Registered Play Therapist For Children & Women’s Therapy

Are you ready to Be Brave and work with a therapist? Does your life (or your child’s life) feel out of control, overwhelming, and frustrating? There is hope for overcoming these challenges. Let me help you (or your child) take control of your destiny and find direction and peace.

I help children, teens, and women find lasting calm, confidence, direction, and healing.

• I help aggressive, anxious, and impulsive children and teens learn to manage their feelings and behaviors, build confidence, and connect better with others.
• I also work closely with you, the parent, to build your confidence, and improve your connection with your child.
• I also help women who are stuck, overwhelmed, mistreated, and/or are in chronic pain, build confidence, gain a sense of direction, build healthy relationships, and heal.

Children and Teens Struggling with Aggressive, Anxious, and Impulsive Behaviors

I help aggressive, anxious, and impulsive children and teens learn to manage their feelings and behaviors, build confidence, and connect better with others. The children and teens I work with struggle with the following: 

• Yelling/Screaming/Throwing Things
• Refusing to Comply with Adults
• Excessive Lying, Even About Little Things 
• Explosive Temper Tantrums
• Bullying, or Being Bullied, or Both
• Difficulty Focusing and Concentrating
• Doing Things Without Thinking (Impulsiveness)
• Excessive Worry or Avoidance Behaviors
• Difficulty Maintaing Friendships
• Foster Care or Adoption Issues 

If your child or teen is struggling with one or more of these issues, they also often feel bad for their behaviors and want to do better. You as their parent can see their strengths and their sweet side, but sometimes their difficult behaviors are all others see about them. As a Registered Play Therapist with years of experience and training, I come alongside your them using therapeutic play to help them work through their issues and reach their goals. I help your child learn to calm themselves and better manage their feelings and behaviors. I use play to help your child or teen draw out their strengths, and to understand them as they communicate what is going on in their world. I teach children and teens coping skills, and I also help to get to the underlying causes of their struggles and behaviors. Children often refer to me as Merida from the movie Brave, and they enjoy feeling like therapy is playing with Merida. I include parents in this work with your child, empowering you to continue building their skills outside of sessions and getting feedback on progress on their treatment plan goals. I see the joy and strengths in each child and teen, and I help them feel comfortable and Brave with the process of therapy. 

I use Adlerian Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy, and Child-Centered Play Therapy. I use creative techniques, including sandtray therapy, art, games, and other activities. I also use mindfulness and somatic techniques.

Parents of an Aggressive, Impulsive, and/or Anxious Child or Teen

I help parents struggling with aggressive, impulsive, and/or anxious children or teens have confidence in their parenting, build balanced lives, and enjoy and connect with their children better. The parents I work with are often struggling with the following:

• You feel frustrated, disrespected, and maybe embarrassed due to your child’s behaviors.
• You find your child’s behaviors baffling as your child is overreacting to the smallest things. 
• You worry about your child’s future and the consequences of their behaviors. 
• You feel judged by others, and others have given unwanted feedback about your parenting. 
• You avoid certain situations or relationships due to your child’s behaviors. 
• There is conflict in one or more of your relationships due to your child’s behaviors. 
• You want to have more patience with your child. 

For parents of aggressive, anxious, and impulsive children and teens: Are you feeling frustrated or overwhelmed with your child or teen? Is your child or teen often angry, or ignoring you? You as a struggling parent need to know there is hope for your child or teen, and hope you’re your relationship with your child. As a Registered Play Therapist, I work with parents as well as children and teens. By working with me as a parent, you can: help your child or teen learn to manage their emotions and behaviors, build your confidence in managing your child’s or teen’s behaviors, help your child or teen be more responsive to your directives, and become more connected to your child. Overall, you will get to enjoy your child more. If your child is screaming, throwing things, shutting down, or you yourself are stuck, overwhelmed, baffled by your child or teen and want answers, I can help you gain clarity, reduce your child’s or teen’s meltdowns, and move forward with hope and peace. Be Brave and call me to schedule a free 20 minute consult so we can see if I would be a good fit for you and/or your child. 

In working with Parents, I use Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Solution Focused Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Play, and Structural Family Therapy. I incorporate, at the client’s preference, creative techniques, including sandtray therapy, art, games, and other activities. I also use mindfulness and somatic techniques. We create a Treatment Plan together with your own parenting goals. I may or may not be working with your child while you are working with me in parenting sessions.

Women Who are Stuck, Overwhelmed, Mistreated, and/or Are in Chronic Pain

I help women who are stuck, overwhelmed, mistreated, and/or are in chronic pain, to: find joy, direction, confidence, healing, build healthy relationships, and to build a life they love. The women I work with are often struggling with the following: 

• You want changes in your life, but you feel powerless. 
• You have racing thoughts and fear making the wrong decision. 
• You are irritable and emotionally and physically drained.  
• You lack confidence and feel unappreciated. 
• You feel judged, misunderstood, and like people don’t believe you. 
• You’re tired of pretending to be strong. 

As Merida from the Brave movie says in the archery suitor marriage competition, “shoot for your own hand.” Meaning…choose you! Choose empowering yourself; invest in yourself and a better future for yourself by working with me as your therapist. If you are stuck, overwhelmed, mistreated, or in chronic pain: I have been there. There is hope and joy on the other side of your struggles and barriers. I empower and guide women to untangle their struggles and build a path towards peace, confidence, healthy relationships, and relief. I help you heal, find joy, and create a life you love. I do this by engaging you in conversations about what you want in your life and what you don’t, and how you feel in your relationships. I also engage you, at your preference, in creative techniques to further help you explore your life situations in ways talk therapy cannot, including art, sandtray therapy, and creative activities. My goal is to help you build your confidence, understand yourself and your feelings and decisions better, increase your coping skills, draw out your strengths, and empower you to make your own healthy decisions for your life. We work together on your goals we create for your treatment plan to guide your path in therapy with me. Are you ready to start taking your destiny into your own hands? Aim for you and a better life. Be Brave and reach out to me. You’re worth it.

I use Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Play, and Person-Centered Therapy. I incorporate, at the client’s preference, creative techniques, including sandtray therapy, art, games, and other activities. I also use mindfulness and somatic techniques. For clients with chronic pain, I incorporate the concepts and techniques of Dr. John Sarno, Dr. Howard Schubiner, and Adam Heller.

Dawn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Play Therapist™ with over twenty years of experience in working with women, children, and families. Along with being trained in talk therapy, Dawn is trained in using creative techniques, including sandtray therapy and other creative expressive techniques, to suit each client’s preferences and needs to help them in their healing journey. Dawn is a Christian and can incorporate a Christian worldview into sessions at the preference and comfort level of the client. Dawn grew up a military brat, and she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her Master of Social Work Degree in 2003 from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Dawn moved to Georgia in 2006, and she is married and has a grown daughter. In her free time, Dawn enjoys exercising, traveling, antiquing, and spending time with her family (which includes her rescue dogs). 

Dawn also provides sandtray therapy trainings for therapists. Reach out to her to find out her schedule for upcoming trainings.

Contact Dawn at: info@eastcobbrelationshipcenter.com
Call or text 770-209-3517