Clinical social worker Angela Blake knows all too well the challenges children face today. Hyperactivity, lack of focus, and family problems can all prevent a child from thriving in school and in social environments.
Blake recently joined the staff at The Personal Wellness Center on Milford Street in Salisbury, where she provides child therapy services for these and other behavioral issues. Her unique approach to child therapy is holistic, considering the whole child in her assessment and treatment.
“I assess each child’s mind, spirit, and emotions,” she said. “I can’t focus solely on one part because a person is made up of interdependent parts; and if one part is not working properly, all the other parts will be affected.”
Her techniques are innovative, getting to the root of the problem and offering effective, doable solutions. She helps parents solve and manage their children’s behavioral problems by addressing imbalances in their lives and helping restore self-confidence, healthy emotions and thoughts.
For instance, Blake tells of a hyperactive 8-year-old who was difficult to redirect and was failing in school. After six weeks of therapy involving mindfulness games, brain yoga exercise, and deep breathing practice to decrease the frequency of fights with his siblings, he improved remarkably.
“He became less aggressive, more cooperative, and raised his grades to A’s and B’s,” she noted.
Veronica Correa, a licensed clinical social worker and owner of The Personal Wellness Center, said Blake fills a much-needed void for child and family therapists who use a holistic approach to treatment.
“Families have said to us that they want a therapy that provides a strong spiritual component that uses different levels of consciousness and awareness,” she said.
In addition to individual therapy, Blake will also offer workshops for children called Mindfulness, Brain Yoga, and Mind Power. Children are also learning coping skills at four weekly two-hour sessions that cover being mindful, staying focused, identifying feelings and emotions, and dealing confidently with life challenges.
Blake utilizes several treatment modalities to help children through their behavior problems. These include cognitive behavioral therapy, brief therapy, expressive art therapy, mindfulness, and other mind-body therapies. She works with adults, children, families, and groups to address a wide range of needs, including depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, relationship concerns, behavioral problems, and life adjustments. She also helps students organize their academic work for optimal success.
Often, by the time a person seeks counseling, he or she is in crisis or has been disappointed with a past counseling experience. Most clients are looking for a trustworthy, gentle, caring and compassionate listener that offers simple, realistic techniques they can incorporate into their lives. “It’s my intent to make change achievable and manageable,” she said.
Blake holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland and has worked with parents, women’s groups, children’s groups, and she has also held student organization workshops. She has worked as a therapist for public and private mental health agencies in the area for several years.
To learn more information, call The Personal Wellness Center, 410-742-6016.
