Karen Roach
Do you go to bed each night promising tomorrow will be better? Do you promise you will have more patience, the kids will behave better, and you will enjoy the day? But then tomorrow comes and it just felt like a repeat of yesterday.... I'm Karen Roach, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 20+ years experience working with kids and families (especially moms!) through private practice and in public schools. Over the last two decades, I have helped countless kids, both directly by working with them and indirectly by working with the adults important to their lives; we have changed behavior, improved relationships, and answered: "What is wrong with them?" I believe behavior is communication and that kids will do well when they can. Oftentimes, kids will ask for love in the most unloving ways and as adults, it is up to us to help them. My sessions can be with kids or adults. When I work with the kids, we use interactive strategies and play-therapy-informed techniques to keep them engaged. I believe that most therapeutic strategies may not look therapeutic at all. Sessions with adults can be around their stress/anxiety because that plays a major role in the behavior we experience with kids! We can also use the time to work through struggles, parenting issues, or other aspects of life that are fueling the stress we feel. I use cognitive-behavioral strategies and psychoeducational approaches to help everyone have their best days! When I work with kids, either directly or indirectly, I use an innovative tool to assess the child's current development and functioning. Imagine if your phone stopped downloading the latest software: How well would your phone work? People are the same way! We are constantly "downloading" and "updating" based on our environment, relationships, and experiences. When we can't complete the "update," it can wreak havoc and that presents as symptoms or behaviors. When you work with me, we will work together to understand what's preventing the update, then we will implement a variety of tools, strategies, and techniques to complete the update. Are you ready to get started?
First session
The first session will be a "meet and greet" to make sure we are a good fit to work with each other. This session will include some questions from me, but it will also be an opportunity for me to answer your questions and for us to have a conversation together. If we decide to work together, you will complete a comprehensive questionnaire after the first session and our second session will be focused on the results to co-create an intervention plan. Treatment sessions are strengths-based, collaborative, and solutions-focused.
Strengths
My strength is working with kids and working with adults (primarily women) with stress or anxiety due to the demands of daily life. Often, kids who struggle disrupt an entire family unit; they struggle at home, in school and the community. This places undue pressure on the family system, especially the primary caretaker. When kids are understood, we can support them with new strategies to manage and curb behavior, thus improving life at home, school, and in the community.
Ideal clients
Women Primary caregivers of children/adolescents aged 2-16 Kids aged 6-12
Location
Virtual sessions