Child & Adolescent Counseling
Candace specializes in working with children, teenager and their parents to help make life better in families. Candace has much experience with children & teenagers who are dealing with issues related to anxiety (including: OCD, fears & phobias, panic attacks), depression, oppositional/defiant behavior, angry outbursts, withdrawal from the family, parent-child conflict, school refusal and involvement with juvenile court, etc. Candace works with children/teens and their parents to decrease difficulties and increase connection and communication. Candace identifies the unique interests of her child/teen clients and creates an interactive and enjoyable experience while addressing the therapeutic needs.
Counseling for Women
Anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, life transitions, post-partum anxiety and depression, a spouse with addiction, etc. are very common issues for women to encounter at any stage of life. Candace helps women understand how past experiences can contribute to current circumstances and how to move forward in a positive direction.
Counseling for Couples
Stress in relationships can often lead to conflict and discontentment. Candace has a great deal of experience helping couples understand how their expectations and past experiences can contribute to the current difficulties. Candace helps couples examine the lens through which they see the world and relate to others in order to begin to relate to each other in a way that brings increased contentment and hope for the future.
Family Intensives
Family Intensives are opportunities for families to engage in counseling in a condensed period of time. This allows families to gain insight, acquire new skills and practice application of skills within 2 days instead of counseling sessions spread out over several months. This type of experience can be helpful for families experiencing defiance, power struggles and conflict. The majority of the time is spent helping parents develop a framework for how to create change in the family. While most of the sessions involve parents, there are at least 2 sessions in which parents and kids meet together with Candace.
Counseling for Christians
Candace provides counseling for those who are Christians and those who are not. Many Christians prefer to be seen by a counselor who shares their faith as it plays an important role in their worldview and how they deal with life's difficulties and suffering. Candace is a Christian and her training included an emphasis on integrating Christianity with Psychology in a way that is responsible and clinically appropriate.
How do I talk to my child about going to counseling?
Being open and honest about plans to seek help from a counselor is important. Here are some tips for starting the discussion about counseling.
· Acknowledge that there have been some recent challenges and ask the child/teen how they see the situation.
· Ask him/her what they think could help improve the situation.
· Ask them how they feel emotionally about going to counseling.
· Express how you understand why they would feel that way and your hope that counseling can improve the current situation.
· Ask them what their fears/concerns are about counseling.
· Encourage them to discuss these fears/concerns with the counselor.
· Assure them that Candace is sensitive to the unique needs of children/teens and works to make counseling fun and interactive while addressing therapeutic needs. It’s not just sitting around talking about feelings -but there will be some of that too. :)
· Acknowledge that there have been some recent challenges and ask the child/teen how they see the situation.
· Ask him/her what they think could help improve the situation.
· Ask them how they feel emotionally about going to counseling.
· Express how you understand why they would feel that way and your hope that counseling can improve the current situation.
· Ask them what their fears/concerns are about counseling.
· Encourage them to discuss these fears/concerns with the counselor.
· Assure them that Candace is sensitive to the unique needs of children/teens and works to make counseling fun and interactive while addressing therapeutic needs. It’s not just sitting around talking about feelings -but there will be some of that too. :)