One of the hardest questions parents have to ask is whether their child's emotions or behaviors are normal kid stuff or 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. As a child psychologist I can help to provide a fresh, objective perspective, answer your questions, and teach you new strategies.

In general, child psychologists diagnose, treat, and/or research child behavior and mental health. I have over 15 years of specialized training in working with children. In addition to providing therapy to children and parents, I have advanced training in conducting diagnostic psychological evaluations, autism evaluations, and psychoeducational evaluations. I’m also involved in federally-funded research in early diagnosis and intervention for autism spectrum disorders at Michigan State University, and I supervise doctoral student trainees in the MSU Psychology Clinic.

I help children by providing care and support to the whole family. I can work with you and your child to figure out what may be going on to explain your child's challenges and teach you new tools to support them at home and in everyday activities and routines.

I'm in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS, but not Blue Care Network) and Modern Health. My fee for the first intake appointment is $250, and ongoing weekly parent-child sessions are $225. 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 effective tools. PCIT is based on over 50 years and hundreds of research studies that show it works — the data and numbers don’t lie. As the first certified PCIT therapist in Lansing, MI by PCIT International, I went through extensive training to deliver PCIT in the way it was researched and intended. As a child psychologist in Lansing, MI, I realized there weren't any certified PCIT therapists in the area, and Atlas Psychology originally grew out of the need to provide effective child therapy and PCIT to families in my community.

As a child psychologist, I take an active and collaborative approach to child therapy. Active — meaning we won’t just talk about how your child is doing, we’ll use real-life strategies and practice in real-life settings. Collaborative — meaning I see your involvement as a parent as the key ingredient to your child’s progress. I believe you as a parent are the most important agent of change for your family. Instead of traditional child therapy, where a child might see a therapist for one hour a week and make progress in the office, we'll work together to empower you with the actual strategies that therapists use so that your child can be supported in and outside of the therapy room.

I believe this approach is a great therapy option for families in today's busy world who are looking to make quick and lasting changes for their quality of life. Some parents have reported seeing noticeable improvements within just a few sessions.

We'll start by teaching you positive parenting and limit setting skills to support your child. Ongoing sessions are focused on live practice and guidance on these skills. You may be asked to play with your 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 I believe real learning happens when you do the recipe or practice kicking the ball on the field. And even better learning can happen when you get live feedback and guidance from a coach.

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 defiant behavior (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 adapted to meet the unique needs of children with anxiety or autistic children.

As a licensed child psychologist I'm trained to work with children in 1:1 therapy. Depending on your child's particular needs and goals for therapy, 1:1 therapy with your child may be a better fit than a parent training approach. 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 and neurodivergent or autistic adults.