Child & Parent Relationship Counseling Family

Child Parent Relationship Therapy

We get tweens and teens. We are here to support their unique challenges.

You may be experiencing challenges in your relationship with your child, including isolation, ignoring, yelling and difficulty communicating. Finding a counselor who can support you with child-parent interaction counseling can help your family feel better. Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) may be a great choice for your family, and a fantastic adjunct to your child’s Play Therapy. Our Play Therapists provide evidence-based counseling to improve interactive patterns between children and their parents. This approach is an age appropriate, non-directive, educational and relationship-based therapy, where the counselor observes, trains and provides ongoing support to address the challenges that occur during the three stages of treatment. This approach is often an addition to child counseling and play therapy. Oftentimes, these family interactions have become a strain on the relationships over time, and this specific therapy will help identify the strained patterns, and learn new ways of parenting and meaningful interactions, including playfulness.

Reasons to seek Child Parent Relationship Therapy

Your child may be experiencing behaviors that are not typical for their personality, or they may be affecting the whole family. Parents who decide on Child Parent Relationship Therapy describe the following within their family dynamics, and are looking for a connected way to support their child in overcoming big feelings and challenging behaviors. And, they are intentional in being part of the solution.

Anxiety
Adoption or Foster Care
Attachment issues
Chronic Illness or disability
Depression
Inattention or hyperactivity
Trauma
Oppositional behaviors
Aggression (physical or verbal)

Our Child Parent Relationship Therapy Approach

This approach to child-parent relationship therapy usually takes 10-20 sessions, and focuses not on either the parent or the child, but rather, it focuses on the relationships that are affected, and may include the entire family. Issues that develop in families are often related to a family dynamic, and experienced by the entire family. The goal of our play therapists who provide Filial or Child Parent Relationship Therapy is to provide a safe and warm environment for all of the family members in attendance, to allow the good work of repairing and empowering family relationships to occur.

All of our Play Therapists provide Child Parent Relationship Therapy. Our Child, Adolescent and Family Therapists may also provide CPRT. Reach out today to learn more!

ADHD Evaluation Evaluations & Assessments

ADHD Evaluation

You may have noticed that your child struggles to keep up with their peers, stay focused, or keep up with life’s demands. Individuals with ADHD have difficulty maintaining their level of success and ability in any of the areas of life that are necessary. From chores, social relationships, family dynamics, emotion regulation, organization, and completion of tasks.

An ADHD evaluation provides the necessary knowledge to connect your child with the right therapy and other complementary supports to achieve optimal development and success in developmental tasks.

The Evaluation Process

Types of Evaluations

Adult
Child/Adolescent

Evaluation Cost

Check in with your insurance provider to ensure you are aware of your insurance coverage. Most insurance companies will cover at least a portion of the evaluation, even if out of network benefits are utilized. Our Billing Team is available to answer any questions you may have about the cost, and our Client Care Team is available to answer any questions about the process.

What to Expect

Timeframe/# of sessions (Structured Clinical Interview, including Developmental and Records Review)
Classroom/School Observation and Collaboration with other professionals
Psychological Assessments: Social and Behavioral Assessments
Developmental Assessments and rating scales
Parent Session/Feedback Session
Comprehensive Report
Ongoing Support and Collaboration – helps clients achieve their full potential. We consult with teachers, and other medical and service professionals to coordinate care and treatment goals.

Treatment Post Evaluation

After receiving a diagnosis, it can be overwhelming. There are so many components to treatment and so many differing philosophies. We have worked with Autistic individuals for decades, and what remains true and clear is the mental health of these individuals is just as important as learning more adaptive behaviors and social skills. Research has shown that neurodiverse individuals also struggle with anxiety, depression, and self-harming behaviors. With a good treatment plan to support mental health, neurodiverse individuals can overcome many of life’s obstacles and challenges.

Mental Health Support

At Embark Counseling Services, our therapists help support the mental health needs of neurodiverse individuals using neurodiversity-affirming and evidenced-based approaches including the following:

CBT
Play Therapy
Attachment Focused Family Therapy

ADHD Evaluation. Young boy at school with a backpack on holding notebooks.

Advocacy & Collaboration with Other Systems

When determining if an organization will allow accommodations, they require a professional to evaluate and provide a diagnosis, typically with recommendations for accommodations and supports. This may also require the professional to present a formal report to include specific information about how your diagnosis both historically and currently affects your ability to function within the academic or work setting and rule out other possible sources for occurring symptoms.

The value of a comprehensive approach for these evaluations explains the diagnosis, functionality of the individual, as well as providing a summary of the strengths and challenges that the individual experiences, and provides a thorough, realistic plan for addressing the issues by providing recommendations for academic, occupational, social skills and/or daily functioning.

We offer review of school-developed accommodations and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help adequately address and advocate for your child’s needs and help collaborate and transfer school routine and behavior management to the home.We also provide ongoing collaboration with other providers and schools, to ensure consistency and communication across the entire team of professionals.

