Working with Vietnamese-speaking clients:

I am Bilingual, as I speak both Vietnamese and English. I provide service in
whichever language is most comfortable for you to utilize, and am sensitive to
issues arising from differences in ethnic origin. Please be assured that your
confidentiality is guarded with utmost care.

Phuc vu cong dong Viet Nam:

Toi noi hai thu tieng Anh va Viet, tuy theo y thich cua quy vi. Toi rat cam thong
ve moi van de lien quan toi hoan canh song khac biet cua chung ta o nuoc My.

Working with Crime Victims:

I work with individuals who have been a victim of a crime and who suffers physical
and/or emotional harm.  Compensation is offered through the Office of the
Attorney General.  If you qualify, services are provided to you and your immediate
family members at no charge.

Working with adults:

My work with adults includes individual therapy with men and women,
couples counseling, marriage counseling, and family counseling.

Sometimes individuals have needs related to work, stress, childhood issues,
or relationships.  I want to help. Life can be very difficult at times, and a caring
therapist who listens and understands can be very important in helping with the
changes that life sometimes requires of us. My hope is that ABC can be your
oasis, a place where you find just what your heart needs to get you over the rough
spots.

I understand that in all relationships there is conflict. If you spend enough time
with anyone, conflicts will naturally arise. I strive to help couples manage conflict
in a manner that is much more positive than negative, and create a relationship of
hope and freshness. If you are struggling in your relationship, maybe it’s time to
spend some time with a trained, experienced counselor who will understand you
and your loved one, and accept you where you are.

Phuc vu quy vi thanh nien:

Toi co the giup do khuyen nhu ca nhan cho quy ong, quy ba, va co van hanh phuc
lua doi hoac co van toan the gia dinh.

Ca nhan chung ta doi khi gap nhieu tro ngai lien quan toi cong an, viec lam,
phien muon, thoi nien thieu hay nhung quan he ca nhan. Toi co the giup quy vi.
Trong cuoc song, thinh thoang chung ta gap kho khan, tro ngai, luc do quy vi can
co nguoi chiu lang nghe, cam thong va giup quy vi tim duong huong doi thay tot
dep hon. Toi mong quy vi se chon ABC, noi day quy vi se tim duoc su binh thang
cua tam hon cung su an vui va hanh phuc.

Working with children:

I meet with parents to assess their child's needs, make a plan to meet those
needs, and provide therapy and support. That support includes frequent
communication with parents about the issues of parenting their unique child,
and accessing support in the community through self-help groups and
organizations.  The first session is for adults only. This is a time for your
child’s therapist to hear your family's history, the unique story of your child,
and to look together at what your child needs. It is not always necessary to
know how your child has developed the emotional or behavioral issues he has,
but it is important to discover ways to change or work with those issues.

My commitment to parents is that I will always be available for support and I
will never point an accusing finger at you. Being a parent is a tremendously
difficult task. It is my hope that with counseling, guidance, and the right
type of encouragement, parenting can be fun again for you.

FAQ about Play Therapy:

What is play therapy? 
      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.

Why play therapy? 
   Play is the primary way that children: 
        · learn about the world
        · understand how different things work
        · express their thoughts and feelings 
        · develop their physical skills
        · develop their mental skills
        · develop effective social skills and bonds.

How long does a child receive play therapy? 
   The length of time a child is seen in play therapy varies from child
to child. It depends upon the severity of the trauma, the child's personality, and
how the child perceived the trauma. This can be discussed with your child's
play therapist during consultation times.

What's the difference between play therapy and playing with my child at home? 
   Play therapists are specifically trained to provide an environment of
acceptance, empathy and understanding in the play therapy room. Play therapy
is not the same thing as playing. Play therapy uses the child's natural tendency
to "play out" their reactions to life situations, in the presence of a trained play
therapist, to help the child feel accepted and understood and gain a sense of
control or understanding of difficult situations.

Can I watch my child in play therapy? 
   Just as a counselor who works with adults keeps the information shared
in sessions confidential, your child's play therapist will keep the information from
their sessions confidential (exceptions apply). However, he or she will meet with
you periodically to discuss your child's play in general themes, hear your concerns,
and talk about any questions you may have related to your child's progress in
play therapy. 

Parenting Coordination:

Parenting Coordination combines family therapy, parent education, and mediation
services for distressed or highly conflicted families having difficulties implementing
an effective separated or divorced co-parenting plan.  The focus is on understanding
the needs of the child/ren.  The role of the parent coordinator is to serve as a
problem-solving consultant and family functioning coach to facilitate necessary
family system changes.

Parenting Coordination does this by:  
   
1.  Taking a thorough look at strengths and problems of the family system
functioning, involving all family members age 6 and older.
2.  Providing child/ren a safe way to express their needs either directly to
parents or through the therapist.
3.  Coaching parents to create a "next-step" plan with support resources needed
to carry out the plan.

Therapeutic Supervised Visitation:

When a caregiver and child relationship has been disrupted due to divorce, family
conflict, or removal from the home or if there has not been a relationship between
a parent and child due to geographical distances, incarceration, or other relational
problems, there may be concerns about maintaining or initiating contact between
the caregiver or parent and the child.  In these instances, therapeutic supervised
visitation may be appropriate.

Therapeutic supervised visitation is an interactive way to assist or parent or other
individual to develop a healthy and appropriate style of parenting.  It is supervised
by a licensed mental health professional who observes the interactions between the
parties and the child and actually intervenes to provide support, teaching, and inter-
pretation for appropriate parenting techniques or to correct deficiencies.  Therapeutic
supervised visitation can be used to introduce or reintroduce a non-custodial parent
or other family member or to help a custodial parent acquire more appropriate parenting
styles.  Feedback and guidance is provided to the parent in regards to the issues, needs,
and developmental stage of the child.

The primary role of the mental health professional is to observe the interaction and offer
suggestions for improvement, to model discipline and behavior management
techniques, to provide the parent with information about child  development, and to
work directly with the parent on techniques to enhance attachment.  Furthermore, the
parent is taught to consistently understand and meet the child's needs and to help the
child to express feelings and to demonstrate that the feelings are understood.

Therapeutic supervised visitation can be beneficial for:  parents with a long absence
from the child's life, children who are transitioning out of foster care into a family
member's home, children transitioning into an adoptive home, birth parent visitations,
parents recovering from substance abuse or mental disorders, or introduction of
extended family members or siblings to a child.

Therapeutic supervised visitation can be court ordered or requested by an attorney,
requested by an adoptive or child protective agency, or requested by the
involved parties.  After an initial interview, a treatment plan is created specifying
the frequency of visits, the goals of the visitation, and the estimated number of
visits needed. 

If the visitation is requested by the Court or another agency, periodic progress reports
are provided along with recommendations as to how the visitation should continue. 
These reports can also be used as part of a custody case to help determine the best
interest of the child.

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(512) 828-7195