Oppositional Defiance (ODD) Therapists in Lees Summit, MO

I'm an Individual & Family Therapist licensed since 2005. My background includes 12 years (2005-2017) working full-time in long-term inpatient programs for teens as a therapist & training director before I opened a private practice in 2017. My advanced training allows me to treat a broad scope of issues but I don't pretend to specialize in everything! Specializing only in: 1) Teens / Young adults, 2) Parenting & 3) Christian counseling. I have 20+ years of student ministry & ministry leadership experience. My career in residential care has trained me to treat the toughest challenges teens, young adults, & families can face.

Play is the place where children’s minds, hearts, and souls meet. Through Play Therapy, children are able to heal from distressing events such as, but not limited to, trauma, grief and loss, divorce, depression, adoption, foster care and attachment issues; and to improve in myriad areas such as impulse control, emotional regulation, ADHD, OCD, and ODD. As your child’s therapist, my goal is to enable children to heal, so that they are empowered to “rise and shine” to their highest potential.

As we journey through life, we can experience challenges that stifle our personal growth or block our connection with others. Sometimes, we feel ill-equipped, disappointed, alone, hurt, or afraid. But there is hope-- hope for understanding, peace, empowerment, and joy. Whether you would like to broaden your understanding of your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, or deepen your connection with others, there is hope and there is help. Together we can enhance self-awareness and other-awareness. We can work to understand and strengthen your ability to manage your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We can develop healthy problem-solving and life skills.

Your family may be feeling like it is being turned upside down as your developing young adult struggles to find their place in the world. I work within the family system to re-establish the balance that is necessary for a healthy, growing family and find order within the chaos. Teens and young people may appear to be rebelling; fighting back against all of the families efforts to offer guidance and support. We can work together to turn this energy into a productivity and success in academic, social, and all other aspects of life.

Whether you are facing a new crisis in your life or feeling stuck with old feelings and behaviors, therapy can be a useful tool to help you move on with your life. Utilizing a direct and thoughtful approach, I will help you find coping strategies to deal with the immediate stressor, but also help you identify underlying patterns and issues so you can make long-term and lasting changes. I work with a range of clients from adults to adolescents and help people with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues, and crisis situations.

I specialize working with people who have experienced trauma, anxiety and depressive issues, bipolar, as well as substance use disorders. I provide a judgment-free, supportive setting and aid the client in identifying their own inner strengths to help them find solutions to whatever difficulties they are experiencing. I want my clients to feel safe and valued. I provide quality services at a reasonable price on a virtual platform from the comfort and privacy of your own home. I am licensed to provide services in both Missouri and Kansas. I am also certified to provide substance use counseling throughout the United States.

The relationship you and your child has with their counselor is the true measure of how helpful the counseling experience will be. I value developing a warm, positive, supportive and empathic environment for your family to overcome any challenge that you are facing. In our experience together, you will find healing and growth, and recognize your own strengths, and how they help you and your child work toward building a more positive and rewarding future. Both in your individual lives, and collectively within the family.

Sharing your story takes courage. I strive to create a safe space where you can be your authentic self. I believe in the power of vulnerability to make meaningful connections and find inner peace, acceptance, and hope for change.

I'm here for you, to listen and help work through life's issues to your goals, happiness, and best functioning. Individuals, couples, families, teens, aging, fertility, transgender, LGBTQI+, grief, loss, anxiety, phase of life, addiction, behavioral, medical, chronic, more. I offer support, and compassion in a solution focused, strengths based, informed and confidential environment, custom designed to meet your therapeutic needs. I am CISM-CISD certified, a therapist's therapist (I enjoy working with therapists who want to do their own work), Interactive, Cognitive Behavioral, Integrative, a Generalist. Let's talk.

Hello there! I am so happy that you are taking the first step to healing and working through your challenges. Therapy can be an intimidating process, and finding the right therapist can be challenging. I strive first and foremost to build a strong therapeutic relationship with my client, so that we can work together to improve your daily life.