Our ADHD Evaluation Specialized Professionals

Haley Wagonblott, MA, LPC

She/Her
Children, Teens, & Adults
Individual Counseling

Amber Zewert, LPC, ATR-P

She/Her
Child, Teen & Adult Counseling
Art Therapy

Ashley Cross, MA, LPC

She/Her
Child, Adolescent & Family Therapist
CBT, Play Therapy
Kansas City, MO Clinical Site Director

Kaitlyn Sampson, MA, LPC, RPT

She/Her
Child, Adolescent, & Family Therapist
Registered Play Therapist
Community Coordinator

Autism Evaluation Evaluations & Assessments

Autism Evaluation

When you are seeking an Autism evaluation for your child, it can be quite scary and anxiety-provoking. Our process is warm and compassionate, allowing the authenticity of the whole person to be captured, including an accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations. We work with the client, primary caregivers, and other important persons to gather the necessary information throughout the process. We also ensure that we have a complete understanding of the individual’s strengths, challenges, interests, skills, and talents so that a comprehensive understanding is achieved. This in-depth process is critical to ensure that you have the answers you need for what you or your child are experiencing and a roadmap for the support and treatment plan that will follow.

It is important to have a qualified and experienced professional complete the evaluation for an accurate diagnosis and for determining early intervention and ongoing treatment. Differential diagnoses are considered throughout the process, and many of these diagnoses have similar symptoms and behaviors. Our professionals are skilled and trained in understanding issues such as ADHD, OCD, tic disorders, anxiety, and trauma. An Autism Diagnosis is made by following the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition, TR (DSM5-TR).

The Evaluation Process

Types of Evaluations

Adult
Child/Adolescent
Infant/toddler

What is Included

Language Development
Communication Patterns
Behavioral Patterns
Social Interactions

Evaluation Cost

What to Expect

Timeframe/# of sessions (Structured Clinical Interview, including Developmental and Records Review)
Classroom/School Observation and Collaboration with other professionals
Psychological Assessments: Social and Behavioral Assessments
Developmental Assessments and rating scales
Parent Session/Feedback Session
Comprehensive Report
Ongoing Support and Collaboration – helps clients achieve their full potential. We consult with teachers, and other medical and service professionals to coordinate care and treatment goals.

Treatment Post Evaluation

Autism Evaluations. Young boy smiling for picture on first day of school.

Mental Health Support

At Embark Counseling Services, our therapists help support the mental health needs of neurodiverse individuals using neurodiversity-affirming and evidenced-based approaches including the following:

CBT
Play Therapy
Attachment Focused Family Therapy
We can provide referrals or recommendations for supportive therapies such as Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).

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Advocacy & Collaboration with Other Systems

Unsure if You Should Pursue an Evaluation?

Are you concerned about some of your child’s behaviors or developmental issues, but not sure is you should pursue an evaluation? Below are a few of the symptoms and behaviors that we typically see when a family is seeking an evaluation.

Social Skills Problems (trouble with developing and maintaining friendships/relationships, awkward social interactions or difficulty reading social cues)
Resistant to change or difficulty with transitions
Abnormal eye contact (e.g., limited or prolonged)
History of developmental delays
Executive Functioning Difficulties
Inability to plan, organize or complete tasks
Self-Control
Flexibility
Working Memory Difficulties
Time Management
Perseverance
Attention
Emotional Regulation Difficulties
Oppositional Behaviors
Impulsivity
Aggression
Restricted or fixated interests
Rigid thinking patterns/behaviors
Sensory seeking/avoidant behaviors

Our Autism Evaluation Specialized Professionals

Haley Wagonblott, MA, LPC

She/Her
Children, Teens, & Adults
Individual Counseling

Amber Zewert, LPC, ATR-P

She/Her
Child, Teen & Adult Counseling
Art Therapy

Ashley Cross, MA, LPC

She/Her
Child, Adolescent & Family Therapist
CBT, Play Therapy
Kansas City, MO Clinical Site Director

Kaitlyn Sampson, MA, LPC, RPT

She/Her
Child, Adolescent, & Family Therapist
Registered Play Therapist
Community Coordinator

Telehealth

Telehealth Counseling

You Matter. Secure. HIPAA Compliant. Confidential. Convenient.

Your mental health is more important now than ever. The changes our society has encountered related to COVID-19 may have caused you great distress, and these changes do not have to stop your mental health progress. With the new responsibilities and the growing worries, concerns and fears, we have a telehealth solution for you to find help and healing in the midst of your own space. No matter what you are going through.

You’ve been thinking about therapy, but just cannot squeeze it into your schedule. Or, you prefer the privacy of your own home. Online counseling is your solution.

