Specialties & Services
Psychological Services
When someone experiences stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, or one of the other hurdles that life can throw your way, it is not unusual to feel stuck. Feeling perplexed or a sense of coming apart are normal. We are passionate about encouraging growth, providing optimism, and promoting good mental health through therapy and counseling during these challenging times. Our clients include children, adolescents, adults, and families, and we aim to help them.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy
Most people that have heard of ABA therapy have strong opinions either for or against it. ABA therapy is like any other therapy or profession – fidelity in delivery is reliant upon the provider and appropriateness of the treatment for the patient. We have observed ABA therapy being delivered poorly and amazingly, just the same as we have visited poor fits of doctors and wonderful ones, and miserable grocery clerks as well as helpful ones.
FREE Developmental Screenings
If you are curious about whether or not you or someone you love has developmental delays but doesn’t know where to start, or may be experiencing a higher level of care to improve their quality of life yet unsure where to turn to, going through our free developmental screening process may help you! These no-cost screenings can help you sift through and answer some of the big questions you are afraid to ask or unsure of where to go to get the help needed to thrive! Our developmental screenings require you to complete some preliminary paperwork to be entered into our system, take a test or two (depending upon the concerns discussed), and a 15-minute feedback session with results and recommendations.
Screenings for (not limited to): ADHD, Autism, Learning Differences (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia), Mood (Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder), Behavior (School Expulsions, Mood Swings)
Counseling: Talk and Play Therapy
Our therapy style is one where our first goal is to do our best to determine how to efficiently and effectively determine the root functionality of whatever it is that you or your loved one(s) are going through and need support with. Sandbox Therapy group tailors our approaches to therapy with hopes of helping the patient become as independent and self-sufficient as possible. We work with all age ranges. While some patients require a more long-term therapy approach, the vast majority of our patients work with us for a few weeks to months, obtain a deep understanding of what brought them to seek mental health care, and are on their way with new found meaning and a robust toolbox. When our approach does not work or has an end result that is satisfactory, generally that means they need outside support (be it a poor therapeutic style match or outside our scope of practice, etc.), and Sandbox helps patients as best as possible to find outside providers better suited for their needs. Common therapy approaches you will see at Sandbox Therapy Group are: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), applied behavior analysis therapy (ABA therapy) – clinical behavior analysis, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP therapy), prolonged exposure therapy (PE therapy), motivational interviewing (MI), IoWA-parent child interaction therapy (PCIT), and single-session/solutions-focused brief therapy among many others.
Group Therapy
Sandbox Therapy Group offers ongoing, open and closed groups. Our focus is to provide a supportive atmosphere to gain validation you are not alone, resources for how to move forward, options for different paths of treatment, and many other invaluable experiences group therapy provides! We offer social skills groups for all ages (many are neurodivergent), parent support groups (with and without childcare options), general mental health support (e.g., depression, anxiety, OCD), as well as resource support groups (e.g., compassion fatigue, how to navigate IEPs and 504s, how to prepare your child for college when they are neurodivergent). Group therapy occurs both online and in-person.
Parent Coaching
We offer support to parents and caregivers that are seeking guidance on how to assist their children/dependents. This can occur in the community, at home, and in the office.
Psychological Evaluations (Testing & Assessment): brief & comprehensive
Our evaluations are tailored to expeditiously answer the question(s) a patient has and provide pathways forward. We offer various options to allow for all budgets to receive an assessment and not experience a limitation in terms of cost or timeframe. We do not have a long waitlist due to our brief evaluation pathways.
Evaluations can be brief in nature, include or not include a written report, and receive feedback midway through the testing process or after (once a comprehensive or brief written report is completed). We also are able to provide a written referral immediately after a diagnosis is established to allow accessing care as soon as possible. Sandbox Therapy Group ultimately wants to support and treat our local community and patients nationwide, and are committed to doing so in ways that work best for the patient and through a therapeutic assessment lens.
Many patients ask what an evaluation looks like. Generally speaking, the overall flow of an evaluation tends to follow this path. Bear in mind that this varies greatly based on the diagnosis, level of clinical complexity, and other nuances such as whether the patient is seeking a question of better understanding themselves for personal reasons versus seeking another opinion where the patient is in a crisis with acute and emergent symptoms:
~1 hour: Speak with your provider about what you are looking for (e.g., “do I have autism and how can I get better?”) In this meeting, you typically determine the best option(s), maybe a brief or comprehensive evaluation or possibly refer-out as we cannot help (such as when the area of concern is outside a psychologist’s wheelhouse).
