Helping Professionals Interview Series: Supporting Families at Bud to Bloom Play Therapy with Jasmine Berger, LCSW
The Bud to Bloom Play Therapy Team
Jasmine Berger, LCSW of Bud to Bloom Play Therapy has put together a team of St. Louis therapists passionate about helping St. Louis families!
We interviewed Jasmine back in August 2024, so we knew it was time to check back in and share with you what the team at Bud to Bloom has been up to! You can read our first interview with Jasmine right here!
Can you tell us a little about family counseling at Bud to Bloom and the approaches that you use?
We provide family counseling based in attachment theory which means we focus on dyadic relationships between a caregiver and child.
We use theraplay which is an attachment based therapy that helps parents understand their child and learn new ways to respond to them. Theraplay focuses on the 4 dimension of healthy child and parent relationships, structure, nurture, challenge and engagement and help both the child and parent strengthen these core areas.
One of the other approaches we use for family therapy is parent child relationship training. This is an approach that teaches parents theraputic skills to have theraputic play times with their child. These times allow parents to enter into their child's world. This gives parents a chance to learn new skills to interact with their child to generalize to their every day life.
Even though these therapies are based on relationships, it doesn't mean that a parent and child have a "bad" relationship, but that they may benefit from a shift in dynamic.
What might be a clue to a family that family counseling could be helpful?
Families who may be feeling burnt out in their parenting journey, are struggling to connect with their child, or feel like their child may require a different parenting style than their other children.
Families who have an adopted child who they want to strengthen connection with. This can often times look like a child who is struggling with big behaviors at home, and parents who are unsure how to respond or support their child.
What should families expect to get out of family counseling?
Parents should expect to build and strengthen their relationship with their child, fostering a new understanding of their child.
They should expect to build confidence in their parenting skills and feel more regulated and confident when responding to challenging moments and behaviors.
What is one thing that you wish prospective families knew about starting family counseling?
I wish they knew starting family therapy and getting support for them and their child does not mean they are a "bad parent" or that they did something "wrong".
I also wish more families knew that getting support for the family system is an amazing way to help change behaviors and dynamics and bring lasting changes to their family.
Can you share a little bit more about the groups that you provide at Bud to Bloom?
We provide multiple groups at Bud to Bloom. We have a parent group for parents of kids with big behaviors to learn new skills and a better understanding of their child's behavior. This group is a space to be with other parents who get it while learning new strategies that work!
We also provide a preteen group called sister circle for girls who may want a space to work on social skills and self esteem.
We also provide a kindergarden readiness group for children who need support with social skills before transitoning to kindergarden.
How can people learn more and contact you?
People can contact me at Budtobloomplaytherapy.com or by reaching out via email at info@budtobloomplaytherapy.com.
You can also connect with Bud to Bloom Play Therapy via social media at:
Curious to learn more about getting treatment for anxiety? Wondering if you need to connect with a therapist in St. Louis? Contact Compassionate Counseling St. Louis to set up a free 15-minute phone consult. We’ll talk about what’s going on and best next steps - and if we’re not the right fit, we’ll connect you with other wonderful St. Louis-based therapists, like Jasmine and the team at Bud to Bloom Play Therapy!
Curious to learn more about anxiety and anxiety-driven anger? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety experts, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. We also provide online therapy Missouri wide to teens and college students. You can set up your first free consult on this website, on our consultation page.