• sandralwasserman@gmail.com
  • 334 Via Vera Cruz #208 San Marcos, CA
  • (760) 271-9467
Sandra Wasserman Family Counseling
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Welcome to Sandra Wasserman Family Counseling

 Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed out?
  • Are panic attacks or anxiety attacks preventing you from enjoying life to the fullest?
  • Is depression or sadness impacting your quality of life?
  • Do you feel your life is spinning out of control?
  • Do you have difficulty communicating with others at home or at work?
  • Are you struggling to cope with a child with special needs?
  • Is your special needs child having difficulty communicating with you?
  • Are you having difficulty as a parent communicating with your children?
  • Are you having difficulty setting and maintaining limits with your children?
  • Are you or your children dealing with a transition in life, such as divorce or loss?

In my practice, I have found the people's thoughts and feelings shape their outlook on life, and directly influences their ability to enjoy life each and every day.  If you have experienced any of the feelings listed above, I would like to support you through your journey of self-growth, mindful that each individuals journey is unique.  When working with my clients, I apply Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness, which to me means paying attention to this moment, and understanding who or what might be impacting your emotions.  I feel that Mindfulness gives one the tools not only to manage their stress levels, but also to experience more positive emotions that improve quality of life.

I use Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral therapy with adults and teenagers.  This form of therapy will help shape your thoughts and feelings into a more positive direction.  I have had success in treating adults and teenagers suffering from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, and anger management issues using this form of treatment.  Some specific benefits of therapy to adults and teenagers are:

  • Feeling more relaxed, less stressed, and less anxious about life
  • Learning Relaxation and Breathing Techniques
  • Regaining control of your life!
  • Improving your quality of life!

Another component of my practice involves working with children, including children with special needs.  This includes children on the Autism spectrum, and children with ADD / ADHD. Throughout the years of working with children, I have found that symptoms of anxiety, anger, sadness and depression not only impact their school work, but can also impact their self esteem.  Low self esteem can impact a child's relationships at home and with friends.  When my client is the child, I serve as the child's therapist, but I also work with the entire family. It is important that I teach/model coping/communication mechanisms for the child but also help the child and family practice those skills in a safe neutral environment  As parents, our children give us clues that there might be something going on with them.  Many children might not be able to say they need support, however, it will show in their behaviors, by acting out or isolating themselves.  These behaviors and power struggles impact the entire family system.  Everyone becomes stressed.  I know this because I am a parent of a special needs teenager, so I've experienced much of this myself.  I have learned work through the power struggles. I help the family system to communicate more effectively, so each person feels that they are being heard, which keeps them from becoming defensive and creating power struggles.   Children and Families will see the following benefits from therapy:

  • Better understanding by children of their anger triggers and emotions, leading to improved communication with family and friends
  • Learning behavioral techniques for children, helping them to deal with emotions
  • Improved parenting skills
  • Learning new techniques for engaging with your children, to improve communications
  • Learning how to better communicate with children with special needs
  • Learning how to help your children with ADD / ADHD to be successful in life
  • Improving your children's impulse and self control to be successful in life

I also specialize in using Play Therapy and Sand Tray Therapy with children.  Play Therapy is especially appropriate for children 3-12 years old.  Play Therapy is the primary intervention used for anger management, grief, loss, family issues or divorce, and for treating trauma (for example, a child being bitten by a dog).  It is also particularly effective in helping children with special needs.  Play is a natural tool that children use to express themselves.  Its fun, its uplifting, and it provides a way for children to communicate verbally or non-verbally about issues that are affecting them.  Through Play and through the Sand Tray, children have a safe place to develop the skills they need to make positive changes in their lives.  

Highlighted Services

The Value of Play

I have always been a big believer in the value "Play" has in the development of children.  This has fueled my interest in Play Therapy, Sand-Tray Therapy, and Art Therapy.  Why do I feel so strongly that Play is an integral part of a child's development?

1. Play helps children learn to problem solve. Play provides many opportunities for children to learn how to solve problems.  It provides opportunities for negotiating roles in dramatic play.  It promotes analytical thinking - for example figuring out where to place the lever and ball when they play "hot hoops", or if playing "Don't break the Ice", learning where and how hard they should hit the ice blocks.

2. Play helps children learn to discriminate, to sort, to classify, and to learn what is alike and what is different. As children play with different materials or manipulate toys, they learn to discern texture, size, shape, color, and other qualities.

3. Play increases creative thinking.  Children naturally play pretend games and use their imagination to make ordinary objects represent things in their fantasy world.  This is the foundation for later understanding and use of abstract symbols, such as letters and numbers.

4. Play promotes social-emotional growth.  Play provides opportunities to practice the social skills of communicating, understanding another's point of view, taking turns, sharing, and following rules.  Through play, children can relax, have fun, and develop self-confidence.

5. Play helps children express their feelings and ideas.  Play offers children opportunities to safely explore and express their feelings and ideas in a safe manner.  It also provides opportunities to be able to see and explore other's feelings and ideas or "play expressions".

6. Children's physical, emotional, fine motor, and gross motor movement is greatly enhanced through play. Children learn how to use and control their bodies through play by developing different eye hand motor skills.  Play also encourages self-regulation of their body - and learning to control their actions.

How empowering is that?

ADHD and Social Skills

If you were to observe your child interacting with his peers, you might see several inappropriate social behaviors.  He or she might not look at his peers while he or she talks to them.  His dialogues will not promote a conversation, but rather a monologue on his topic of choice.  If he/she begins to lose a game, the rules of the game will change.

Parents might ask how their child's impulsivity affect their social skills?

The very nature of being impulsive means the inability to consistently think before acting.  In social situations, children with ADHD fail to think before they say or do something.  To get along well with others we all need to use a mental filter.  That prompts us to think ahead of time before we say or do something.

Can ADHD be a Strength?

When parents and children change their perspective, some of the symptoms of ADHD can become assets instead of symptoms to be eliminated.  ADHD children often have a unique way of perceiving things.  Today's business model of "thinking outside the box" is made for the ADHD person.  Turning a symptom into a strength can change the way you respond to your child - and when you change the way you respond to your child, your child will find increased happiness and improved self-esteem.

 


Email: 
sandralwasserman@gmail.com
Address:
334 Via Vera Cruz, Suite 208, San Marcos CA 92078
Phone: 
(760) 271-9467
Sandra Wasserman Family Counseling © 2023