~1+ hour(s): Provider administers tests to look into symptoms and better understand behaviors to seek taproots to outward and inward experiences.
~30+ minutes: At times, speaking with others that know the patient can occur (teachers, therapists, doctors).
~1+ hour(s): Scoring and analysis of scores.
~1+ hour(s): Write-up (sometimes this is a lengthy, in-depth report or a one-page overview of bullet-points).
~15+ minutes: Feedback provided to review symptoms, diagnosis, and recommendations.
While an evaluation can seem overwhelming and costly, please know we can help explain what is involved and walk you through our options to help you feel supported as well as be able to make an informed decision that (hopefully) does not feel burdensome. Some of the evaluations we provide are listed below, this list is not exhaustive; please reach out if you have an evaluation you need but do not see on this list:
Genetic Differences (e.g., FASD, Down Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome)
Developmental Lagging Skills
Dual Diagnosis
Intellectual Delays
Internet/Media Overuse
Mood Differences (anxiety, depression, panic, bipolar)
Neurodiversity (ADHD, Autism, 2E/Gifted, OCD)
School Challenges (Expulsions, IEP, IEE, Mental Health)
Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm
Trauma (Complex PTSD)
Mental Health Evaluation & Consultations for Military Entrance Applicants
Immigration Evaluations
Medical leaves of absence
Comprehensive and Brief Psychological Testing (Evaluation & Assessment)
IQ Testing (such as for highly capable/gifted programs)
Emergency Expulsion Mental Health Assessments
Learning Differences Testing (LD) – Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, & Dyscalculia
Independent Education Evaluations (IEE)
Consultation
Sandbox Therapy Group has been supporting families during IEEs, IEPs, 504s, ADA accommodations, and so much more! We additionally provide consultation and supervision for providers/clinicians nationwide and locally seeking ongoing support, training, or supervision hours to accrue licensure requirements.
Presentations
We provide presentations to the public at conferences, nationwide, and locally. Common topics are within the realm of neurodiversity across the lifespan and can also be more generalized such as supporting workplace mental health needs or in-classroom support for educators.
Services
Our services are offered via telehealth, in-office, in-home, and in-community (such as schools and while completing daily activities such as grocery shopping). Sandbox Therapy Group has interns annually and this allows our community to experience two clinicians for the price of one! Our interns are studying for their doctoral degrees, and most of them have a masters degree and are licensed (fully or at the associate level). Where a financial need is demonstrated, we do offer low-fee and sliding-scale options for these families.
Assessments
We provide assessments for Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Speech Delays, ADHD, mood disorders, among many others.
The Psychology Department offers assessments for ruling-out an Autism/ADHD diagnosis (among many other mental health diagnoses). We customize assessments and therapy to meet you and your family’s needs.
Therapy
Sandbox Therapy Group practices traditional one-on-one therapeutic sessions for occupational therapy but also individual therapy for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, parent coaching, and family/couples counseling.
Social Groups
Social Group is a curriculum-based program that integrates peer social communication with exploration and development of life and leisure skills. This includes activities such as cooperative gameplay, creating a group art project, or working together to prepare a healthy snack.
Social Group aims to help kids who are ready to begin generalizing the pragmatic skills they have acquired in individual therapy in a therapeutic group setting with their peers. Within the group, they are supported by a range of professionals, including SLPs, OTs, and ABA therapists.
Therapy At School
Sandbox therapists have started going into area private schools and working with clients within their school environment. (Inquire for details)
Typically, when we see a child in school, it is to work on generalization of skills that have been mastered in individual therapy – something we use as a complement to our traditional clinic-based sessions. Often, school teachers are thrilled we are there, as we can provide them with tips, given parent permission, on how to help their children succeed in school.
Areas Of Development
Our Sandbox team is currently developing a program working with 18 to 30-year-old young adults on transitioning into independence, providing a supportive framework behind the activities of daily living.
The maturation of any individual involves a complex interplay of occupation, independence, and a sense of self; our collaborative effort ensures each of these is supported when necessary.
Areas Served
Eastside, including (but not limited to) Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville, Duvall, Carnation
To summarize, our team, who can be seen here, takes great pride in the work that they do on behalf of their clients individually and as part of a family unit.
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s behavior and/or development, or your own emotional regulation, please call us at (425) 558-0558 or email schedule@sandboxtherapy.com