February 1, 2018: February is here and my topic today is Parent Partnership. I want to share my interest in working with teens and children in the context of family counseling. A child is a part of a larger system called the "family" and we have to address our young people in a unit of treatment called family counseling with occasional sessions with myself and your child. I call this parent partnership which is fabulous, incredible and engaging for all involved. Truly even a 30 minute session is hard for most kids to get through. They become bored, wiggly and lose interest quickly even with a therapist like me who is quirky, hyper and so I have heard has a great sense of humor. Parents bring their children to me as they may display symptoms of depression, grades that are mostly D's and F's and they are exhibiting an increase in behavioral problems in school and home My variety therapy box for teens is a mix up of their inspiring music, board games, journals, drawings, band instruments and favorite book and movie titles. The goal is to crack the "code" if you will which is to eventually create a safe place for children and teens to share about how they really feel. We get to the solid ground of what makes your child "tick" and ultimately the "how" is find ways to connect with them respectively. I say yes to family therapy with some splashes of kid fun, play therapy and wicked communication skills so ultimately there is " more" of what we want to see in our kids and "less" of what brought kids to my office. My office is the place to capture an opportunity to live in families that thrive rather than passing time and live a life of existence simply to survive. #happychildhoods #nevertoolate #parentparnership   #yourpainisyourgold  Victoria