Dr. Lisa has been providing therapy to children, parents and families since 1989. The knowledge and beliefs she acquired through these relationships have become foundational and influence her approach to therapy. Gleaned from experience, Dr. Lisa’s principles for effective family therapy are shared below.
The Gold Standard of Parent-Child Relationships
- A secure and nurturing parent-child relationship precedes a child’s optimal growth and well-being.
- The impact of parental communications, interactions, and the parent’s demonstration of their commitment are invaluable contributions to their child’s evolution into maturity.
- Parents model respectful values that toddlers imitate and adopt later as children; e.g., generosity, problem solving, communication, respect, self-restraint, tolerance, and gratitude.
- Within the relationship with their parents a child learns empathy, kindness, safety and how to calm themselves. They learn how to organize their thoughts, how to identify, name, and express their feelings, and how to cope when life presents difficult days.
The Essence of Childhood
- Children of all ages want to grow, belong, feel loved, useful, safe, and be happy. They want to share, love others, contribute, trust, make friends, create, play, plan, and make good, safe decisions. Why? Because, this is the essence of who they are.