Online Counseling, also known as telehealth, provides the opportunity for you to connect with a therapist online, through synchronous audio and video. Research has shown that you can get the exact same benefits of an in person session from the comfort of your own home or office. Online counseling is a good option for clients who have difficulty coming in for appointments because of busy schedules, lack of childcare, or who live too far from the office. And, it is a great option for those parent sessions that our child and adolescent counselors hold periodically to support the growth in counseling. It is possible to get the support and guidance of a licensed counselor from the location of your choosing.

Telehealth is Convenient & Private

You have been buried under stress and have struggled to find a way to manage. Maybe you realize that you have been ignoring how you really feel and coping with what you are going through. Oftentimes, online counseling is a great way to fit taking care of you into your busy schedule. Finding an experienced licensed counselor who can provide online counseling is the answer for you.

Choosing online counseling offers a safe place for you to work on you, at your pace, and without having to travel to our office. Together, we partner to address the issues and barriers that are keeping you finding your peace and balance. Ultimately, we are here to partner with you to help you manage the symptoms that are creating distress in your life, whether it be depression, anxiety, or relational issues.

Online counseling sessions may be an option for children, tweens and teens, and with Play Therapy. For more information on online counseling for your child or teen, connect with one of our child therapists to see if your child or teen would be a good fit for this option!

Telehealth Counseling. Image of young woman holding coffee cup and smiling at laptop computer screen.

Eating Disorders Speciality Areas

Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate.

Most people feel self-conscious about their body and appearance at some point in their lives. However, for people living with eating disorders or disordered eating or problematic obsessions with body image, these concerns can make it very difficult to enjoy life the way they would like. Hyper-focusing on these problems can be detrimental to your overall well-being, and can result in high risk behaviors, such as excessive dieting and overexercising, and relationship challenges.

Beginning to work through the symptoms of disordered eating can feel scary, especially if it’s been your primary way of coping with pain and emotional hurt for a long time. In the beginning of your healing journey, it might feel as though you are losing control of the very thing that you know, and that has provided you with safety and comfort. At Embark Counseling Services, our compassionate and caring professionals are intentional about providing trauma competent support, supporting you as you progress towards living your best life free of pain and obsessions. Here you can discover that we care and offer real hope.

Eating Disorders Come in Many Shapes & Sizes

Disordered eating does not only affect females. It also is a problem for males, transgender and nonbinary individuals. As a matter of fact, eating disorders affect every gender, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, males either want to lose weight, or “bulk up”. Males with eating disorders show most of the same symptoms as females do, including emotional, physical, and behavioral issues. Eating disorder onset typically occurs in adolescence or young adulthood but is not limited to these life stages. Even children and tweens/teens may show signs and symptoms of having an eating disorder. What is common is that the struggle with food and the relationship with the body and body image disrupts the health and well-being of the person.

Disordered eating is common, and although it may not meet the full criteria for an eating disorder, it is important to pay specific attention to the symptoms and root causes of the eating behaviors. Early intervention is critical to the healing and recovery for individuals who struggle with eating behaviors. This includes children and teens.

Among adolescents, eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness. Also, eating disorders are oftentimes accompanied by other issues, including substance use disorder (SUD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sexual abuse history, depression, anxiety disorder, and other health issues. It is not uncommon for families to experience signifiant distress and conflict when an eating disorder is present. Having a professional who is trained in family systems approach is beneficial in the healing of the individual’s eating disorder.

Recovery is remembering who you are and using your strengths to become all that you were meant to be.

An Eating Disorder is Not a Choice.

Eating disorders aren’t a choice, behavior problem, or lack of willpower. An eating disorder is an illness with biological and genetic roots that are influenced by culture. There is no one distinct cause of eating disorders. Research has found a number of “genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors” that can increase the risk of eating disorder development, including a traumatic past, attachment wounds and abusive relationships. Most often, people with eating disorders often have turned to controlling their diet and intake as a way to soothe their discomfort, stress, pain, sadness, sense of feeling trapped in unhappiness, or even their chronic pain in their physical health, as a result of feeling out of control or in danger. This has oftentimes served as a source of comfort, stability, predictability and control for those who have endured this type of trauma.

Eating Disorder Types & Symptoms

Below are some common eating disorder types and symptoms.

Types

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder
Compulsive Overeating
Bulimia
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED)

Symptoms

Dramatic weight gain or loss
Frequently talking about food, weight, and shape
Rapid or persistent decline or increase in food intake
Excessive or compulsive exercise patterns
Purging, restricting, binge eating, or compulsive eating
Abuse of diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, or emetics
Denial of food and eating problems, despite the concerns of others
Eating in secret, hiding food, disrupting meals, feeling out of control with food
Medical complications, such as menstrual irregularity, dizziness, fainting, bruising, dry skin, leg cramps, hair loss, brittle hair, osteoporosis, diarrhea, constipation, dental problems, diabetes, chest pain, heart disease, heartburn, shortness of breath, organ failure, and other serious symptoms

If you or a loved one struggles with dieting, eating behaviors or are concerned that you might have an eating disorder, these questions will help you determine if it is time to seek out support from one of our professionals.

