Tamala Takahashi

Main Areas of Focus

​

Parenting Neurodiverse Children & Adults

​

My goal while working with parents of neurodiverse children, adolescents, or young adults is to hold space for the truth of their experience while they navigate the challenging role of parenting.

 

Every child has different needs and every parent has a different background, so the formula for “good” parenting will be unique for each client. At the same time, therapy is an opportunity for parents to practice proven communication tools, coping skills, and family coordination that can result in better relationships, calmer conflict management, and higher sense of life satisfaction both for the parents and children. 

​

I also hold awareness of the social, economic, generational, geographical, and cultural forces that parents live in and are influenced by. Therapy for families or parents also includes acknowledgment and awareness of the parents’ own experience growing up and being parented. 

​

Using solution-focused, acceptance and commitment, and trauma-informed therapy approaches, my hope is to support clients while they work towards finding peace in their own sense of who they are, help their children find their sense of self, and work towards becoming the kind of family they want to be.
 

My Therapeutic Philosophy
 

I believe a therapist’s role is to provide stability while the client(s) works through uncertainty, reality checks the lessons they learned in life, tries something new, and finds a healthy path to what it looks like for them to be grounded. The specifics will look different for each client(s), but all sessions are built around the principles of acceptance, patience, and kindness.

 

I work collaboratively with the client(s) to identify areas of focus and what works best for them from their perspective. In our 50-min. sessions, therapy goals are usually a combination of gaining clarity, self-awareness, self-compassion, and coping skills. When working with couples or families, communication skills are a significant part of the work as well.

​

You are NOT Alone

​

The neurodiverse experience can feel lonely. Whether you are neurodiverse or have a neurodiverse partner/family member, it can feel like you are expected to behave a certain way and say certain things, or that no matter how hard you try, you can’t do it right. Maybe you feel like there are things that just don’t make sense but nobody else can see it. That struggle can feel so lonely. 

My intention in therapy is to provide a space where you are no longer alone. Whether in couples or individual therapy, I am there to support you and hold space for your lived experiences.

​