I love working with children and adolesecents, the more problematic and difficult the kids, the better. I enjoy interacting with them in ways that help us get to the core problems, while implementing coping skills into their daily life to decrease the daily struggles they have at home, at school, with their peers, and out in the community. Empowering them to find their values and integrate them into their daily choices. I also enjoy working with women. Empowering, strengthening and uplifting them to live their full potential, while processing major life events and changes that might be hindering their ability to be successful.

Life can be challenging, especially in our fast-paced transient society. I work with adults, teens, and children of all ages. I specialize in Marriage Conflict and Parent-Child conflict with a large portion of my business devoted to adolescents. From Social Anxiety, to ADHD and chronic depression. I am trained in PLAY THERAPY, EMDR, Veteran's Deployment Psychology, CBT and much more. "Friendly, but professional," describes how most clients see me. I love what I do and look forward to working with you.

Finding the right counselor may be one of the most important decisions you can make in seeking a better life. As my client, you will be provided a therapeutic relationship that is non-threatening, challenging, empowering, and ultimately life changing. You will find that your pain, which is actually healing trying to happen, will be lessened and most likely alleviated, your feelings and experiences are valid, and that you can make positive changes to improve your life and relationships. I'm a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist and specialize in relationships - between couples, parents and children, friends - any human relationship

I have over 25 years of clinical experience providing counseling therapy to adult individuals, children, adolescents, families, and couples to address their emotional and behavioral struggles. I utilize a cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, goal directed, reality based treatment approach, integrating family dynamics as needed, to help clients effectively resolve or learn to cope with their struggles. I am available to coordinate with schools and other treatment providers. My office at Truman & Main St on the Independence Square offers a convenient, unassuming, confidential, and relaxing environment.

Love and nurturing are the cornerstones of my practice. From my youngest clients to my oldest, I believe that a positive connection in a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere encourages and empowers the children, families and adults I work with to heal and grow from the inside out! My focus for the past 13 years of my career has been on supporting children, families and individuals to reconnect with each other and themselves in a way that enhances their sense of peace, joy and fulfillment.

My experiences working with individuals facing addiction, mental health, and crises have been eye-opening and transformative. I have witnessed firsthand the pain, despair, and feelings of hopelessness that individuals in crisis experience. However, I have also seen the incredible resilience and strength that individuals possess when provided with the right support and resources. It is this resilience that fuels my determination to make a difference and offer a helping hand to those in need. I am deeply committed to the principles of empathy, compassion, and non-judgmental support in my work.

My goal in counseling is for you to be empowered to make positive changes so that your life can flourish. I work with Children, Adolescents, Adults and Families using brief and long term therapy. I work with a variety of issues including: Depression Stress/Anxiety, Marriage/Family issues, School issues with Children and Adolescents, Substance Abuse, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Grief and Loss, Anger Control. If you have been thinking about making a change, this is an exciting time in your life, take the next step and contact me. I will be here to assist, empower, and advocate for you.

Diakonos is a private mental health counseling center in Independence, MO since 1981. We believe in a healthy approach to healing life's problems through integrating sound principles for the mind, body & spirit. We offer compassionate care for those struggling with painful emotions, distorted thinking, and troubling behavior, as well as those desiring personal growth and more satisfying relationships. We are comfortable and experienced at integrating clients' religious & spiritual beliefs with the therapy and healing process. Treatment is personalized to meet the individual needs of each participant. Therapists are available to lead conferences and speak on topics of interest to your church, business, or organization.

Kansas City Psychology Center, LLC provides a wide range of clinical services, including psychological assessment, evidence-based treatment, consultation, and mediation. Our services are best suited for individuals who expect the same high quality of mental health assessment and treatment they would expect when receiving quality care for medical conditions. They can expect to be well-informed of the methods and typical course and likely outcome of treatment. Contact us to set up a free phone consultation if you have any questions with regard to how evidence-based treatments might be different from your prior treatment experiences.