Maria Curran Phd

I offer Parent Coaching, Co-Parent coaching and Child Specialist services as part of my practice. I have extensive training and experience helping families challenged with separation/divorce, blended families, fostering and adoption and child development. I can assist parents and caregivers with adjustment to life changes, grief/loss, non-punitive limit-setting, fostering healthy self-esteem and independence and educational concerns.

I take an educative approach to helping individuals who struggle with anxiety. Through a combination of mindfulness-based stress reduction, yoga interventions, psychoeducation and cognitive-behavioral approaches I can help you or your child learn to manage your anxiety more effectively.

I have significant experience helping families struggling through separation, divorce and blended family challenges and have extensive training in best practices for working with co-parenting challenges, children exhibiting the resist/refuse dynamic, helping adults create parenting plans and minimize the stress of family changes on their children.

In my work with families I draw from Family Systems theory and Attachment theory. Family Systems theory postulates that families are complex social systems and that each member affects or influences others behavior. Attachment theory focuses on the quality of relationships. I have 25 years of experience providing filial therapy for parents which allows them to strengthen their bond with their children through specialized play sessions.

In my doctoral program I studied how creativity influences learning across emotional, social and intellectual domains. I invite clients to try various creative arts approaches to explore new ideas and behaviors in a safe, non-judgmental environment. My main office is set up as open studio so that clients may explore the materials freely.

My play therapy approach is based on Adlerian and child-centered theory primarily. Adler posed that all behavior is goal-directed. In a child-centered playroom, the child takes the lead and the therapists provides a therapeutic container. Young children use play naturally to explore their experiences, thoughts and feelings.