Norma Cruson

Whether you feel your life is a constant battle with anxiety, depression, trauma or you feel lost and disconnected from your life's purpose, I am here to help. I aim to help clients develop psychological flexibility so they can be present in their daily lives, share their emotions, and take concrete action to live more fully. Working together, we will look at why you might be in pain and we will work toward understanding why you are "stuck" in that psychological space. We will take steps to help you gain perspective on your difficult thoughts, accept your inner experiences, clarify your core values, and help you be able to take committed action to to live a rich and meaningful life.

For adults, I utilize Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), depending upon the needs of the particular client. That said, it can also be true that a client might need to work on an immediate issue with Brief Solution-Focused Therapy. I also might invite an adult client to try mindfulness exercises, sand tray work, or art therapy experiences if these modalities might shift perspective or help the client self-soothe.

For child clients, I practice evidenced-based Child-Centered Play Therapy in-person (no virtual sessions for children). CCPT allows the child to share their emotions and concerns at their developmental level. In a dedicated playroom, through the therapeutic relationship, I am able to help your child gain perspective on their psychological rigidity, help them with their emotions and concerns such that they build resilience and are able to better self-regulate. I ask parents to collaborate with me, also, to help their child feel better connected in all aspects of daily living.

For children, I have had great success over the years using Child-Centered Play Therapy. CCPT is a best-practice, evidenced-based, non-directive approach that has always worked for my child-clients and myself. I can say confidently that most children I have worked with cannot wait for their weekly "Ms. Norma time" so they can continue to work on self-regulation, mastery, self-nurturance, feeling connected, etc. I also like to coach parents in how to use this approach at home with Child-Parent Relationship Training (CPRT).

In the past 20 years, I have been honored to work with all ages, various cultures and with clients who have a variety of problems. I hope to help you live a life that is less consumed by stress, anxiety, depression and to know more truth and joy in your daily living.