DEVELOPMENT
Sessions with children from 4 to 7 years old are conducted individually or in groups. The goal of these classes is the integral development of cognitive, creative and emotional functions of the child. For my basic instruments I use painting, modeling and expressive movement. This is the age when children are primarily oriented towards creativity and play. And these are the activities that help them get ready for more complicated tasks at school, sometimes even more than learning to read and count. Apart from preparing the children for cognitive tasks, these activities also help to build an emotional and expressive basis, which will be useful in withstanding difficult life situations in future.
It is preferable of have regular sessions. A clear time-table is important for the child and supports better results. It is also important to prepare comfortable clothes that are easy to wash, because we use a lot of movement and colors.
PSYCHOTHERAPY
The most frequent demand in my practice is to help a child adapt better to a new school in a new country. Moving, having to learn two foreign languages at once, changes in the circle of friends and sometimes family can often lead to excessive stress for the child. And due to constant tension the problems that sometimes were there before, but did not seem critical, become so after all the changes.
I work combining methods of Dance/Movement Therapy and Creative Development in order to stabilize the emotional state and support cognitive needs of children and adolescents. I usually ask the child to come to the first session together with the family he or she lives with. Then 2 or 3 sessions are dedicated to assessment (both general and focused on the specific demand). After the assessment period is over I see parents separately and discuss with them the necessary steps to take both in therapy and at home. I also prepare a report for the school, which I send only if parents give their consent. This report helps teachers and coordinators understand their student and his or her needs better, and implement specific recommendations I give in relation to this child´s life at school.
Then we start the therapeutic sessions. Usually it takes some time to stabilize the emotional state, after which, if needed, we can attend to cognitive correction. It is very important to have clear communication between parents, teachers and psychologist to reach good results. Currently I collaborate with some of the best schools in Barcelona and they are always open to meetings with me and the family. If your child goes to a school I don´t yet know, I can get in touch with the teachers and introduce myself as soon as it will be needed.
MATERNITY
I also offer psychological support to women, who recently became mothers and feel it is difficult for them to feel comfortable in this new state. Dance/movement therapy offers an ample variety of methods that help to define on a non-verbal level the source of complication in mother-baby interaction. Often with small and simple changes can help understand each other better and fortify secure attachment within the new family. At the same time, the woman who just became a mother can get time and space to arrive fully in her renewed body and soul. Motherhood can be a great source of personal growth and happiness, but at the same time it can submerge us in feelings of sadness, fear, despair, impotence. It reveals us the better and the worst in ourselves. I use methods of dance/movement therapy and existential analysis as well as my own experience as a mother to accompany women in their journey of motherhood.
Remember that psychological difficulties are normal in childhood and adolescence.
The important thing is to ask for help in time!