Brave Heart Child & Family Counseling

Brave Heart Child & Family Counseling Offering play therapy to help children develop the skills & language to express themselves healthily. I look forward to connecting!

I am passionate about helping kids know that they are not alone in their emotions, especially those who are struggling with anger, anxiety, and perfectionism, exploring their cultural and ethnic identity, and have experienced grief and loss and/or medical trauma. I seek to empower children so they can express themselves in a healthier manner, make more thoughtful, informed choices in their life, a

nd live up to their potential of who they have been created to be. Visit my website for more information, and/or contact me at [email protected].

I'm excited to use these when going to visit local offices!
08/03/2026

I'm excited to use these when going to visit local offices!

They're here, they're here, they're here!!! Check out the newest version of my postcards. I'm so excited to use them. I'...
07/20/2026

They're here, they're here, they're here!!! Check out the newest version of my postcards. I'm so excited to use them. I'm so grateful for Canva - ha!

07/17/2026

Summer of 2026 has been slow... but I've actually come to appreciate the slower pace because I'm tuning into my initial passions and figuratively tidying up a few loose ends related to my business!

Here are some of my recent/current (passion) projects!
1. Set up a new fee structure that allows for a wider range of financial options. (Check it out here https://www.braveheartcounselingsd.com/rates)
2. Creating more community for minority clinicians so we feel less isolated! (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1528707015509480/)
3. Researching Somatic Experiencing and Play Therapy
4. Pursuing certification for Somatic Experiencing (including scheduling consultations and personal sessions, and meeting new SE practitioners)
5. Reaching out to doctor's offices to market for *medical trauma* cases
6. Connecting with local hospices to offer *grief counseling*
7. Creating marketing stationary to use (tedious, but fun)
8. Updating my website
9. Creating an informal assessment to use with parents of my clients to help them track the abstract progress that happens in therapy
10. Formulating a presentation for hospices to help their work with younger clients

Phew! That's a lot. That's on top of my typical work on prepping for sessions, keeping up with session notes, coordinating schedules with parents, submitting claims, and more. Private practice sure keeps me busy 😁

Do you ever wonder what happens in a day of a Play Therapist? Here's my office in the morning before sessions started an...
07/16/2026

Do you ever wonder what happens in a day of a Play Therapist? Here's my office in the morning before sessions started and how it looks after my last session of the day. Lots of playing! 😂😁😁

Sorry, I've been MAJORLY MIA here! In September, the leaseholder for my current office told me I would have to vacate th...
11/21/2023

Sorry, I've been MAJORLY MIA here! In September, the leaseholder for my current office told me I would have to vacate the site by December 1 since he is not renewing his lease. Eek! It's been a whirlwind of looking for an office space for 2 months, then finally my friend and colleague were blessed to find an office suite together that worked for the both of us!! It's been a magical haha.

I'm not done yet but here's the progress on my new office!! I can't wait for the kids to all come in here and for magic and to happen. And I'll get back to posting more on here soon.

What do you all think so far?? 🙃❤️

Finding the "just right" right fit therapist is a whole process. Did you know it actually makes a rather big difference?...
09/16/2023

Finding the "just right" right fit therapist is a whole process. Did you know it actually makes a rather big difference?

Research says that the quality of the therapeutic relationship plays a 30% role in the outcome of the therapeutic process. In total, the therapist carries 45% of the power to positive impact the outcome. All together, the client carries 55% of the responsibility of shaping the therapeutic outcome, 40% is due to extra-therapeutic factors.

What are examples of each of these categories?

The therapeutic relationship (30%) is like the "chemistry" between two people, which should be pretty self explanatory. To have chemistry with someone determines whether you feel like someone can be approachable and trusting or not. The therapeutic technique (15%) refers to the theoretical orientation of the therapist and the types of interventions they use. Most therapists nowadays practice a combination of theories. There is no right or wrong theory to use, as long as it is effective. I find that the right approach is a combination of using the theory that works most naturally for myself as the therapist and finding the approach that the client is most developmentally and emotionally receptive to.

