Children (6 to 10) Therapists in East Grand Rapids, MI

Being heard and validated are two of the most powerful avenues to feeling a sense of belonging and worth. Unfortunately, we run into situations in life that shut us down, tell us our life experience doesn't count, and we leave those situations feeling empty and uncertain about what we've done wrong. Through therapy, we learn to find ourselves through our values and we learn new skills to navigate the hills and valleys of life so that when those situations come up, we can come out of them stronger and more sure of ourselves. I look forward to walking that path alongside you while you discover how you can have a full life and thrive.

Are you/child feeling stuck, defeated, and overwhelmed? Maybe you/child tried to create a healthier life only to be met with disappointment and confirmation you are not enough? You are not broken. Healing is possible. In our work together, you have an opportunity to explore your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors in a safe and validating environment. I am here to help you develop skills and make long-term change. I believe you can heal the mind when you focus on healing the whole body. Let's dive in and see what you are capable of and build that life that is worth living.

Natalie believes the answers to our own healing are within us, and that each person has their own unique path to discovering their purpose in life. Often times, we need support in our processes of growth, and her passion lies in supporting others in renewing their mind and body by instilling greater levels of well-being, fulfillment, and potential. Natalie has experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults as they navigate stressors, experience relational challenges, trauma, adjustment concerns, explore their identity, and more.

The trials of life sometimes bring sadness and fear. I offer a place for healing and help in a safe environment, for children, adolescents, and adults. I will help you to find the answers to your conflicts and concerns. Whatever the problem we will work together to find the way out. I offer hope for the hopeless.

Are you feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious? Having a hard time communicating effectively with others? Making the decision to seek professional help is a difficult task. I am hoping that this information helps you in making that decision. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and have worked in private practice since earning my PhD in 2004. I enjoy my job immensely and I work diligently to provide a comfortable, open environment for my clients with an emphasis on collaboration. We will work together to try to reach your goals so you can ultimately enjoy a better quality of life.

Sometimes life can present us with difficulties, as well as opportunities, that we don't expect or aren't sure how to handle. Many people find ways of healing, growing, and even striving through the counseling process. Once you've decided to seek out psychotherapy, finding the therapist who is the right fit for you can feel overwhelming. The psychologists, professional counselors and social workers at River City Psychological Services (RCPS) strive to create a safe environment where people can grow and heal.

Diana "DeeDee" DiTrapani is a Licensed Master Social Worker. She received her Master's Degree from Wayne State University and has been working in the field for 34 years. Many of those years have been spent working with children and families in child welfare, foster care, and adoption.

Psychotherapy can help you with worries, anxiety, depression, and troubled relationships. I can assist you in becoming more constructive in your approach to life; you will discover in treatment abilities that you posess but that you might not even have known about which, when they are known to you, help you to be in a stronger position to feel more confidence and comfort dealing with the challenging aspects of your life. My therapeutic method consists of a process of problem solving with a focus on exploring ones thinking, imagining, feeling and experiencing.

If you or your child are living with strong emotions, suicide attempts, self-harming, hospitalizations, chronic relationship/behavioral issues, or roller coaster emotions; life is very tough. You may feel like you are held hostage by these emotions and have a difficult time imagining that a 'normal' or healthy life is even possible. As a therapist trained in the specialty of DBT therapy, I believe that EVERYONE is capable of creating a life worth living.

When I browse bios on Psychology Today or any other directory, they all start to blend together. Choosing among us likely comes down to an intangible feeling, which I think is perfectly fine! From my perspective, it's challenging to find the right words because I'm not here to sell you anything or convince you of something—that goes against everything I believe in. I'm here to help you find your own way. I suppose sharing what sets me apart from other therapists might be most helpful, but this may sound arrogant, so please bear with me.

Have you ever found yourself unable to feel better, despite past attempts to think your way out and move forward? Have you found that the same types of hardships keep happening over and over with your behaviors, family, friends, work, school, or partners, like a cycle you can't seem to escape? Maybe you've seen talk therapists or doctors for your symptoms before but didn't seem to get better for long. Or maybe you hold pain that's difficult to talk about. Are you tired of feeling stuck? Are you looking to get to the root of these challenges and heal them for good?

I really enjoy working with individuals and families on issues involving stress and anxiety (Panic Disorder, OCD, Generalized Anxiety, Agoraphobia, etc.), folks dealing with issues related to the Autistic Spectrum, people dealing with adjustments to chronic health issues and their impacts, and relationship concerns ranging from parenting and romantic relationships to family dynamics and interacting with adult children.

Most of the people who work with me range from adolescents to adults and generally experience depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, have a history of suicide, trauma, and/or general trouble adjusting to changes in life. However, I also have experience working with grief and loss, family adjustment to autism diagnosis, general family concerns, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. I am trained in S.A.F.E. EMDR, integrative medicine for mental health, CBT, and TF-CBT. I have additional knowledge of sand tray, IFS, narrative therapy, and interpersonal neurobiology and draw on these in my therapy.

Reaching out for counseling takes courage and strength. Whether you are seeking support for a life stressor, a recent loss, to explore who you are, to address mental health challenges, or to navigate relationship difficulties, I welcome your contact. My goal is to offer you a safe and collaborative space where you feel heard and validated. I bring warmth, compassion, skill, and caring attention to help you along your journey, and together, we will develop treatment goals, clarify your core values, strengthen coping strategies, and engage in self-exploration leading to lasting change and growth.

I believe the most well-adjusted individuals have found contentment through the brave exploration of themselves. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Doctorate in Clinical Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. For over fifteen years, I have worked with a variety of populations, including children, adolescents, families and adults. My experience supporting clients through Substance Abuse, Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, Grief and Loss, PTSD and OCD is vast. I also have specialized expertise working with adolescents and young adults.

I am a clinical behavioral therapist with a private practice focusing mainly on children and families. I enjoy working with children and use various play techniques to explore the lagging skills which may have developed strong responses and behaviors to stressors in your child. There are many instances in which I will accept the parent as client to address behaviors in the home. I work with siblings when appropriate and have worked with clients ages 4-adulthood.

Do you feel like you're stuck in survival mode? Trauma and pent up stress can feel plaguing and inescapable, but that doesn't have to be your forever reality. You CAN feel like you are in control of your life again. You are capable of experiencing life beyond survival again. And you are deserving of all the support to get there! As a team, I would love to work with you to help you overcome whatever is preventing you from thriving right now. It takes a lot of strength to reach out when you are in need, and I don't take that lightly.

Life's struggles and experiences can cause us to feel overwhelmed, or even at times, out of control. We want to change how we are feeling or how our child feels, but we don't know how. We all experience moments like this in our lives and often we can persevere. At times though we need some help, and that's okay.

Providing a space of safety and acceptance to explore life issues, we work together to begin the process of change. Beginning with a solution-focused approach, we begin with your strengths. A key to this is learning to effectively use tools (coping skills) along with being able to see and understand situations differently. We work together to improve the health of your relationships, the most important one being with yourself, and then other relationships in your life. Problems with alcohol or other drugs can be addressed if that's something you want to work on.