Hillcrest is a small, private, group psychotherapy practice that provides mental health services to clients across the life span while specializing in therapeutic support for children and adolescents. We strive to provide warm, thoughtful, intentional treatment and care. Therapists at Hillcrest practice psychodynamic, relational, and trauma informed psychotherapy with a client centered and humanistic focus. Nestled in the Emily Dickinson Historic District in downtown Amherst, the Hillcrest office space is a sun filled, warm, peaceful environment with a robust and intentionally designed play and art space.
Child Centered Play Therapy
Known for its child centered play and art approach, Hillcrest clinicians work to help children become aware of their struggles and express and process emotions. We proceed with a client centered play therapy approach where we strive to understand feelings and experiences through metaphor and symbolism. The play area is fully stocked with a wide selection of play things, which are intentionally chosen to support children in expressing themselves through play.
“Toys are children’s words and play is their language” — Gary L. Landreth
Please explore the following resources for more information on play therapy:
Evidence Based Approaches
Therapists at Hillcrest judiciously incorporate evidence based therapeutic practices and strategies into therapy sessions as needed. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical behavior Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, and mindfulness practices.