We came to Charles 6 months ago to help our 8 year old daughter with anxiety. We spent a year debating whether or not to seek professional help. The biggest challenge for us was how to help her. We tried a number of different approaches (problem solving, roll playing, work books, etc.) before seeking a professional. It is hard to watch your sweet, introspective and bright girl talk so negatively about herself.  She would often come home from school saying she had no friends. At night before bedtime she would often cry, saying she wished she were a different person. She also worried about things beyond her years. She would spend time worrying about finding “her person” or “her special talent”. She would express concerns about going away to college or eventually separating from us. All these things independently could be categorized as normal but every parent has intuition and deep down we knew something wasn’t right and she needed extra help. On a personal note, I was also burning out on all the sadness and drama and needed someone to help us with how to better parent her.

When our daughter first met with Charles we thought he might tell us she is totally fine, that we were overly anxious parents who just needed to relax. After his thoughtful assessment, he confirmed that our daughter needed help and would benefit from 2 times a week counseling for 6 months. At first I thought 2 times a week seemed excessive but after the first week I realized that this cadence was needed to help our daughter make meaningful changes and internalize their discussions. She loved the sessions and looked forward to it.  During the  6 months our daughter visited Charles we started seeing improvements almost immediately. She started stretching herself socially, self-criticism started to shift and eventually disappear and she began to have a more positive outlook on life. We also met with Charles on a regular basis (once a month). This was difficult but also extremely insightful. It is not often that you get a view into how your child sees you as a parent and your dynamic as a family. Charles was very supportive, providing us clear guidance in how to make changes to our family to provide for a healthier experience for our children. He also helped us understand where our child should be developmentally and what we needed to do as parents to get her there. My husband and I shifted how we interact as a result of our sessions with Charles. We are also more purposeful in how we work together in front of our children. As a mother and role model, I have changed how I communicate with my daughter in order to provide her with better modeling and set clearer expectation for her development. It is not easy but I believe we have all greatly benefited from Charles involvement in our family. It is hard to trust someone with your child’s care. It is a big leap of faith. Charles is trustworthy and sincerely cares about his patients and families. He has unique skills and has a proven methodology that works. He also works hard to help make lasting changes in each child he sees.  I believe our daughter has learned a great deal from Charles and will continue to learn as we work as parents to stretch her and provide her opportunities to grow and develop.

I hope your family has the opportunity to work with Charles and I would recommend him wholeheartedly. My daughter asks to go back to Charles. She misses the sessions and wishes she could continue. That is a great sign that Charles was able to build a strong rapport and friendship with our child. It is also a great that Charles works hard to make the impact he can and is working toward graduating the child out of counseling when they are ready, leaving the parents with clear instructions on how to move forward independently. I feel very grateful for the experience and gratitude to Charles for helping our daughter.

February 3, 2015