play it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I am a licensed therapist and approved supervisor in the state of Washington. The fancy acronyms after my name stand for 'Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker' (LICSW) and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S). They just qualify me to do what I love to do, which is to support young children and their caregivers through emotional distress and to help them strengthen their special bond.  

 

For over 10 years, I have worked in various organizations serving children, adults and families providing psychotherapy and therapeutic care to support their emotional health and self-sufficiency. My pivotal position was working at a highly multicultural school providing play therapy to children impacted by personal and structural adversity, parenting support to caregivers, and working collaboratively with the school team to support children in need of extra support. It is here that I witnessed and learned to acknowledge systemic forces of oppression that impact parents, teachers and hence children in many ways and not assume that holistic personal change can be achieved in isolation, without social and structural change. 

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In my individual sessions, I bring qualities of non-judgment, compassion and cultural-sensitivity to children and adults I work with. My style is warm, engaging and playful. Knowing that our children's emotional and mental wellbeing begins at home, I partner closely with parents/guardians as the most important therapeutic providers for their child. In my work I also draw on my personal experiences as a neurodivergent parent parenting a neurodivergent child, a person of color and an immigrant in the US. I strive to practice in a way that is anti-oppressive and makes therapy accessible to children and parents with varying access needs. I feel honored that over the years, Play It Out has become a resource for many BIPOC identified and neurodivergent families in the Greater Seattle area.

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Outside of individual work with families, I recognize how the work of parenting can feel very isolating at times. The pandemic we have come through has created greater isolation for many families. It was during this time that I also founded Parent Village LLC , an avenue that brings parents to be in community with each other via parenting classes and support groups. I also co-authored a book with a dear colleague, Jaya Ramesh: 'Parenting At The Intersections: Raising Neurodivergent Children of Color' (out January 2024). 

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When I'm not playing at work, I play at home - I love to sing, dance, spend time in nature with my pup Coco and I try to desperately to win my son at wrestling and to master his Minecraft lessons (try, being the operative word).