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The Team is Growing!

Kirsten Simonton, MD, is joining the team this September! She will be providing internet-based/telehealth Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) on a full time basis. 

Karissa Jensen, Licensed Psychologist, will be joining the team this fall. She will be providing internet-based/telehealth Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) on a part time basis. 

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Specialties:
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is one of our specialties, with there being only 8 PCIT International Certified Therapists in the entire state of South Dakota and Clear Minded Counseling has four of them. Elly provides PCIT in office and Ashley, Jaime, Jen, Karissa, and Kirsten are providing internet-based/telehealth PCIT.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - Both Rachael and Jen are trained in this intervention, which helps people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. EMDR can be done with both children and adults.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) - Jen has been trained in this model, which helps children and teens who have experienced trauma.

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PCIT & Telehealth:
One unique aspect of PCIT is that for the majority of sessions, the therapist does not work in the same room as the client and their family - rather, the therapist traditionally sits behind a one-way mirror to observe the parent-child interactions and provides real-time coaching to parents through a parent-worn bug-in-the-ear. These aspects of PCIT have allowed for an easy shift to Internet-based PCIT
(I-PCIT). The family uses a smart device to stream the parent-child interactions in real-time in their house, while the therapist (located in their office) provides live parent coaching via a parent-worn Bluetooth earpiece.

I-PCIT eliminates a lot of barriers to care (e.g., scheduling, transportation, comfort with treatment setting), allows families in the entire State of South Dakota to be seen, and allows for live coaching in the family's natural environment. Research has shown that I-PCIT can be just as effective when delivered virtually, with some research even showing higher percentages of clients being rated as "much improved" and "very much improved".

The idea of starting services online can be overwhelming and scary for some people. We will be there to walk you through the process. If you have any questions about it, please reach out to me.

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Elly and Jaime at the 2024 PCIT International Convention!

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