Play is a universal language; children can express their feelings in safe and meaningful ways through play therapy.
As a member of the Association for Play Therapy (APT), my goals and objectives align with their mission to promote the value of play and play therapy. To satisfy this mission, as an RPT-S, I strive to advance the psycho-social development and mental health of all people through play and play therapy.
Adaptive communication requires assessing and decoding verbal and nonverbal communication and discern patterns correlating with someone’s personality structure. Dr. Dalis can help parents adapt how they connect, motivate, and proactively deal with their children’s distressed behavior.
As the Director of The Psychological Services Center, I am an Ally and a supervisor for the Pride Healing Center at Long Island University. I am trained in LGBTQ+ cultural issues and stay up to date on news, programs, and policies that impact the community. I look to provide a safe, supportive environment for children, adolescents, and family members of the LGBTQ+ community. I encourage you to explore my website for additional LGBTQ+ resources and to read my dissertation study.
A psychological test is used to measure an individual’s different abilities, such as their aptitude in a particular field, cognitive functions like memory, and spatial recognition. Psychological assessments can also provide a diagnostic picture for treatment and support services. At Dalis Psychological Services, we offer comprehensive psychological evaluations that tailor to an individual’s needs.
Evaluations can provide the necessary documentation to warrant services for school and standardized tests (e.i. Extra time, minimal distraction, one-to-one support) or gain acceptance to gifted and talented programs.
Temperament is constitutionally based on individual differences in emotion, motor, reactivity, and self-regulation that demonstrate consistency across situations and over time.
“A child’s temperament is based on biology and is modulated by environmental factors and parental responses,” Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1977).
As children develop throughout their lives, they exhibit physical, cognitive, and emotional changes in each phase.
Many times, a developing child may exhibit disruptive behaviors that challenge the family dynamics. Often, these behaviors are appropriate for their current developmental phase. Children do not inherently have the words to describe their feelings. Through modeling, a parent can assist their children in identifying appropriate ways to express their emotions.
The demands of middle/high school, society, and family values are stressors for tweens and teens. Developmentally the need for autonomy becomes essential as an individual’s identity emerges. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help young people recognize their core values and adaptively communicate their needs.
It is difficult for a parent to see their child in pain. Often families seek medical interventions to identify a biological condition that causes the pain. At times this is not an easy task. Helping young people identify their inner strength and resilience can help manage the pain and build skills to help them manage the challenges of life.
“Neurodiversity: refers to the variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions.” Judy Singer.
There are many misconceptions about ASD, and at times young people are misdiagnosed; this is potentially due to a stigma associated with the diagnosis. My approach is to help identify the individual’s diversity and help them, and their families communicate with respect and understanding.
As a Registered Play Therapy-Supervisor with ACT, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy training, I am qualified to supervise clinical psychologists in practice and candidates pursuing their Registered Play Therapy credential.