Therapeutic support for kids, teens, and families coping with medical or dental anxiety, illness or injury, life transitions, or grief and loss.
As a Certified Child Life Specialist for almost 25 years, Katy has supported hundreds of families managing healthcare systems, acute and chronic illnesses, grief and loss, and other difficult life events.
Let’s work together to:
identify and address nervous system patterns of stress response
process difficult emotions and past experiences
manage the unknown with clear preparation about what to expect
help each member of your family feel confident in their ability to cope and to better support one another
Big emotions are common for many people who are anticipating medical appointments, tests or procedures, facing a new diagnosis, managing a chronic illness or ongoing treatment, adjusting to a big life change, or coping with loss or grief.
Anxiety is often caused by a combination of the unknown and an underestimation of our ability to handle it. Fear is usually related to known threats, such as feeling afraid of needle pokes after a difficult or painful experience in the past. Grief and sadness can be expected when someone dies, and are also quite common when anticipating or processing change, transitions, or other types of loss. Anger, to varying degrees, is often in the mix.
No matter our age: emotions, behavior, and our ability to cope with stress are all tied to our nervous system.
Sessions may include the following areas of focus:
discussing how to talk with your children or teens about tough topics
managing anxiousness and fear in healthcare settings
understanding medical diagnoses in age-appropriate ways
preparing for specific aspects of medical or dental procedures or treatment
creating coping plans to support collaboration with your medical or dental care team
processing questions and emotions related to medical treatment and changes in the family
promoting social and emotional wellbeing, family coping and cohesion
coping with difficult aspects of treatment, such as physical changes, pain, and disruptions to typical routines
supporting wellbeing, healing, and symptom/pain management with energy healing
healing your nervous system with SSP before, during, or following treatment or transitions
collaborating with schools to support kids who are coping with their own, or a loved one’s, diagnosis
navigating end-of-life care and bereavement support
processing finishing treatment for chronic illness and transitioning to a “new normal”