and some parents report seeing noticeable improvements within just a few sessions.

We'll start by teaching you positive parenting and discipline skills to support your child. Ongoing sessions are focused on live practice and guidance on these skills. Parents play with their child while wearing a “bug-in-the-ear” and are coached on ways to interact, support, or handle certain behaviors that come up in real-time.

As with most things, real learning of new skills takes practice. For example, if you wanted to learn how to cook or play soccer, you could read a recipe or a book about it. You could even talk to an expert about it. You’d learn some useful information, but the real learning happens when you take action and follow the recipe steps or practice kicking the ball on the field. Even better learning happens when you get live feedback, guidance, and tips on what you're doing well and how to improve.

The same goes for therapy. You could bring your child to a child psychologist, report on what's been going on at home, and discuss solutions, which may be helpful for some. But real change and progress is more likely to happen with actual practice of skills in real-life situations.

PCIT was originally designed for children between the ages of 2 to 7. Parents in PCIT commonly describe challenges with their child's defiance (saying no, refusing to listen, disobeying rules), emotion regulation (having big or frequent tantrums, whining excessively, becoming easily frustrated), and/or inattentive and impulsive behavior (hitting or throwing, having difficulty staying seated or focused). Some children in PCIT may have a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But a formal diagnosis is not necessary to participate in PCIT. PCIT has also been adapted and shown by research to help younger and slightly older kids and can be used to meet the unique needs of children with characteristics of autism, anxiety, or trauma.

As a licensed child psychologist in Michigan I'm trained to work with children in 1:1 therapy. Depending on your and your child's particular needs and goals for therapy, 1:1 therapy with your child may be a better fit than PCIT. These considerations can be discussed prior to or at your intake appointment.

I also specialize in working with adults, especially on job stress and anxiety.