Please answer “yes” or “no” for each question. Based on your experiences in the past six months:

Do you have a strong desire to be thinner than you are today?
Does the thought of gaining weight make you extremely anxious or fearful?
Do you go long periods of time without eating anything as a means to control your weight?
Do you have strict, self-imposed rules about the type and quantity of food you eat and experience extreme feelings of shame and guilt when you break these rules?
Do you ever eat in secret or hide food?
Do you compensate if you feel uncomfortably full? (ie. exercise, vomiting, laxatives)
Does gaining any amount of weight affect how you feel about yourself, or impact on your self-esteem?
Have you felt like you have lost control over how much you eat?
Do you have trouble making time for your relationships, work or hobbies because you’re preoccupied with controlling your diet and weight?

Eating Disorder Treatment Approaches

At Embark Counseling Services, our therapists use approaches that encourage body trust, like Health At Every Size, Embodiment, and Intuitive Eating. Further, we explore unhealed wounds that are at the root of the behaviors, encouraging enhanced emotional regulation and better relationships.

Our personalized treatment approach includes the following:

Individual therapy from an evidence based perspective with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and associated health concerns
Group therapy, as appropriate with other children or adolescents
Family therapy, as appropriate, to include parents, siblings and other family members
Collaboration with psychiatric services, as needed

Children, teens, and young adults have different needs than older adults typically do. While our providers work with adults, they specifically specialize in children and adolescents and develop treatment goals to meet the unique needs of your child or teen. Whether it’s individual, group, or family sessions (or all three), developmentally appropriate treatment options for all young people are an important part of our program. We believe that for our children and teens to make optimal recovery, it is focused on family involvement. The therapeutic process helps your child reconnect with themselves, family, friends, and their extended community.We have designed groups for family and sibling involvement. We also have created opportunities for early intervention for younger children who are showing signs of struggle with body image, impulse control or more noticeable symptoms.

Our Eating Disorder Counselors

Cassidi Dye, LPC

She/Her
Trauma Competent Counselor
First Responders & Eating Disorders
Teens & Adults

Johnson County

Candice Baker, MA, LPC, NCC

She/Her
Eating Disorders
Teens & Families
Trauma

Lee's Summit & Kansas City, MO

Perinatal Mental Health Speciality Areas

Perinatal Mental Health

The excitement of bringing a new life into the world quickly turns into exhaustion, fear and overwhelm during your postpartum season. This sometimes shows up as the “baby blues”, which for some women includes frequent tearfulness, poor sleep, irritability and anxiety. You may wonder if you are experiencing postpartum depression and concerned about your maternal mental health. All of these symptoms are reflective of a woman’s mental health during the perinatal and postnatal stages of being a new mom. This can affect up to 75% of women. However, when the parent begins to experience more symptoms more frequently and more intensely, it it can lead to the new parent feeling ashamed, isolated, feeling inadequate and quickly escalating to a lack of interest in anything, including the new baby and partner. If the new parent already has any previous history with anxiety, this new time in her life can intensify and create even more intense responses, such as rapid breathing, chest pain, shakiness and dizziness. Nearly 20% of new moms/parents experience more intense reactions to the new baby, and it can begin anywhere within the first year of the baby’s life. It is okay to reach out and support your perinatal mental health.

How do you know the right time to seek the support of one of our therapists?

Your symptoms interfere with your relationship with your baby and your family
You feel isolated and the support of family and friends is not enough
You believe that things are getting worse, not better

We offer individual counseling, and a New Mom Support Group. Our perinatal mental health counselors also offer telehealth counseling, in Kansas and Missouri.

Perinatal Mental Health. New Born Baby Face.

For some women, a morning run, a healthy diet and receiving help and support from family and friends are sufficient enough to get through the initial adjustment period. Let’s face it. Finding time to invest in yourself with a new baby, or adding a new baby to an already growing family, can feel overwhelming and impossible. You may even be having difficulty connecting with your partner, or having time to talk with your friends, let alone get outside to get some fresh air.

You may be reluctant, thinking that this will go away soon, or even fearful that you will be judged on your parenting, self-care, or even fearful that you will be prescribed medication while pregnant or breastfeeding. These are not only legitimate concerns to be heard, but it is even more important to know that you are not alone in your experience, or on your journey. We are here. We care.

Your baby’s Pediatrician, or your OB/GYN may recommend that you see a therapist if they notice any of the symptoms, or if you have a history of postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety. Or, you may choose to invest in your mental health during your pregnancy and afterward. Either way, we have skilled therapists ready to support you throughout your perinatal and postpartum journey. Our perinatal therapists have additional training, and specialized experience, in perinatal, and postpartum issues, and understand the hormonal changes that are occurring within your body, in addition to the changes that occur within your family.

