Meet the Therapist

I specialize in working with tweens, teens, and adult women who are experiencing challenges with neurodiversity (Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, giftedness, other developmental issues), anxiety, challenging life transitions, and trauma. I also specialize in providing art therapy, play therapy, and/or EMDR, and other techniques within my scope of practice.

Because of my specialized training and scope of practice, I may refer you to other providers if I do not feel that I can provide you with the best care. 

It is important to me to provide an atmosphere that is free of judgement and affirming of gender-identity, sexual orientation, spirituality, race, ethnicity, physical ability, level of support needs, etc.  

The best way to figure out if we'd be a good fit is to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation. We can further discuss what you're looking for, and I can answer any of your questions. Call me at 913-735-3563!

The best way to get set-up for services is to schedule an initial call! Or you are welcome to reach out by email or phone. Emails can be sent to keslie@creativeresilienceks.com and calls can be made to 913-735-3563. The quickest way to schedule a free 15-minute phone call to determine if my services are the best fit for what you're needing would be to schedule directly through the client portal by following this link: https://creativeresilienceks.sessionshealth.com/

It is important to me that I can provide the care you need within my ethical scope of practice. If we aren't the best fit, I can provide you with some names of other therapists whom you could contact if requested. 

If we both decide that we can move forward from that phone consultation, I will send you the welcome paperwork to be completed and returned, then an initial session will be scheduled.

I accept clients insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City and clients opting for self-pay. Please reach out to me directly for more information regarding current rates and options regarding sliding scale availability. As much as I can, I hope to make my services accessible to all who would benefit from them, so please not hesitate to ask!

For clients opting to self-pay, I can provide you with a superbill each month that you can submit to your insurance company if requested. If you are hoping to submit a superbill to your insurance company, I strongly suggest you call the number on the back of your insurance card to ask about your "out-of-network" therapy benefits and how to submit an out-of-network reimbursement claim. 

You have a right to receive a "Good Faith Estimate", which is an estimate of charges for scheduled healthcare services. This will be provided to you during the initial paperwork process. The law requires healthcare providers to provide this to clients who are uninsured or self-paying at least one business day prior to the scheduled service. If your bill is $400 over what was listed in the Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the charges.

For more information, visit: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises

Our initial session will be 55 to 60 minutes in length. The main goal of this initial session is for me to gather important information from you and for us to begin building a therapeutic relationship.

Individual therapy sessions are around 50 minutes in length. For younger clients, a portion of that session time will be spent preparing and/or debriefing with parents/caregivers. 

Parent consultation sessions are scheduled for 30-minutes or 45-minutes, depending on the meeting's objectives. 

Your scheduled session time is held exclusively for you. Clients will be charged the full amount for the session in the event that sessions are cancelled less than 24 business hours prior to the scheduled session or in the event of a "no show". No show and late cancellation fees cannot be processed through insurance and are the responsibility of the client. Remaining engaged in the therapy process requires a time commitment, which is important in our ability to work together effectively.

As a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist (ATR-BC), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Kansas, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Missouri, Registered Play Therapist (RPT), Autism Specialist (AS), and trained EMDR Therapist, I incorporate a variety of creative strategies to help clients of all ages express what may be too difficult to put into words. These treatment approaches are appropriate to address many presenting problems, and there are no special skills required. The open-ended nature of art therapy and play therapy, along with my curious approach, create a therapeutic environment ideal for growth and also trauma treatment.

Art therapy is the process in which a trained art therapist facilitates a therapeutic relationship for a client to express themselves freely using visual arts. This can look like drawing, painting, sculpting, jewelry-making, building, etc. in an environment where the art therapist can support and encourage the client to move toward their identified goals. Art therapy is for people of all ages and abilities, and no prior art experience is necessary! The art making process is viewed as a form of communication and can help make the invisible visible.

For more information, visit the American Art Therapy Association's website here: https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

Play therapy is the process in which a trained play therapist uses the therapeutic powers of play to further encourage developmental growth and work through mental health challenges. This can look like creating a scene in the sand tray, playing a game, dressing up, using puppets to process difficult topics, caring for dolls, etc. It is the play therapist's job to facilitate change through the child's play using directive and 

non-directive strategies. For more information, visit the Association for Play Therapy's website here: https://www.a4pt.org/page/WhyPlayTherapy 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of therapy that is structured to encourage clients to take a brief glimpse at troubling memories paired with a form of Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) to help the brain process those memories with less vividness and fewer troubling emotions. Although this form of treatment is typically intended to be implemented for trauma treatment, EMDR strategies have also been shown to be successful to address anxiety, phobias, OCD symptoms, poor self-esteem, etc. 

I incorporate EMDR strategies in the majority of my sessions with both children and adults and pair those strategies with art therapy and/or play therapy when appropriate. Instead of using the typical eye movements associated with EMDR, I prefer to incorporate "buzzies", light tapping, or other creative forms of BLS to further individualize trauma treatment for my clients and create an environment of safety. For more information, visit the EMDR International Association's website here: https://www.emdria.org/