Child & Family Play Therapy

Healing through connection, play, and co-regulation.

At Blue Star Counseling, Kathryn’s approach to child therapy is rooted in the power of connection. She offers play therapy sessions that involve both the child and parent, guided by the principles of Theraplay®—a structured, attachment-focused model that uses play to strengthen relationships and promote emotional growth.

Whether you’re navigating big baffling behaviors, sensory sensitivities, or emotional meltdowns, Kathryn helps children and their caregivers build safety, trust, and attunement together.

What is Play Therapy?

Curious about play therapy?

How does it actually work?
Is it evidence-based?
What kinds of challenges is it used for?

Play therapy is a proven, evidence-based approach that uses the natural language of children—play—to help them express emotions, build coping skills, and work through difficult experiences.

A play therapist is a licensed mental health professional specially trained to use therapeutic play techniques to support a child’s emotional, social, and behavioral development. It’s particularly effective for children facing anxiety, trauma, attachment difficulties, emotional dysregulation, or major life transitions.

Decades of research and clinical experience support its effectiveness—and for many children, it’s where real healing begins.

Sessions are playful, warm, and structured to:

Improve connection between child and parent

Support emotional regulation

Promote trust, eye contact, and shared joy

Reduce oppositional behaviors and anxiety

My Approach: Attachment-Based Play Therapy

Kathryn specializes in working with young children using a structured, short-term form of play therapy called Theraplay®. This approach is designed to strengthen the parent-child bond and support a child’s sense of connection, trust, self-awareness, and self-esteem.

Her work is rooted in the teachings of Dan Siegel, Bruce Perry, Stephen Porges, Robyn Gobbel and other pioneers in attachment-based, interpersonal neurobiology. Kathryn has been using Theraplay principles in her family work since 2005. As a Certified Theraplay Practitioner, she has spent the past 20 years helping families deepen their relationships and build lasting emotional connections.

Why Include the Parent?

Unlike traditional talk therapy or individual play therapy, Kathryn actively includes the parent or caregiver in nearly every session. These joint play sessions are filled with engaging, structured activities designed to create positive, playful interactions between parent and child.

The goal is twofold: to help parents build skills in attunement, co-regulation, and emotional responsiveness, and to guide the child toward emotional regulation, empathy, and a stronger sense of self-worth.

This co-regulated, relational environment lays the foundation for secure attachment and emotional safety. Over time, it supports deep, lasting healing—not just for the child, but for the entire family system.