Spotlight: Dealing with Depression and Anxiety in Children. Meet Dr. K, Westchester’s Caring Child Therapist with a Flexible Schedule.
/Hi everyone!
It’s Winnie writing for the week. Pinching, hitting, kicking, screaming, temper tantrums. This was the picture of my daughter when she was in full-fledged meltdown mode. My first reaction as a parent was to try to calm her and work out the reason for her anger, but as a human being, I would lose patience after ten minutes of getting nowhere and resort to yelling, getting both of us nowhere.
My daughter had also suffered from social anxiety. She had a hard time speaking to anyone outside of family, including classmates and teachers. Teachers questioned me, and the school counselor even hinted that there might be some hidden trauma in her past. Combined with her sudden tantrums, I was extremely worried and feeling guilty. I kept asking myself “What happened? Did I miss something?”
I started looking for a therapist, but had a very hard time. Most therapists expect you to work around their schedule, which is usually during my working hours and my daughter’s school hours. They want weekly therapy sessions, which was impossible as I could not take time off from work and pull my daughter out of school each week. Additionally, many therapists do not accept insurance so the sessions were extremely costly. After years of stressing over this broken system, I heard about Dr. Kailey Spina Horan (Dr. K for short), her commitment to her patients, and her flexible schedule. We visited her office in Briarcliff Manor to learn more.
Dr. kailey spina horan at true north mental health counseling
Meet Dr. K: Westchester’s caring, flexible therapist
My first impression of Dr. K was that she is friendly, warm, supportive, and truly loves working with kids. She was so easy to talk to that my half hour interview with her stretched to ninety minutes in the blink of an eye, and I left feeling like I got some therapy for myself!
How do I know if my child needs therapy?
Initially I was wary of the stigma attached to seeing a therapist. Would we be judged by other families? But I decided to make my daughter’s mental health my first priority. One in six children experience a mental disorder such as anxiety, depression, and conduct disorders. Don’t wait until those problems start affecting their daily activities and actions. Without treatment, they can lead to school misconduct, violent behavior or even suicide. Early intervention makes a huge difference and gives kids the coping skills necessary to get through these rough patches.
Dr. K’s practice is called True North Mental Health Counseling and she specializes in anxiety and depression. By using a mindfulness approach, the doctor instills coping techniques to improve a child’s ability to handle distressing circumstances. Therapies used are evidence-based. Instead of only focusing on a child’s challenges, she also works to empower the child and improve their overall confidence.
What to expect in session
The first session is the initial intake and usually lasts about 60 to 90 minutes. This session always includes the parent and child. Dr. K will ask you and your child questions to get an idea of their emotional, family, and physical history. She doesn’t jump into therapy until she and the child have built a rapport and set a clear goal. Trust needs to be developed so the child is comfortable sharing their innermost feelings.
After the initial intake, sessions can be held with family members or alone, depending on the age and “readiness” of the child. She will set up regular appointments and typically spends between three and nine months per patient on the full course of treatment.
The big questions: office hours and insurance
After my prior experience with therapists and their schedules, I was very surprised—and pleased—to discover Dr. K works outside the typical 9 to 5 hours and even has weekend availability for her concierge clients. For a busy family, this is truly mind-blowing! And to top it off, Dr. K accepts insurance and offers video counseling, so families don’t have to travel after a long day.
I hope this answers any questions you may have. For more information, please visit True North Mental Health Counseling website. You can also reach out to Dr. Kailey Spina Horan directly at (914) 373-9420 or drspinahoran@truenorthmhc.com. In the meantime, check out Dr. K on Facebook and Instagram (@drkay_truenortherapy).
That’s it for this week! Don't forget to check out our exclusive list of every children's library program in Westchester. It's been updated for Fall 2019, so everything you need to know is in one easy list.
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See you next time!
Winnie
