Clara Rivers (She/her)

I work with children of all ages and adults who have experienced traumatic or extremely stressful events. I often work with children in foster care or on the adoption/permanency spectrum. For children, this mainly involves a variety of play therapy techniques and work with parents or caregivers. With parents, I will help you to process through your history and find ways to accept what has happened, and to help you be the type of parent you want to be.

Children often experience social, emotional or behavioral challenges in life, just as adults do. I primarily work with young children (ages 2-6), but also have experienced working with adolescents and young adults through age 21. I enjoy helping children learn coping skills, as well as helping them process and mange any anxieties, depression, or other concerns. I primarily use play therapy techniques, and enjoy creative interventions at all ages.

Parenting can be one of the hardest jobs there is! I love working with parents who are interested in learning more about themselves in order to best support their children and families. Parenting can bring up many different emotions, some tied to our own childhoods and experiences. It is important to seek out support and a safe place to process these emotions. We will work together to find solutions that work in your home and with your history.

I have extensive experience working with families, including blended families, as well as families on the adoption/permanency spectrum (including foster care providers). Every family is unique, so I use a different approach depending on the specific needs of that family. I work with children, primarily, so I emphasize the family work in addition to individual work with each child.

I am a Registered Play Therapist. I have completed hundreds of hours of play therapy sessions, and the concurrent supervision. I have also attended numerous trainings on play therapy techniques. I primarily use Theraplay, child centered play therapy and experiential play therapy techniques.

Most of my professional experience has been with children and/or parents who have experienced various forms of trauma and stressors, including intergenerational traumas. With children, my interventions focus on play therapy and working with parents or guardians to be able to hold the child's experiences. With parents and adults, I work on processing the traumatic experience so it can be integrated into their narrative without prompting dissociative or activating responses.

Children who have been adopted or placed in foster care often experiences unique challenges, as do their parents and caregivers! I have specialized experience in helping families all along the adoption and permanency spectrum in order to help parents and caregivers better understand their children, to help children learn to cope and integrate their adoption or foster care story, and to support families to become more cohesive.