In my practice, I utilize the philosophy that most suffering of children and teens is caused by some sort of overwhelming experience; either in the past or the present.
You may see this show up in your child as nighttime anxiety, stomachaches, school refusal, angry outbursts, avoidance, headaches, or in other ways.
These symptoms can be caused by a time (or many times) where a child felt overwhelmed — there was too much of something, something happened too fast, there was too little of something, or something was missing.
Through an attachment focused and playful-based EMDR approach, I can support children, tweens, and teens in a way that is playful, engaging, creative, and motivating.
Caregivers play a huge role in this process and most importantly, are not blame! In our work you are the co-therapist who has the power to heal so much for a child – it’s my job is to give you both the tools to get the job done.
My services focus on children (8+), tweens, and teens.
Areas Of Specialization
Anxiety
Anxiety is like having a horrible best friend who is relentless! We can find ways to creatively identify triggers, build coping skills, repair relationships, and improve self esteem. All of this is done in a fun and motivating way for your child paired with parent support and coaching.
Depression
It’s unfortunately common for children and teens to experience depression and even suicidal thoughts in today’s world. Through an attachment focused approach with family involvement, we can find a way for your teen to feel better and make strides towards happiness again.
Trauma
Whether your child has experienced medical trauma, bullying, difficult relational dynamics with someone at home, early attachment disruptions, abuse, or some other emotional injury from a person in their life, this is an area that I can support with!
What To Expect
Once you reach out to me, I will schedule a consultation call for us to chat a little more in depth about what is going on for you and your family and I can answer any questions you may have.
If we decide that we are a good fit, we will move forward with scheduling our first few sessions. The first 1-2 sessions are an assessment period, where I will meet with parents and/or caregivers of the child to gain a thorough understanding of the child’s strengths, relational history, and behavioral concerns.
Moving forward, I will start to see the child but the parents and caregivers are active within the therapy process. That may mean you come in every session for a few minutes or that you are heavily involved in the entire session. In whatever way a caregiver is involved, part of the work I do with caregivers is provide them with what to do in sessions – so know that I am here to support you the whole way too!
From here we work continuously towards our treatment goals, adjusting as we see fit throughout our time together.
Many times you will see us playing games, making silly songs, playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons, talking about video games, or creating art. Through these creative mediums, I am layering in important information for the child to absorb and eventually strategically integrating memories to process, skills to practice, or exposure to triggers.
Connections Creative Arts Therapy
Kate Shannon, LCAT, LCPC, LPC, MT-BC
(315) 681-7958
kate@connectionscat.com
141 Sully’s Trail
Suite 7A
Pittsford, NY 14534
- Monday
- 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Tuesday
- 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Wednesday
- 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Thursday
- 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Friday
- Closed
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Connections Creative Arts Therapy 