My entire career has been focused on children and families. After college I taught 7th grade in an impoverished rural community in Eastern North Carolina and then pursed my masters in social work. I’ve worked with adolescents, families, schools, and adults as a therapist and consultant since 2001. With a playful approach, I use Internal Family Systems as my primary therapeutic modality along with role definition, mindfulness, and CBT to address developmental roadblocks and improve communication between adolescents, adults, and families.

 

Life without struggle would be pretty boring. Parenting without challenges would not be rewarding.

 

My current practice focuses primarily on parents. It is good to remember we grow and change alongside our children. They push our limits us as much as we challenge theirs. Too often we address children’s developmental struggles and ignore the equally important developmental challenges of parents. Instead of focusing on the child and gathering perspective from parents, I now meet primarily with parents and gather information from children. Parents can feel powerless, but they are not.  Even when your child is “ignoring” you, they are watching you.

 

I help parents witness the dynamic between their fears and those of their children and adjust parenting strategies to address engage them in a more productive way. We all want to do what is best for our children. Often what best for them is often what is best for us.  

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Tom has been working with adolescents, adult, and families since 1990.

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Fee $150 -  50 minutes / BCBS and Medcost Accepted / Private Pay