Common Postpartum Symptoms Include:

Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if you should have become a mother in the first place
Feeling guilty due to high self-expectations
Not feeling “bonded” with the baby
Your thoughts are racing and you can’t quiet your mind
Feeling empty and numb as if you’re just going through the motions
Lack of focus and concentration
Being afraid that if you reach out for help, others will judge your inabilities
Thoughts of running away or leaving your baby behind
Being constantly in a state of worry

If you believe you have any of the above perinatal mental health symptoms, we have a free online confidential assessment for you.

Our Perinatal & Maternal Therapists

Laura Burt, LPC

She/Her
Licensed Professional Counselor
Adult Therapy
Pursuing Certification in Perinatal and Menopausal Care

Johnson County

Sydney Heustis, MA, PLPC, LPC

She/Her
Pursuing Certification in Perinatal Mental Health through PSI
EMDR
Practice Manager

Johnson County & Lee's Summit

Family

Family Therapy

Our attachment and relationships in our family of origin influence our view of the world. We learn our value system, how interact with our world, what is important in life, and how to view and observe the world around us. When difficult things happen, it may be difficult to understand or navigate. Or, when something happens to someone in our family, we may not know what to say or what to do. Additionally, help may be needed when someone in your family hurts you with words or actions. With family therapy, your family can overcome these challenges and find new ways to navigate conflict, and find new meaning and satisfaction in your relationships.

Common Reasons for Seeking Family Therapy

Parent-child conflict
Problems between siblings
Navigating the effects of divorce
Blending Families
Child Development Adjustments, i.e. new baby, entering the teenage years,
Major life transitions, such as a move
Overcoming familial patterns of abuse
Unexpected or traumatic loss of a family member

If any of the above scenarios resonates with your family, reach out to begin family therapy today. You imagine better communication and conflict resolution, as well as shared family meaning and values. At Embark, our clinicians are passionate about helping these dreams come to reality.

Family therapy can be a great resource to help all members of a family unit to understand and identify the needs of each other while learning to balance those needs with the wellbeing of the family unit.

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Positive Family Therapy Outcomes

Strategies to develop and maintain boundaries
Fostered sense of cohesion and communication among family members
Promotes problem solving
Understanding family patterns and dynamics
Builds empathy and connection
Reduces family conflict

Although most families seek family therapy when something is causing conflict within the family, it is also a healthy choice to seek family therapy routinely to keep your family cohesive. Or, maybe a family member has been hurt, or is struggling with depression, anxiety, grief, or needing to navigate a loved one’s diagnosis and how to support them.

Research shows that family therapy is important for families with members who struggle with substance abuse, eating disorders, neuro-atypical diagnosis and other behavioral concerns. Many families choose the process to grow stronger, healthier bonds, and to integrate a deeper understanding of each other as each member of the family grows and changes. Ultimately, when the whole family grows, each member benefits and the family feels better.

When the whole family grows, each member benefits, and the family feels better.

What does the process look like?

The process usually begins with a structured interview with all of the members of the family system. This is helpful to gain an understanding of each member’s perspective and what is important to them. This helps your therapist get a deeper understanding of the goals that the family wishes to achieve, and your therapist can structure sessions tailored to your family’s independent needs. Most often, the number of weekly sessions your family will need depends on the treatment goals and the participation of each member. Our goal is to provide complete and comprehensive therapy to help your family function better, and enjoy each other, communicate more openly and to learn how to navigate conflict.

If you’re interested in learning about how one of our skilled therapists can help your family navigate healthy interactions, contact us today for a free 15 minute consultation. We have many culturally diverse counselors who are available to walk on your journey with you. We look forward to being a part of your family’s journey!

Additional Family Therapy Options

Child Parent Relationship Therapy

Learn more about Child Parent Relationship Therapy.

Learn More

Group

Group Therapy

You are not alone. Groups can provide powerful healing support in your wellness journey.

Group therapy at Embark provides an additional support when you are having a difficult time handling the struggles in your life. Additionally, groups have people who really understand what you are going through. It is a sense of community, where all members are expected to be nonjudgemental, and the therapist challenges the process.Group therapy differs from individual therapy by holding therapeutic sessions in a group setting run by a therapist instead of in a private one-on-one setting with a therapist. In these group sessions, clients share their thoughts and experiences with the whole group, allowing them to support one another while being supported by a group of people who understand what you’re going through.

If you’ve been feeling hopeless or alone lately, or struggling with a problem in your life that feels unsurmountable, group therapy could help you improve your everyday life. Your individual therapist may recommend one of our groups.

Group therapy’s effectiveness lies in its ability to help you find connections with other people and their experiences. These therapist-guided sessions will help you learn more about yourself and how to improve the way you feel, while feeling support from others who understand your experience.

Group participants describe a sense of connectedness and learn from others who struggle with similar issues. And, group therapy improves overall wellbeing, at a lower cost. Group therapy also enhances the growth and healing, supporting your participation in individual counseling.

Our Services - Group Therapy. A teenager speaking out in a group therapy session.

