MY STORY

I Love Play Therapy, literally! That's how and why this website came about. I wanted a space where I could provide education, and sell my personal line of products "Rosemarie" and other fun items for people who love doing the same I do:

Play Therapy. 

In my career as a therapist I learned early to use Play Therapy in my work, I don't think there is any better way to work with children, and research shows that. Equally important,  I consider promoting healthy attachment and working on restoring unhealthy attachment in those situations where attachment has been negatively affected, so that children can thrive. That's why in my work with children I use an approach that combines both: Play and Attachment. 

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As a mother of 4, I also learned soon during my journey into motherhood that I did not have all the answers to everyday challenges with my children. That's how my interest grew in the area of parenting as well. Ever since my first child was born in 2013 I became interested in becoming the best mom I could be,  and since then I have spent many hours reading, researching, and learning about parenting approaches, bonding, and attachment. I used my personal experiences to write my first book "You are so Precious Rosemarie" which shows the importance of "delighting" in our children on a daily basis during ordinary everyday routines and activities. My second book "I love you from A to Z, Rosemarie" is a continuation of the first book, where attachment and play continue to be the driving force. In both books parents, teachers, and other workers in the helping profession will find guidance and easy to implement help to build stronger bonds with their children while parenting and delighting in them.

I  hope you find this website fun, enlightening and helpful! 

Thank you for visiting! 

-- Narumi. 

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PLAY THERAPY

for your Child/Adolescent

PLAY THERAPY

Who can provide Play Therapy?

The practice of play therapy requires extensive specialized education, training, and experience. A play therapist is a licensed (or certified) mental health professional who has earned a Master’s or Doctorate degree in a mental health field with considerable general clinical experience and supervision. With advanced, specialized training, experience, and supervision, mental health professionals may also earn the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) credentials.

Playing Around: The Healing Power of Play

Play is the universal language of childhood. Just watching a child or a group of children play confirms that play generates joy. The healing power of play is also backed by science. Evidenced-based studies have also found that play can help reduce stress in children and its positive effect on children dealing with difficult life adjustments. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is one of the most effective methods of reducing stress in kids, allowing their bodies to heal. Decades of research have also shown that play is how children communicate, interact and engage with the world around them. When a child is facing medical challenges, their world can be incredibly confusing, stressful, and scary.

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Narumi is a Registered Play Therapist and specializes in play therapy and child-related therapy and she is specifically trained in play techniques to assist your child with whatever problems he/she is facing. Play therapy is the most appropriate treatment for helping children work through difficult times and helping parents gain a better understanding of what their child is going through.

Issues that can addressed using Play therapy:

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ADHD

Aggression

Anger management

Anxiety disorders

Autism spectrum disorder

Behavior issues

Bullying

Chronic Illness

Depression

Divorce

Grief and loss

Life Transitions (New sibling, moving, changing schools)

Peer Pressure

Physical and learning disabilities

School-related problems

Social issues

Trauma and crisis

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PARENTING COACHING/PARENT SUPPORT

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Sometimes (many times!) being a parent or caregiver is hard work. This service offers support to parents raising their own biological children or adopted/fostered children or for caregivers raising a grandchild, foster child or young person in the care of Community Services. Parent Support Sessions give a space to explore options and various parenting decisions and approaches in a way that supports the child or adolescent’s social, emotional and physical well-being. This intervention can vary in duration and frequency depending on your particular needs and may be accessed separately or to complement other counseling services. 

Narumi also offers Parenting Counseling, using different approaches depending on the family´s needs. I have been trained in LEVEL 1 Theraplay and I am a certified Triple P provider.

We as parents are absolutely the most important element in our children’s lives. It is amazing how just by “Tuning up” our parenting a bit, we can affect a great improvement in our child’s behavior and emotional health. For example, I ask parents to recount to me everything that happened in the child’s day leading up to the tantrum, emotional crises, or misbehavior, and then we go through it step-by-step and re-plan how we would have interacted with the child differently in such a way that would have prevented the entire problem from arising in the first place!

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When working with parents, I don't make them feel criticized about their parenting style, and I don't tell them what to do. I have the deepest respect and admiration for the heroic efforts of raising their children most of my parents are making. I believe that they possess within themselves the innate wisdom to resolve their child's issues, I just help them to develop that wisdom and bring it out into practice. To accomplish this I use Socratic questioning, gradually helping parents to come to their own original realizations about what they need to do to help their child. My experience working with many children and families inspires me as to how to guide parents.​

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 LPC-A SUPERVISION

SUPERVISION MADE FUN

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I love working with child therapists, workers in child welfare, schools, or agency settings.
After working in therapeutic foster care, as a children's counselor in a domestic violence shelter, as a youth substance use counselor and as a children's counselor in private and non profit agencies,  I understand the unique pressures experienced by social workers, LPC'S and Marriage and Family Counselors in high-stress, high-trauma settings. I feel very strongly about the importance of good supervision and its role in protecting new professionals  from vicarious trauma and burnout. In the type of work we do, self-care is a must and in our supervision sessions we will learn while having fun and promoting a healthy work environment where you can help your clients heal, recover or become empowered.

Feel free to email me at Narumi@iloveplaytherapy.com to chat further!