TERESA LYNN NELSON, LPC
I am currently only seeing clients on a referral basis.
Child and Adolescent Therapy
Services include: play therapy, child therapy, adolescent therapy, individual, and parenting help.
Welcome. My therapeutic focus is not on blame and negativity – it’s on solutions. I want every family to succeed and believe in the inherent strength and resiliency within each child and adolescent. Kids respond well to positive, solution-focused therapy. So I form an encouraging and collaborative team with parents and children, while actively participating in achieving your goals. My approach to child therapy is always professional, customized, and confidential. I am committed to helping your family make important life changes during difficult times, finding the most effective solutions to your problems, and successfully guiding your children away from the cycle of negative behaviors & toward emotional well-being.
SPECIALTIES
ADHD/ADD
Depression
Anxiety
Stress
Behavior Problems
Fears & Phobias
Academic Difficulties
Work & Career Difficulties
Relationship Difficulties
Behavior Change
Parent/Child Conflict
Divorce
Despite children and modern families facing many complex issues, parents often still feel ashamed, responsible, discouraged or hopeless when their child is having problems. But seeking help from a child therapist doesn't mean you’ve failed as a parent. Rather, it means you recognize your child, adolescent or teen is hurting or challenged.
ABOUT ME
My name is Teresa Nelson. I graduated from college in Behavioral Science and Health in 1995 and have been working professionally with children since that time. I returned to school in the same year to earn a teaching certificate and subsequently taught for 13 years in both public and private schools. During this time, I earned a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Gifted and Talented Students. Working with children over the years made me realize a deepening personal need to help them psychologically as well as academically. I returned to school to earn another master’s degree, this time in Mental Health Counseling. I have worked in residential, hospital, and school settings and beginning in 2005, I have been in private practice. Familiarity with academic, social, emotional, and psychological mile-markers has given me a strong understanding of children’s needs and confidence in what I do. As I tell kids, I have the best job in the world—making their lives better.
My Philosophy
I focus first on finding ways to promote change within the child’s environment as I believe that given the right environment and opportunity to learn, children will do just that. It is amazing how quickly children will learn new behaviors and self-correct when their environment allows and encourages them to do so.
While I do not view parents as the “problem” (I actually don’t think anyone is the problem…only the problem is the problem) I believe that parents undoubtedly have the greatest impact, directly and indirectly, on a child’s functioning. I want to mobilize those forces that will produce the greatest growth. My mental health treatment approach aims to empower parents at time when they often feel powerless and help them re-establish a healthy, growth-oriented relationship with their child.
My counseling approach encourages parents to actively participate in their child’s emotional, psychological, and/or behavioral treatment. I don’t “fix” kids or problems, but rather aim to empower my clients and their families in developing the knowledge and skills to overcome both current and future difficulties. I believe that I have a responsibility to focus on what “works,” and that means including parents in treatment process.
I utilize several approaches to children’s mental health treatment depending on age and individual.
SERVICES
Play therapy is to children what counseling is to adults. Play therapy utilizes play, children’s natural medium of expression, to help them express their feelings more easily through toys instead of words. Play is a child’s language and toys are the child’s words. Though children lack the cognitive skills to express themselves with words, they are fluent in the language of play. Play therapy allows them to express themselves in the way in which they are most comfortable.
CHILD THERAPY
Childhood is a time of tremendous growth and change and oftentimes it can be quite difficult to determine whether or not a child’s behavior is “normal” or if it is an indication that the child
has strayed from a healthy developmental path.
Mental health difficulties in children most often manifest as behavioral issues in the form of defiance, aggression and/or other “disruptive behaviors” or as avoidance and passivity in the form of anxiety and withdrawal. In both cases, a major impediment to growth and well-being is the impact that a child’s behavior has on the environment in which he/she exists (e.g., home, school, peer group, etc.). For example, a child exhibiting defiance often contributes to an environment rife with conflict, while a child experiencing anxiety might create an environment of isolation that is devoid of
social support and learning opportunities.
ADOLESCENT THERAPY
Adolescence is characterized by transition in many senses of the term. Biologically, this is the time of puberty and “raging hormones.” Psychologically, this is a time of tremendous intellectual and cognitive growth best exemplified by the “know-it-all” teenager. Socially, during this time teenagers are transitioning from operating predominately within the social structure of the family system to venturing out on their own to discover and develop their own social niche in the world. Each transition can present its own set of obstacles, but when significant life setbacks and/or mental illness enters into the picture this period of life can quickly turn from being one of transition to one of seemingly inescapable turbulence for teenagers and their loved ones.
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
In my therapy sessions, we’ll work to solve current problems and improve positive thinking and behavior. Whether it be parenting issues or more personal. I will help you “re-frame” your reactions and provide you with valuable tools to cope with life’s obstacles. I’m confident you’ll find my personalized Individual Therapy beneficial and inspirational. Get in touch to book an appointment.
PARENTING HELP
While this approach may not be best suited for all mental health concerns in children, research shows that for the most common child mental health issues (e.g., ADHD, defiance/aggression, mood dysregulation, and anxiety) the most effective treatments utilize behaviorally focused interventions that involve the active participation of parents/caregivers in the treatment process.