Shelly Stratton (she/her)

My Approach to Helping

I have a wide variety of training that includes child development, family systems, liberation psychology, community psychology, psychoanalytic theory, neurobiology and the impact of trauma, sandplay therapy, play therapy, expressive arts therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. It is my goal to observe and listen carefully to the unique ways of communicating and adjusting to the world around you. Particularly with children this requires noticing how they express themselves through play and art, as well as words. The language of children is often more metaphorical than literal. They may draw on their imagination and engage in storytelling to elaborate on topics that are difficult, or to expose their strengths and elements of resilience and resistance. I have worked closely with children in foster care, children who are adopted, houseless families and immigrant/refugee families. I am careful to attend to both the individual and collective aspects of healing.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

It is my belief that our best selves are awakened by attending to the soul within, as well as to the impact of diverse social and cultural contexts and experience. I approach therapy as a relational process that relies on our ability to connect and construct meaning that is not always visible, but that can be felt and more easily communicated and understood with practice and careful attention. I value self expression that is not always verbal and cognitive. I believe we can come to know ourselves more completely through art, play, movement and other creative acts. My work reflects a social justice perspective and I am deeply influenced by decolonizing and liberation psychologies. While my aspirations towards justice may seem large when considering a child therapist, I believe this is at the heart of many struggles children face. They are considering "fairness", and developing complex identities in a world where inequity is wide spread. They need our radical presence to make sense of it