Extra-therapeutic factors (40%) are influences that clients experience outside of the therapy room. These include other supportive figures in their social network, their strengths and weaknesses, their physical and biological health, financial well-being, etc. Client expectations (15%) include the placebo effect of having access to therapy. For children, this includes the parents' expectation of the therapeutic process.

How do you find the right therapist? Stay tuned for a few tips helping guide your search. I'll even share my own experience finding a therapist, and I had both a bad one and a good one.

I'm taking a bit of an easier write up for this week. Besides client needs and normal life things, I was thrown by the a...
09/10/2023

I'm taking a bit of an easier write up for this week. Besides client needs and normal life things, I was thrown by the abrupt notice from my landlord earlier this week that he will not be renewing the lease for my office suite. He asked that my office mate and I move out after November so he can prepare the space for whoever the building owner chooses to rent the space to. I've only been in my current office since August 2022 so this move is disappointing. I thought I would be here longer than just one year. The tricky part about this move is my office mate and I are both play therapists. We share half of our materials. If it ends up that we cannot find a space that accommodate both of us, I will have to recreate a lot of therapy toys to use with my clients.

So, that's been taking up a lot of mental space, in addition to the whole process of finding a new office within budget.

As for this quote, I really admire . I find that his ideas often reflect play therapy principles and are more relatable for many who are not directly working in the therapy field.

I truly believe in having a village to raise a child. The child therapist or counselor is part of this village that helps parents to raise their child. Therapy is positive support and should not be stigmatized; it's merely a resource for families and parents to help this world become a better place.

Who's part of your village?

With everything, there's a beginning and an end. In the next few posts, I wanted to focus on what the start of therapy l...
09/02/2023

With everything, there's a beginning and an end. In the next few posts, I wanted to focus on what the start of therapy looks like for kids. Specifically, how does a parent prepare your child for the start of therapy?

I often encourage parents to have open conversations with your child in an age appropriate manner about counseling. I find that when the child knows why they are there, progress takes place faster and in greater measures.

With the younger ones, I introduce myself to them as a feelings doctor, and I explain to them that just like they see their dentist or pediatrician to make sure their teeth and physical body stay healthy, a counselor or therapist helps them keep their feelings strong and healthy.

That first meeting when I meet the child can be nerve-racking for some kids. After all, this first meeting is when the child is meeting a new adult who is in a “power position” of someone like a doctor, in a new location, and most of the time, the kids are spending 50 minutes apart from their parents. So, while there are treatment goals and therapeutic interventions, I usually allow kids to lead the way in the first few sessions to establish the relationship and the . My objective in the beginning is for kids to become oriented to the , to understand the rules and boundaries of , and to become familiar with me and my role as a therapist. All of this is done through play, which is a child’s natural language.


A child can only heal after they feel safe to confront their emotions, and that healing process includes developing additional, healthy .

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Did anything surprise you about this process?

💜

Around here, the school year is starting up next week. As families, parents, and kids go through another transition, it'...
08/30/2023

Around here, the school year is starting up next week. As families, parents, and kids go through another transition, it's natural to feel overwhelmed and unsettled and lost in all the changes. Here's a short grounding exercise I like to practice with all my kiddo clients and the parents. It's sort of like a game of I Spy, except with all your senses.

Are you ready? Take a few deep, slow breaths, and here we go....

Counting down from 5...
- Name 5 things that you see. Look around your room and just observe what there is. Try not to judge the mess and simply notice.
- Name 4 things that you feel. Try to notice 4 things that you are already touching right now, like your clothes, hair, shoes, chair, carpet, etc.
- Name 3 things that you hear. Take your time with this one! Sometimes it's difficult.
- Name 2 things that you smell, or that you would like to smell.
- Name 1 thing that you taste, or you would like to taste.

There you go! How does your body feel now after the exercise? Try this with your kids at home and see what they notice that they didn't notice before.

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San Diego, CA

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+18583767285

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