Jamie Quail (She/Her/Hers)

I have been practicing Play Therapy since 2019, and am trained in the Transformational Model of Play Therapy developed by Bridget Tedeschi, LPC. In this child-directed, emotion-focused approach, play is utilized as a vehicle for gaining emotional awareness, developing regulation strategies, and overcoming emotional and behavioral challenges.

My training is based in EFT, from the belief that most of our challenges in life come from a low tolerance to feeling challenging emotions such as anger, sadness, and fear. Our culture teaches us to use our brains rather than our emotions, causing us to repress emotions and experience mental and physical health issues. I am here to help widen your tolerance for feeling these challenging emotions so that you may experience more of their equal opposites - passion, joy, and excitement.

Many of the children and teens I work with exhibit anxious behaviors, including but not limited to: excessive worry and/or fear, clinging or overly dependent, difficulty sleeping or being alone, holding back or avoiding new situations due to nerves, high energy, engaging in power struggles or controlling behaviors (i.e. organizing/perfectionism, defiance in getting their way, becoming highly emotional when something doesn't go to plan, etc.).

Childhood and Adolescence is the prime time for developing a sense of self, as well as confidence in who we are and what we can do. Behaviors associated with low self-esteem include, but are not limited to: self-doubt or negative self-talk, isolating, difficulty with peers, challenges with school, excessive guilt in relation to discipline, perfectionistic behaviors, anxiety/depression, no longer engaging with activities that once brought joy.

You don't need to lose someone to experience and struggle with grief and loss. These challenging feelings can arise in response to any change, including a move, a new sibling, a separation or divorce, a new routine (think beginning of the pandemic), etc. Behaviors associated with this challenge include: difficulty with transitions, inability to be flexible, increase in controlling behaviors or power struggles, emotional sensitivity, anger, fear, and sadness that feels difficult to regulate.

My approach is Mindfulness-Based, meaning the primary function of the therapeutic process is developing awareness of one's thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and behaviors in order to gain more self-understanding and to find the most helpful way to approach any challenges we encounter. Developing these skills sets us up for a more connected, resilient, and authentic life, helping us to build empathy and be in control of both our emotions and our responses to the people and world around us.