Groups

Currently Active (Accepting New Members)

Johnson County

Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Haley Wagonblott, MA, LPC

Johnson County

Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Haley Wagonblott, MA, LPC

Kansas City, MO

Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Ashley Cross, MA, LPC.

Kansas City, MO

Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Ashley Cross, MA, LPC.

Groups

Currently Active (Wait List)

Groups

Now Enrolling

Johnson County

Pre-Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Haley Wagonblott, MA, LPC

New Mom Support Group. Led by Haley Honn, LPC

Grief and Loss Support. Led by Ellie Sorkin, Counseling Intern

Emotional Regulation: Teen DBT Skills Group. Led by Julia Gardner, Counseling Intern & McKenzie Iverson, Counseling Intern

Growing Playfully: A Kid’s Therapy Group Based in the Child Centered Approach. Led by Marisa Dodge, LPC-T.

Johnson County

Pre-Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Haley Wagonblott, MA, LPC

New Mom Support Group. Led by Haley Honn, LPC

Grief and Loss Support. Led by Ellie Sorkin, Counseling Intern

Emotional Regulation: Teen DBT Skills Group. Led by Julia Gardner, Counseling Intern & McKenzie Iverson, Counseling Intern

Kansas City, MO

Pre-Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Girls Neurodiversity Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Boys Neurodiversity Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Emotional Regulation: Teen DBT Skills Group. Led by Ashley Cross, MA, LPC

Healing From Toxic Relationships. Led by Jeffrey Soulliere, PLPC

Teen Social Anxiety Group. Led by Lindsay Diederich, PLPC

Kansas City, MO

Pre-Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Teen LGBTQ + Support Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Girls Neurodiversity Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Boys Neurodiversity Group. Led by Charlie Ingram, PLPC

Emotional Regulation: Teen DBT Skills Group. Led by Ashley Cross, MA, LPC

Healing From Toxic Relationships. Led by Jeffrey Soulliere, PLPC

Teen Social Anxiety Group. Led by Lindsay Diederich, PLPC

Telehealth

New Mom Support Group. Led by Sydney Heustis, MA, PLPC, LPC

Caregiver Support Group. Led by Carolyn Grace, LPC

Learn More About Our Groups

Teen LGBTQ+ Support Group

Learn more about our LGBTQ + groups for teens & pre-teens

Learn More

Teen DBT Skills Group

Learn more about our Emotional Regulation DBT skills groups for teens

Learn More

New Mom Support Group

Learn more about our support group for new moms

Learn More

EMDR Therapy Speciality Areas

EMDR Therapy

We offer effective approaches to help people overcome the effects of trauma and past painful experiences.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a psychotherapy approach that has been researched for over 30 years, where best results occur with an EMDR Certified Therapist, or an EMDR Therapist pursuing certification. EMDR is effective at resolving painful memories and helping individuals overcome intense emotional reactions to traumatic events. Although most people identify accidents, abuse, violence, death of a loved one, and natural disasters as traumatic, other less obvious experiences would meet the definition. Additionally, if the individual has witnessed, experienced, or perceived a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death, it qualifies as a traumatic event. For children and teens, this includes bullying, moving, or even their parents’ divorce. Embark Counseling Services is your source for EMDR therapy.

It is not always obvious how these events impact the brain and how the body remembers the experience. How the brain and body respond to various triggers predicts how the individual will respond in everyday situations. Even common situations can be experienced as scary or painful and deeply affect a person’s sense of safety, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction. These previous traumatic events overly influence emotions, sensations, and thinking about yourself. EMDR is an effective therapeutic approach to help you break through the emotional blocks that are keeping you from living an adaptive and emotionally healthy life.

How does EMDR work?

EMDR focuses on the brain’s ability to constantly learn by updating past experiences with present information, giving you your power back with your emotions, bodily sensations, and thinking about yourself. The brain’s adaptive learning is constantly updating memory network systems. Past emotionally charged events block or interfere with your brain’s ability to process present situations in the here and now. EMDR therapy helps you break through this block, or “stuck place,” to let go of the previous experience, allowing you to take in the present moment with a more adaptive, healthier overall experience.The

EMDR protocol uses bilateral stimulation (BLS) to reorganize your brain’s negative and positive emotions, sensations, and thoughts to help the brain reprocess the “stuck” memories, providing you with present experiences where you feel more calm and peaceful, and ultimately have more adaptive beliefs about self.

Throughout the EMDR therapy, you will engage in sets of BLS, whether eye movements or auditory or tactile. These sets are alternated with your brief reports about what you notice during the set. This processing continues until the past experience has been reprocessed with the more adaptive present belief system and emotional response. The length of EMDR depends on the complexity of the presenting concerns and how your brain and body process through EMDR therapy. You and your EMDR therapist will determine together the best option for you and your healing.

Image of hands holding a yellow flower. EMDR Healing.

What does EMDR therapy help?

