Clear Minded Counseling

      "Big takeaways from PCIT were understanding what our son was going through at the time, reflecting on our reactions and how we handled situations dictated how he went through situations, and to have consistency in how we react. He learned it wasn't okay to hit and that it wasn't an appropriate reaction. It's amazing how quickly he picked up on how 'Hey, this behavior I'm exhibiting isn't acceptable'. It's a process we had to learn and help him through. Without PCIT, we would be in a very bad situation in my family. We knew we were going down a path we didn't want to continue down. We would recommend counseling and PCIT to anyone who says they're having issues. Elly has changed our family dynamic, and our lives, and I mean that through and through."
-  Mother of 3 year old boy
 

      "PCIT is amazing. Just the way we parent has changed. It changed (her son's) behavior. Family members have noticed his behaviors are better. He is able to behave. He is not aggressive. He's more loving."
- Mother of 4.5 year old boy
 

     "Our family was desperate for a change. When we first heard about PCIT my husband was skeptical, but we were both desperate. I signed us up to learn more and we decided we needed to give it a try. We knew it would take a lot of work and effort on our part, but we were committed to doing it. We were told over and over that we would see results - and we sure did! Full on tantrums were no longer a thing. We learned how to avoid a blow up and our daughter learned to better manage her emotions. We would definitely recommend PCIT!"
- Mother of 6 year old girl
 

      "I can honestly say that finding Clear Minded Counseling and Jaime has been a huge blessing to our family. Even on really hard weeks when I feel like nothing we do is going to make a difference, we will have our session with Jaime and I am proven wrong. I thought we were doing this as a last ditch effort to try to figure out what's going on with our daughter but it has done so much more. It has helped me as a mom not only be able to deal with the behaviors better but it gives me peace of mind knowing that Jaime actually cares about us. She has helped us the entire way on this journey of figuring out if we are dealing with autism or something else - nobody has EVER listened or cared enough to guide us through this and provide support at the same time. I have cried tears of relief and appreciation for God placing Jaime in our lives when we needed her the most."
- Mother of 4 year old girl, currently is doing PCIT with Jaime
 

   "We started PCIT when our son was 6 years old because he was displaying defiance, fits of rage, and aggression towards his younger sister.  Although he didn't meet the clinical threshold for a diagnosis like ADHD or ODD, we had reached a point where we were ready to try anything.  From the first week of doing special time with him daily, we started seeing a difference in our interactions with him.  As we progressed though the PCIT units, things continued to get easier.  Our relationship with him and his behaviors have changed so much for the better since starting PCIT. Now when he begins to act in an undesirable way, we have the tools we need to navigate through it. We have seen that when we don't follow through with the PCIT guidelines regularly, we see a decline in our interactions and need to get back into the PCIT routine.  Added benefits include an improvement in our relationship with our daughter, who enjoys special time and also has to follow commands and family rules, and an improvement in our relationship with each other because there's way less stress.  PCIT felt like an overwhelming commitment when we started, but it was worth every minute that we spent.  If you commit to doing the homework and following the guidelines, it seems to go very quickly and you will see a dramatic shift in your child's behaviors.  Aside from the effectiveness of the program, we really appreciate Elly's calm and kind demeanor.  The kids love her and she's easy for us to communicate with.  If you're experiencing difficult behaviors from your child and you're ready for a change, we couldn't more highly recommend working with Elly and doing PCIT.  Game changer  - Cara and Mike, parents of a 7 year old boy
 

     "My son was 3.5 when we started PCIT with Elly. My son's mother and I are not together, and I think the transitions from each house and the different ways that his mother and I handled his behaviors was confusing for him. Both his mother and I saw an increase in not following instructions and tantrums at home and his teachers at daycare began expressing concern for his behavior disrupting the class, that's when we started with Elly.
     One of the biggest things PCIT did for my son was provide consistency between homes. PCIT took work and effort from both parents, but was easily learned because Elly is a great and supportive teacher and therapist. We learned simple skills that allowed me to connect with my son on a new level. Through "special time", as PCIT calls it, I set aside 5 minutes a day to play with my son the way he wants to play without me giving directions or telling him what to do, while allowing me to be fully present and using my newly learned skills to help my son feel like he has my full attention, because he does.
     As therapy progressed, we saw less and less problem behaviors from my son, and both his mother and I were able to bond on a whole nother level with our son. Once the parent child relationship was built up again, Elly taught us how to give "commands" or directions, using PCIT. Again, the consistency that both parents using PCIT provides is invaluable. My son learned that when he was given a direct instruction and he didn't listen; he would go to the "time out chair". It didn't take long before a warning about the time out chair was all it took for him to follow directions, then the warnings became less frequent as well as he became a good listener without warnings.
     For me, I had become so caught up in the role of a parent, that the connection with my son was lost a bit. By focusing on trying to be the best parent possible, I was losing that vital connection without knowing it. By the time my son and I "graduated " from PCIT, our bond has grown exponentially and I now have the closeness and connection I always dreamed to have with my son. How I reacted to his behavior seemed to only increase those problem behaviors. I think that those behaviors were a sign that he wasn’t receiving our love the way we intended.
     As a result of PCIT and this new connection my son has with both of his parents, his problem behaviors at both houses and at daycare are few and far between and any problem behaviors that do occur are easily manageable. PCIT is not a cure-all, it is a framework of how to interact differently with your child, it takes effort on everyone's part, and it is worth every second."
- Father of 3 year old boy
 

     “I’m so glad I did PCIT with my child. It has saved my relationship with my child as well as my own demeanor on how I handled my child’s difficult behaviors. My son was diagnosed oppositional defiant and by completing PCIT I developed a relationship with my child that I didn’t know existed. Through PCIT, my child began to listen, follow rules, respect boundaries, learn independent play skills, and become the loving little guy I always knew he was!
  Before PCIT my son was argumentative, defiant, played rough, and wouldn’t take no for an answer (mind you he is only three years old). I felt that the relationship that I had and wanted with my son was no longer in my control, and aggravating because he would not listen (to me). I am a school teacher and I effectively manage five-year-olds all day for 8+ years, but I couldn’t understand why nothing was working with my own child!”
    Although PCIT is not a one size fits all model (it could be if you successfully complete the program), it has definitely helped my child understand rules and consequences more effectively than anything I was doing before. It takes a lot of work and dedication from the parent to make time for PCIT and doing the daily homework/special time with your child is crucial; however, if you stick with it through the end, you will see amazing results. You will not only see positive results with your child’s behavior, but the relationship and bond you have with your child immensely improves. I recommend PCIT to not only parents with difficult children, but as a key for any and all parents who want to build great parenting skills and develop respectful, loving relationships with their children.”
- Amy, mother of 3 year old boy