Specialty Areas of Practice
Parenting, Families, and Children
We as human beings are designed to exist and grow in the context of families and relationships. Parents are the single greatest relational influence in the life of a child. When a family is healthy and functioning well, all the members thrive! When relationships become disrupted and/or dysfunctional, one person may wear the pain more, but the entire family suffers. Depending on the needs of an individual family or child, treatment may include sessions with the entire family, individual members, or two or more members of the family at a time.
Bonding & Attachment /Comprehensive Treatment for Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
Our first days, weeks, months, and years of life, and the experiences we have during this time, shape us for the rest of our lives. When this early time of life is full of good care, healthy interactions, and relatively little stress, babies grow into children and adults who are able to develop and maintain healthy relationships, to learn from mistakes, and to move through the world with confidence.
When this time of bonding and early childhood is disrupted, babies and young children grow up with fear, insecurity, and doubt which in turn interfere with the ability to learn, to enjoy healthy relationships, and to gain a sense of confidence. Disruptions may result from the death of a caregiver, poor fit between the temperaments of the baby and caregiver, adoption, foster care placement(s), prematurity, illness, and trauma.
Intervention at the earliest stage possible allows for the greatest potential for healing! Whether working with infants, young children, or adolescents, there are typically four aspects of treatment that may happen independently or concurrently:
-Parent support, education, and training
-Dyadic therapy sessions with the child and primary caregiver
-Trigger resolution for parents
-Trauma therapy for children
Intensive Trauma Resolution Focused Therapy
Our amazing brains have the ability to resolve most negative life experiences without the need for therapeutic support or intervention. However, there are times when the brain’s natural ability to resolve traumas or negative life events breaks down. When this happens, a person can continue to experience the negative feelings from a “T” or “t” trauma for years and even decades after the event. Often traditional talk therapy is not enough to resolve these experiences.
In these cases, a more focused, systematic, and in depth approach to resolving traumatic memories is required. During intensive treatment, Dr. Baker utilizes a technique designed to identify and fully resolve negative life events from the past that are interfering in the current life of a patient. After the initial 90 minute visit, ongoing sessions are 3 hours in length. A typical course of intensive treatment consists of 5-10, 3 hour sessions.
Faith Informed Therapy
For many patients, their individual faith experiences and beliefs are an important part of their journey to healing. Dr. Baker’s training at Fuller Theological Seminary has prepared her to work with patients at the level of their interest in including aspects of their faith in their treatment.