In the earlier years of the EMDR research, Veterans with PTSD benefited from the approach. Now, EMDR is successfully used to help individuals suffering from the following symptoms and conditions:

Anxiety
Depression
Panic Attacks
Complicated Grief
Dissociative Orders
Disturbing Memories
Phobias
Pain Disorders
Performance Anxiety
Addictions
Stress Reduction
Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
Body Dysmorphic Disorders
Personality Disorders

Can EMDR help my child?

The answer is….YES! 

EMDR helps kids work through yucky experiences, where children often have complex mixed-up thoughts and feelings. When children experience trauma, the mixed-up and complex thoughts and feelings take up too much of their brains, bodies and heart, and they have a hard time experiencing good thoughts and feelings. You might notice frequent melt-downs, crying spells, anxiety, trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, among many other symptoms. While working through these experiences with EMDR, children learn new coping skills and alternative ways to respond.

At Embark, our child therapists will often also utilize Play Therapy incorporated with EMDR to best support their overall development. Our expertly trained therapists help the child use their brain to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. Then, the child can make better sense out of the experience, giving them choice over how they respond to future similar experiences. Upon completion, brains stop bringing up those yucky experiences when new things happen.

As with all of our therapeutic approaches, your EMDR therapist will individualize treatment goals. Your child’s overall developmental needs, family values and previous experiences will be taken into consideration.

Our EMDR Therapist

Jeffrey Soulliere, CIT, LPC

He/Him
Family Systems Therapist
Older Teens & Adults
EMDR Therapy

Northland & Johnson County

Sally Frede, LSCW, CCLS, RPT-S™

She/Her
Registered Play Therapist Supervisor™
EMDR Certified Therapist
Child and Family Therapy
Clinical Supervision (LMSW)

St. Joseph & Kansas City, MO

Nicolette Rogers, MS, LPC, NCC

She/Her
Trauma Competent Therapist
Teens & Adults
EMDR
St. Joseph Clinical Site Director

St. Joseph

Sydney Heustis, MA, PLPC, LPC

She/Her
Pursuing Certification in Perinatal Mental Health through PSI
EMDR
Practice Manager

Johnson County & Lee's Summit

Teresa Paterson Bartch, LPC, LCPC, RPT-S™

She/Her
President & CEO of Embark Counseling Services
Clinical Supervisor ~ Play Therapy Supervisor
EMDR Certified Therapist ~ EMDRIA Consultant
Professional Trainer

Carolyn Grace, LPC

She/Hers
Play Therapy
EMDR
TBRI
Child, Adolescent & Family Therapist

St. Joseph & Kansas City, MO

Play Therapy Speciality Areas

Play Therapy

When children are hurting and need support, Play Therapy Works.

As a parent or caregiver, all you want is for your child to be happy, get along with others, and enjoy school, their friends and family, and activities. Your child is likely exhibiting feelings and behaviors that you do not fully understand. At Embark Counseling, our child counselors are experts in child development and effective counseling for children, giving you peace of mind in supporting you and your family with your child’s mental wellness needs throughout the therapy process.

Play therapy for children is different from what we would expect as adults. When adults face difficult situations or trauma, they can talk through their thoughts and feelings, analyze what they have experienced, and problem-solve. Children often have difficulty communicating what they have experienced, regulating their emotions, and finding ways to manage and problem-solve through their experience. Play therapy is an effective and developmentally appropriate approach for helping children improve.

Our therapeutic work with children provides what children need developmentally to work through their situations while learning new emotion regulation and communication skills. Our work with children is grounded in developmental theories, and each session intentionally promotes your child’s development and learning of new ways to communicate, problem-solve, and improve social and emotional regulation skills.

At Embark Counseling Services, you are the expert on your child and may feel at a loss with how to help your child. We are trained in various therapeutic approaches to best help your child and you on your healing journey. Our counselors are here to help you find success in parenting and family life and have been specifically trained to understand the root core of what is challenging your child. With this, we intentionally provide parent consultation sessions in tandem with your child’s play therapy to help you better understand what your child is going through and how to help and support them through their healing and learning new skills. Research is rich in identifying that parents and caregivers are integral to the child’s healing and integrating new skills into their world. As a Family Systems practice, we may recommend additional support with other professionals for other family members, either within our practice or in our community, to support the entire family.

Why Play Therapy?

Play Therapy is an evidence-based approach that is proven effective for nearly every emotional or behavioral concern you may have with your child. Our play therapists have been through additional extensive training and supervision to learn how to interpret the meaning of children’s play by observing how they express their play and non-verbal expressions in a safe and consistent environment.

While playing, children often reveal their thoughts, what is bothering them, and their unconscious worries, concerns, and fears. Children work through their experiences by developing meaning and learning to manage stress and their behaviors in the context of play while optimizing healthy development. In essence, toys become the child’s words and provide a way to communicate their thoughts and feelings in a non-threatening way.

Play therapy is also helpful in strengthening bonds between children, their siblings, and their parents, resolving traumatic events, and processing strong emotions, such as anxiety (general, social, separation), depression, including self-harming behaviors and suicidal ideation, anger, grief, chronic illness, among many, many other presenting issues.

