Corey Merriman-Morris, C.A.G.S., Dip. Fam. Therapy from United Kingdom

As a school psychologist and a family therapist for over 30 years, it has been my pleasure and privlege to work with children and families. My work includes, but is not limited to, helping children with: social anxiety, task and school performance issues, "big feelings" and high level of reactivity, generalized anxiety, grief, fearfulness, sense of inferiority, and trouble with recurring thoughts. Some of these traits fall within various diagnoses (such as ADHD. Anxiety Disorder, Neurodivergence) but your personal concerns about your child are what I am listening for, closely, as each child is a unique individual. My office has space for expressive play therapy with art materials, sand tray, puppets, toys and games. Parents are invited to stay and play with their child for the whole session or a part of a session. I make therapy fun for children so that they will want to participate and become curious about themselves and their behaviors and responses. I help them to discover their own creative inner resources that can be available to them in times of stress. I also counsel and support parenting practices which are helpful for both parent and child. “It is in playing and only in playing that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” (Donald Winicott)

I particularly enjoy working with couples in all the varied stages of their relationships and the many complex challenges of staying together or, in rare cases, coming apart. I have a self-pay scale which is negotiated with clients. My fee varies, taking into account the frequency of visits, the duration of service, and what is financially feasible for the client. Although understandably, financially, many people prefer to use their Insurance, there are some client advantages to not having to work through a third party to receive therapy.

I bring a lot of experience and skilled practice in addressing parentchild conflict and I will work with you and your child to help deepen curiosity and compassion around the "stuck places" so that insight into the problem can shift the dynamic. "Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them" Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince "It's only too easy to idealize a parent's job. We know too well that every job has its frustrations and its boring routines and its times of being the last thing anyone would choose to do. Well, why shouldn't the care of babies and children be thought of that way too?" (Donald Winnicott) I love this quote because it captures the myth around the"perfect parent" and the "perfect child" and replaces it with the living reality of "the good enough" parent and child duo. There are so many parenting advice blogs, books and possible diagnoses for one's child that it can feel overwhelming, confusing and discouraging. There is no one right way to raise a child and I will work with you and your child to see what works best for you both. I am happy to offer a free 15 min. phone consult to see if the needs of your child are a good match for the therapy I offer. I always prefer to see children and parents in person but I also offer online therapy.