Hi, I’m Vanessa
On any given day, you might find me downing an iced coffee and listening to an audiobook while trying, and sometimes succeeding, to clean my house. I’m a proud stepmom and wife, an animal lover, and a karaoke enthusiast. I love starting projects, occasionally finishing them, and collecting new hobbies along the way.
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist who supports children, teens, and families through playful, relationship-centered therapy.
I love learning about people, relationships, development, and the many ways children communicate, connect, and heal.
I’m deeply curious by nature, and that curiosity shows up in both my life and my work.
Then I took an internship at a school, received my first training in play therapy, and met the children who would completely change the direction of my work.
I was floored by children’s ability to heal through play.
Through play, I saw children express what they could not always put into words. I saw them process difficult experiences, build confidence, practice new ways of relating, and find moments of joy and connection. Play helped me become more joyful, open, and present too.
I did not begin my career knowing I wanted to work with children.
Why I Do This Work
Their relationships, home environment, and sense of connection matter deeply. So many families have been impacted by early trauma, stress, disconnection, or patterns that have been passed down over time, including my own. Through my own personal healing journey within my family, I became passionate about helping families interrupt painful cycles and build something more connected, secure, and supportive.
That passion led me to train in play-based family interventions that help parents connect more deeply with their children and support their healing in everyday life. It is an honor to witness parents become the change their child needs, and to watch children grow into more confident, regulated, and connected versions of themselves. counseling.
As my work continued, I also saw how central parents and caregivers are in a child’s healing.
Children do not grow in isolation.
I do not see parents as the problem. I see parents as an essential part of the healing process. Together, we look at what is happening in your family, what your child needs, and what tools can actually work in your real day-to-day life.
Parents as Part of the Healing Process
I support sensitive, spirited, neurodivergent, and emotionally intense children by helping families understand what their child may be communicating and what support they need to feel more regulated, connected, and understood.
Support for Sensitive, Spirited, & Neurodivergent Children
My work is playful, warm, and rooted in the way children naturally communicate. I use evidence-based play therapy and family interventions to help children express themselves, process difficult experiences, build confidence, and practice new ways of relating.
Playful, Child-Centered Support
My Approach
- Licensed Professional Counselor
- Registered Play Therapist
- Over 200 hours of play therapy training
Relevant Experience
- Master’s in Contemplative Counseling Psychotherapy
- FirstPlay
- Theraplay Level 1
- Filial Therapy Level 1
- Safe and Sound Protocol
