Lisa Gollenberg (She/her)

I come from a neurodiversity affirming background, so I don't "treat" autism itself. Rather, I have experience and expertise working with autistic individuals on goals that are important to them, like building self-esteem, developing more satisfying friendships, understanding and regulating their emotions, or processing past trauma from bullying and/or abuse. I am certified and use AutPlay, a play therapy framework developed for work with autistic children and their families.

One of my primary specialties is playful trauma recovery, as strange as that phrase may sound! I addition to my EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), I bring in sandtray, art, puppets, movement, toys, and any other number of creative tools to help kids of all ages explore and process. I love to help kids build the resources and find the courage to face the hardest stuff in their lives and see that they can start to feel better and more empowered.

I am trained in Theraplay, a powerful play therapy approach for building secure attachment between kids and their caregivers, and let me tell you, I absolutely cherish the moments of pure joy and connection that happen in my playroom through this type of work, and I know it paves the way for kids to feel ready to face whatever else we need to tackle together.

One of my primary specialties is playful trauma recovery, as strange as that phrase may sound! Play is the natural language of children, so I integrate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) with creative tools like sandtray, art, puppets, and movement to help kids of all ages explore and process what words alone can’t touch.

Attachment theory is an important lens I use to figure out what might be going on with a client. I explore attachment styles and experiences of clients and their parents throughout the therapy process. I am trained in Theraplay, a powerful play therapy approach for building secure attachment between kids and their caregivers, and I know it the joy and connection we create in those sessions paves the way for kids to feel ready to face whatever else we need to tackle together.

I am passionate about helping children and families recover from trauma, and I have found Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocess (EMDR) to be one of the most powerful tools out there to help with this. I like to think of EMDR as a way to squeeze the juice out of traumatic memories and experiences so they become less powerful in our lives. I am trained in the integration of EMDR and play therapy, as well as EMDR and sandtray therapy.