Emily Fried

I am a neurodevelopmental specialist for children birth through 6 years old with neurodiversity and neurobehavioral disorders. I provide play-based developmental therapy where children with Autism learn to use play as a means of connection and communication. I also provide individual psychotherapy for neurodiverse adults, including those with Autism and ADHD.

Parenting babies, toddlers, and preschool age children is hard! Every child is different, and they don't come with their own instruction manuals. I support parents to understand and develop new skills and strategies for addressing concerns in behavior and development. Parenting services include coaching and consultation, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and child-parent play therapy. The goal is to strengthen parenting skills and increase joy in parenting.

My training as both a Perinatal Mental Health Specialist and an Infant Mental Health Specialist provides me a unique perspective and understanding of how perinatal anxiety and depression affects both parent AND baby, and the importance of including baby in treatment, when appropriate. I offer individual Perinatal Psychotherapy to all parents during prenatal and postpartum periods, as well as Parent-Infant Psychotherapy. I am also a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC).

Play therapy provides a unique environment where children are given the opportunity to increase self-awareness and self-confidence, understand their thoughts and feelings, become resilient and adaptable, learn to manage big emotions in healthy ways, develop age-appropriate coping skills, and adjust to life events and transitions. My to approach is rooted in psychodynamic and child-centered principles.

From birth, children learn and grow in the context of the parent-child relationship, developing a secure base from which they feel safe to explore and experience the world around them, and learn to regulate when confronted with challenging emotions. Parents also carry their own histories, early caregiving experiences, cultures, beliefs, and values. I work with families to promote emotion regulation, reflection, healing, and strengthening attachment relationships.

As a psychodynamic therapist, my primary focus is to help gain insight into emotional and relational patterns that lay as the foundation of mental health, rather than treating individual symptoms. I act as a guide to explore unconscious processes and the influence that past experiences have on current ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.