Counseling for children. Play therapy. Child smiling and painting.

“Enter into children’s play and you will find the place where their minds, hearts, and souls meet.”

Virginia Axline

Who may benefit from Play Therapy?

Play Therapy is an effective approach for any child who has experienced any adverse event, attachment ruptures, struggles with trust or communicating needs or feelings, or has attention-seeking behaviors that cause distress at home, school, or with friends. Since Play Therapy focuses on play and not talk, Play Therapy is also a good option for children who are resistant, shy, selectively mute, or have any other neuro-atypical, or have a learning disability, as it provides a safe environment for all children to be themselves without judgment or expectation.

Benefits include: social-emotional competency, problem-solving ability, development of coping skills, and increasing self-esteem and self-concept.

Some modalities that might be used include various games and fun toys, sand trays, and expressive art therapy. Play therapy is not just for children; it has also been proven effective for teens and adults!

Our Play Therapy Approaches

Child Centered Play Therapy
Directive Play Therapy
Attachment Play Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy
Child-Parent Play Therapy
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Sand Tray and Sand Play Therapy

Learn more about Play Therapy below:

What does a Play Therapy session look like?

Play Therapy is not the same as play that you will watch your child engage in at home, at school or with their friends. We do not expect or encourage children to play in ways that other environments may desire or correct toward. This approach creates an intentional environment that encourages your child to be as authentic as possible, so that the root problem is revealed. This provides an optimal opportunity to guide children through learning new skills and healing from maladaptive patterns, whether it is emotional in nature or behavioral.

Image of play therapist with child in play therapy session.

Our therapeutic approach is also inspired by Neuroscience, paying close attention to how the brain is functioning, and what the brain needs to heal and develop. As children integrate their play and understanding of themselves through the Play Therapy process, the brain develops and their world view begins to align with social emotional safety and competence. These are building blocks of development, and more evidence of how Play Therapy works! For more information and research on Play Therapy, click here.

Our Play Therapy rooms are full of toys and resources necessary to keep children interested, creative, engaged and healing. We carefully select the toys and supplies in each of our Play Therapy rooms to give children a choice of materials, and those that will provide an opportunity for each child to safely play out real life themes and promote creative expression of feelings and events. Some of our Play Therapy rooms are also equipped with equipment and supplies to support our Therapy Dogs and their handlers.

Introducing Your Child to Counseling

You and your child likely have questions about counseling. Below are some things parents can do to introduce your child to counseling and prepare them for the counseling process.

From our experience as counselors, it is important to be supportive, honest and reassuring. Children may have fears about the process, and if it will hurt, or if something is wrong with them.

Your child’s counselor will help your child understand:

Introducing counseling to your child. Image of child and play therapist in play therapy session.

Therapy is a process to help solve your problems and feel better.
We are not medical doctors, so we will not give you a shot or make you take medicine!
Our counselors believe that behaviors tell a story, and do not define the child.
Therapy is a confidential experience, so you can tell your counselor anything, and you will not be judged or in trouble.
Our therapists play with children, so if you do not know what to say, we can just play!

Your child may be timid when coming to therapy for their first session. Your child may actually refuse. It is helpful to help them understand that Play Therapy is their very special place with their Play Therapist to help them feel better, and to PLAY!

Ongoing, it is essential that your child knows that their experience is special, just for them, and their process is a safe place where there is no punishment for their feelings, or for who they are fundamentally.

What to Expect in the Play Therapy Process

We value the parent-child relationship, the family-child relationship, and also the child-therapist relationship. As trained experts, we will structure the process and treatment goals alongside you and your child. In the initial session, your therapist will gather the information necessary to know what your child is struggling with, what your goals are as the parent/caregiver, and what the child wants out of their process. All of our therapists value open communication, although we recommend not discussing issues in front of your child. Please provide this information in confidential communication through email, or during your parent consultation meetings.

The first four to six sessions are considered our assessment phase, and will be used to develop the therapeutic relationship and begin implementing the preliminary treatment interventions. Most likely, your therapist will approach the beginning stages of therapy from a Child-Centered approach. After this phase, your first parent consultation session will be scheduled to provide insight and understanding to what your child is experiencing, and what your child needs in the healing and development process. Parent consultation sessions are typically scheduled ongoing every four to six weeks, or when clinically needed to support the healing process for either the child, or the parent.

The number of sessions required will vary depending on the intensity of your child’s presenting issue, the support the child receives from the influencing systems and parent support, as well as how the child is developing through the healing process. We generally recommend anywhere from 20-40 sessions, although this will largely depend on the presenting concerns and the cohesive involvement of the parents/guardians in the process. Your child’s therapist will navigate this process with you during your parent consultation sessions. It is important that to maintain the momentum in healing that all recommendations from your therapist are followed, including support between sessions and the frequency of sessions.

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