Sydney Pimentel-Rushing M.Ed, LPC-A

I have 5+ years working with children who have autism spectrum disorder through the public school system. My role as a former educator and school counselor was to support students in developing their social, communication, and self-regulation skills. Sometimes all it takes is a distraction to break out of a thought loop! I have brief experience as a behavioral therapist at an ABA clinic. Although I craved a more holistic approach, ABA therapy showed me the power of positive reinforcement!

Being a new parent myself, I understand that EVERY parent just wants the best for their child. I believe partnering with parents is essential to fostering growth in children. Key word: partnering! My role as a therapist is to highlight all the things you are already doing that are working, while also offering practical ideas that fit into your lifestyle. My time as a school counselor allowed me to support parents through navigating behavioral issues, IEP's, and parent burn-out.

Children don't tell you they're having a rough day, they instead ask you to play with them. Working with children has taught me that there is an art to play and relationship building. When we open our hearts to show children our weird & goofy side, we invite them to feel safe in being vulnerable. I have worked with children with ODD, DMDD, Anxiety, Depression, ASD, OCD, ID and various other learning disabilities. Every child is worthy of support! Every child deserves to see that they are worthy.

Through my time as a group facilitator with Charlie Health, I have been able to go through various DBT trainings. These trainings include general DBT, DBT for he 65+ population, and DBT for teens. I have ran over 50 hours of psychoeducational groups that directly teach group members DBT skills such as DEARMAN, TIPP and radical acceptance. Within these groups, I have gained experience in teaching DBT skills to clients who may be struggling with more acute diagnoses such as PTSD, BPD or SUD.

Public school counselors are trained in solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) in order to support students in "doing more of what already is working." At the core of every school counseling masters program, M.Ed, is a push for solution focused treatments. In addition to being educated on SFBT, I enjoy continuing to expand my own knowledge through reading SFBT books, studies and peer-reviewed articles.

I am currently working towards my registered play therapy license under the supervision of Erin Johnston, LPC-S, RPT-S. I began my play therapy journey as a skeptical school counselor who attended multiple child-center play therapy trainings. It was not until I saw a struggling student of mine play out various life traumas that I became a true play therapy supporter! With the help of my supervisor, I have been able to offer a mix of child-center and directive play therapy to my clients.