Meet SuperKids Child Therapist Danielle Marino, LCSW
We spoke with SuperKids Licensed Clinical Social Worker Danielle Marino. SuperKids is local to Chicago and provides individual child therapy, parent-child therapy, parent-only behavior planning and family therapy. Danielle makes up one-half of SuperKids Chicago, working in tandem with Phil Garcia (LSW).
Please tell us about yourself and what prompted you to begin working in child therapy?
I was raised in the 1980’s with a single mother and very oppositional and violent brother. Part of my survival depended on me co-parenting my brother. Our understanding of parenting and special needs were different in the 1980’s and we did the best we could with the tools we had, but there were years of struggle. My brother had a diagnosis of severe Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder–which I knew then didn’t explain the whole situation. I vowed to do everything in my power to help other children who struggle and make sure parents know tools that work. I immersed myself with children of all ages and challenges by nannying, working in schools, and I got my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and became a Type 73 School Social Worker. No textbook or therapy session taught me more than working 10 years in public schools with diverse learners.
What services do you offer? Do you have a specialty that you are extra passionate about?
Phil Garcia, LSW, offers individual child therapy with a mindfulness skills and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focus. He is extremely passionate and effective with kids with ADD or ADHD. I offer parent coaching for defiance, emotional dysregulation, refusal to poop, and anxiety. I also provide home visits, family therapy, school observations, and IEP consultation.
I’m passionate about my training in Supportive Parenting Through Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), an evidence-based program out of Yale University. In SPACE, I work with parents to help them get their anxious children into remission. In just a few sessions we go from, “I don’t want to go upstairs without you!” or “I am too scared to sleep alone!” to confidence and independence! These are kids who would take months or years to get to remission in individual therapy and we are seeing them improve in less than 5 sessions! It’s incredible how the field has changed in the past 15 years to helping kids faster!
Can you talk a bit about what child therapy entails?
Child therapy begins with getting the child and parent comfortable with the process of therapy. We start by including the parent in part of the session and doing a strengths analysis of the child. This allows us to send the message to the child that they are more than the problem they are having. We then work with the child and parent to set measurable goals such as, “Johnny will be able to independently calm down and use his 5 fingers breathing.” We use scaling–a Motivational Interviewing technique–to determine where the child is at now and motivate them to move in the direction of their goal. Sessions also include games and rapport-building, but it’s important parents and children are always aware of the goal and what the child is working on. Finally, parents are often given strategies or homework to support their child in using the coping skill.
When should I look into therapy for my kids? What are the behaviors or signs that it may be time to explore therapy?
Anytime you feel you aren’t getting your best out of your kiddo is a good time to consider brief treatment. You want to catch and treat concerns early! Reasons parents come to us include:
-inflexible when plans change
-trouble focusing on homework
-clingy to parents and won’t say “hello” to others
-overly-attached /will only be put to bed by one parent
-negative self talk such as “I have no friends”
One of the biggest signs your child is capable of regulating more is when school and daycare reports superb behavior, but you are seeing struggles like meltdowns, hitting, clinginess, and refusal at home. That’s a sign that there are parenting strategies we could add to the home environment to get the best version of your child at home and at school.
On average, it takes us just 3 parent sessions to get kids listening on the first ask, independently completing tasks and homework, and increased emotional regulation. We use Seattle Children’s First Approach Skills Training (FAST-B) to empower parents with evidence-based skills shown to improve regulation.
Can you describe a successful therapy session?
In effective child therapy, both the child, parent, and therapist have worked to set measurable goals. Parents are a part of the process and the child isn’t just ‘going to the office to play with an adult’ each week in play therapy. A measurable goal will be something like, “Pam will be able to go to the top of the stairs two times by next therapy session; Mom will wait at the bottom of the stairs this week and next week we’ll have Mom move to the kitchen”.
Ultimately, effective child therapy is: a child learning and independently using a skill outside of therapy. Unfortunately, I hear of so many families investing in years of therapy which is really just like an expensive playmate. The child may be able to recite back coping skills but they don’t actually use them at home or school. At SuperKids Chicago Therapy, we’ve developed ways to include the parents and schools so the child is motivated to utilize those coping skills.
How can I prepare my child for a therapy session?
It’s important not to send a message of insecurity, worry, or blame. You can tell your child “a therapist is like a coach for children and parents to be the best they can be. When we go to therapy, we will both learn ways to improve _______ problem we are having and even play fun games that teach us important skills.” That’s really it as less is more. The more we over-talk about something we actually send a message to our children we are worried they can’t handle it.
What makes SuperKids different?
The biggest difference between SuperKids and other clinics is that we are highly trained with over 35 years experience between the two of us in evidence-based therapies. We are trained in First Approach Skills Training (FAST-B), Supportive Parenting Through Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
The second way we stand out is SuperKids has wraparound services and this ensures the coping skills children learn in therapy are actually used in the home. No more years of therapy that is just kids playing with adults; we get kids better! While Phil works with your child, I help parents set up the most effective environment and behavior plan for their kiddo at home and school. This way the home environment is reinforcing the use of the coping skill and kids are thriving faster.
We also provide school observations and reports to support IEPs and 504s. Lastly, we offer home visits to set up behavior plans. We accept BCBS PPO and help families with other insurances get reimbursement through out-of-network benefits.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with Chicago New Moms Group blog readers?
There is big business on Instagram trying to make parents feel insecure and buy into online programs. Be careful of programs that aren’t research-based, don’t know your kids, and are one-size-fits-all. AND REMEMBER: You are incredible and you are doing your best! Be gentle on yourself! There will be so many moments where you are unsure of what to do as a parent, but know you love your child unconditionally, you are resourceful and you are connected to community (CNM!) and YOU GOT THIS!
To find out more about working with SuperKids, you can reach them through their website.