Taylor N Whaley, LMFT RPT LLC
Play Therapy for Kids and Families in Irwin, PA
What I do…
I help children with a variety of concerns express their emotional needs and improve their confidence.
I also help individuals and families with…
Life Transitions
Behavioral Concerns
Issues at School
Self-Worth & Self-Esteem
Attachment Concerns
Anxiety
ADHD
Depression
What is Play Therapy?
Play Therapy is a form of therapy that involves.. you guessed it - Play!
Due to Play being the primary language of children, it is the best and most effective way of getting children to express their emotions, thoughts and feelings. You can learn more about the therapeutic powers of play here.
Wait - you’re just playing with my kid? Can’t I just do that at home?
No, play therapy is much deeper than just play. It is a form of therapy. The kids I see highly believe that they are playing - which is true! However, during the sessions I am paying attention to their demeanor, their play themes, and how they interact with the toys and myself.
Hi, I’m Taylor!
My mission is to make my clients feel welcomed, comfortable, safe, seen and heard in our work together.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered Play Therapist. I enjoy working with children who struggle with self confidence, self esteem, anxiety, sibling relationships, those who are neurodivergent, and those going through life transitions. I see clients from ages 4-30, but my niche is working with ages 4-12.
I make therapy fun and engaging; I never expect kids to just sit on the couch and talk to me, that's not realistic! I am trained in Play Therapy and I use Child Centered Play Therapy which focuses on the child making decisions in the therapy room and allowing them space to choose what they would like to do; therapy is at the pace of the client. I have found that therapeutic work is most beneficial when the client chooses the pace. I also work very closely with parents and caregivers.
I recognize the strengths of each of my clients, including the length of time of change occurring. It is normal to want change to occur quickly; however, everyone grows and changes at different rates. Your and your child might need a little extra help to make the changes you are looking for - lasting or to even happen in the first place. I allow the child to chose the speed as noted above I utilize a therapeutic modality called Child Centered Play Therapy which allows the child to be in control of how the sessions go as I help to guide them and you too!
Everyone’s therapeutic journey is different. I see everyone as caterpillars and butterflies. We all grow and change at different rates and speeds and that’s okay! Especially when it comes to kids growing and changing. That should be something that we celebrate. I see the therapeutic process as child led. I am present to help your child on their journey and to travel alongside you and your child.
My main hope for clients as they work with me is that they learn to feel confident in themselves and their abilities and to be able to utilize the skills practiced and learned in therapy in their lives.
FAQs
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I see clients as young as 4. The age range I enjoy working with most is 4-14 year olds.
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Is your child expressing concerns; perhaps more distress since the start of the school year or maybe trouble concentrating in school. Did your child recently experience a traumatic event such as loss of a family member, pet or friend? Or the possibility that parents could be going through a divorce? These are all common reasons to seek therapy, but not the only reasons.
If you are unsure, please consider scheduling a free 15 min. consultation with me to discuss your child’s situation and I am happy to provide recommendations.
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No, I also work with teens and adults on an individual basis - no couples work.
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Yes, I offer telehealth for clients 12 and over.
I do not offer telehealth for children under 12 on a consistent basis due to the nature of the therapeutic relationship. I also encourage in person sessions as it can also deeper the therapeutic relationship.
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Yes, I accept commercial Highmark, UPMC, Aetna, and United plans. I DO NOT accept Medicaid or Medicare which would include: Highmark Wholecare, UPMC for you and CHIP
Additionally, I offer self pay rate which is $150 per session.
How do I find out what my insurance benefits are?
Call member services on the back of your card and ask.
Does my plan cover outpatient mental health services? ( If they ask a common billing code is 90837)
If yes, how many sessions are covered?
If no, ask if you have out of network benefits.
Ask if you have a deductible and how much it will be before insurance starts to cover sessions.
Ask if you have a co-pay and how much that will be per session.
It is the client’s responsibility to check member benefits prior to the therapy sessions. Any sessions that are denied due to being out of network the amount is the responsibility of the client.
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Typically when meeting with a caregiver with a child under the age of 14 I will meet with the parents or caregivers without the child present. The intake session takes about 50 minutes depending on the nature of the information given and can go up to 60 minutes. I will gather an in-depth developmental history to gather information about birth and early childhood; as that has an impact on how the child is today. I will also answer questions you may have and go over my therapeutic approach in more depth.
For children 14 and older it is them to decide if they would like parents/caregivers present for intake which can be helpful as well.
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I will meet with the child (4-13) about 3-4 times for individual sessions and then will encourage parents to meet with me without the child present for a parent session to discuss what is working and what isn’t. I highly recommend and also require that these sessions occur. They may need to be more or less frequent depending on the severity of issues occurring. All children are different.
I typically do not do parent sessions with kids 14 + unless it is requested by the child or there is a safety concern.
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How long we will meet is a difficult question to answer as everyone changes at different rates. I have worked with some kids for 6 months, others for 1 year and up.
At the start of the therapeutic relationship I would like to see clients weekly, however if that is not possible with my schedule or yours we can do bi-weekly ( every other week). I do not offer monthly sessions to new clients. I typically scale clients from weekly to bi-weekly to monthly as therapy goes on. However some people find that they need weekly therapy while others feel that bi-weekly is better for them. I will discuss that with you as time goes on.
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I highly discourage getting me involved in your court proceedings. Especially if it is involving a young child 4-12. The relationship I have with the child in my eyes is sacred if I go to court and have to testify about what we are doing in session that can severely damage the therapeutic relationship I have with the child. I also have a form in my paperwork that both caregivers must sign regarding court. If I absolutely need to attend court, a retainer of $1500 is required.