Divorce and separation is undoubtedly a challenging experience for everyone involved, especially for children. Amid the emotional rollercoaster, finding a way to co-parent effectively can seem like an overwhelming task - especially when we know that a child’s adjustment during this time depends largely on how well caregivers handle this uncomfortable experience. However, with dedication, communication, and a shared commitment to the well-being of your children, successful co-parenting is not only possible but can be incredibly rewarding.

“Human beings are not born with self-control. We have to learn what to do with the mad that we feel. Learning to control ourselves is a long, hard process. It happens little by little. In fact, it is something we work on all through our lives.” - Mr Rogers

Children do not enter this world with bad intentions. Children offer us information, and if we’re courageous enough to listen to the information, we can attune to their inner experiences. We can perceive their behavior as communication, not as manipulation. Children, like all human beings, feel more cooperative when they are treated with respect and kindness. As adults, we do not respond well to people who speak to us harshly or treat us with disrespect - but this can sometimes be our default reaction when faced with our children’s big feelings.

Each of us comes with our own perceptions of what therapy is and what it looks like, and most adults experience the therapeutic process through talking and reflecting with a licensed therapist. Knowing this, it’s no wonder that play therapy can be riddled with misconceptions!

Choosing the “right” school for your child is a daunting task for parents. We want our children to feel safe, seen, and supported in their academic environments, but it becomes overwhelming when there are often too many options available and not any clear guidance on how to evaluate if each program will align with your child’s individual needs. This is where we come in to save the day! We hope to take a load off your shoulders by giving you a how-to guide on identifying your child’s needs (or preferences) while demystifying the educational lingo you’ll encounter when visiting a potential campus.

Helping others feels good. Even the smallest act of kindness creates a ripple effect. When we “pay it forward,” research states it spreads to at least three degrees of separation. This means we witness someone being kind or generous to others, it not only feels good inside to us but also inspires us to want to be generous towards others, a sensation researchers have coined as “moral elevation” and “emotional contagion.” It is the small acts done repeatedly that really make a big difference. Spreading kindness in your home and spending time volunteering in your community can be an invaluable experience for your family.

Understanding your child’s sensory portrait helps deepen your understanding of their sensitivities, triggers, and patterns that might be linked to dysregulated behaviors. We use our sensory systems to assess our environment for safety or threat. Each child responds differently to sensory input. Children may experience overstimulation or understimulation, both of which can contribute to emotional dysregulation. Because each child’s sensory needs are different, some children may perform better than others when overstimulated or understimulated.

For therapy treatment to be effective it’s important that caregivers understand the process of therapy and the value & effectiveness of play therapy. As play therapists, we are trained to speak a child’s language, so it’s our job to translate what’s arising in our sessions with you. Our partnership is the foundation of where healing can begin in your family.

The back-to-school transition can often bring up a lot of emotions. A typical school day is filled with a multitude of stressors for a child including numerous social interactions, transitioning between activities & classrooms, various adults telling them what to do, sensory sensitivities, and academic struggles to name a few. While some children express themselves in the moment as new conflicts arise, other children are successful at “holding it together” during the school day only to come home and let it all out with you. Our first instinct might be to think, “Why are they doing this to me?” but in reality this is the first sign that you have developed a safe and secure attachment with your child.

At Ensemble Therapy, we care deeply about the “why” behind our practice of counseling. We believe there is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach to counseling; each therapist views the counseling process and their clients through a unique lens formed from years of education and experience. This means that as a client, you can choose the counselor who is the best fit for you or your child. While this freedom to choose the best-fit may sound nice at first, it can be difficult to know how to choose when there seem to be so many ways to do therapy. Not only are there lots of theories on how to practice counseling, often the language behind counseling theories is difficult to understand and apply without any previous background knowledge.