Playful Therapy Connections

11/18/2025

Quick reminder of this event happening tomorrow at 6:30pm!

Check out this workshop hosted by Sixx Cool Moms taking place in Gaithersburg, MD on Nov 19th at 6:30 PM!

Parenting While Healing: Breaking Cycles and Building Connection

Join us for an honest and compassionate conversation about what it means to parent while healing from your own past experiences. This event brings together an inspiring panel of women who have walked the path of personal growth, resilience, and transformation, and who now dedicate their work to helping others do the same.

You will gain practical tools to nurture your child’s emotional health while honoring your own recovery and growth. Together, we will explore how self-awareness, community, and courage can transform not just our parenting but the legacy we pass on.

To Learn More and Register: https://www.sixxcoolmoms.com/event-details/panel-raising-children-while-recovering-from-trauma

And don't forget to say "Hi" to Jaclyn, who will be presenting as one of the panel speakers, while you're there!

ID: Image is of a flyer promoting workshop with information detailing the speakers and information about the workshop. Sixx Cool Moms logo at top of flyer. Text on flyer reads, " Parenting While Healing: Raising Children While Recovering From Trauma.
Join us for an honest and compassionate conversation about what it means to parent while healing from your own past experiences. Learn practical tools to nurture your child's emotional health while honoring your own recovery and growth."
Below text lists the panel speakers and with a photo of each speaker. The speakers include:
> Nicole Hennessy, Certified Life Coach, Therapeutic Art Coach, Meditation & Breathwork Facilitator.
> Monica Blakley, Advocate and Owner of Passion For Ezra.
> Leda Kaveh, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Washington Psychological Wellness
> Jaclyn Halpern, Partner & Clinical Director of Psychology, Playful Therapy Connections.
Flyer also notes that the event will be "Moderated by Jenna Levine Liu." Event details at bottom of flyer read, "November 19th, 2025; 6:30PM - 7:30 PM ET." Location of workshop listed as, "Locally Crafted Workshop, 35 Grand Corner Ave, Gaithersburg, MD"

11/15/2025

11/11/2025

It's a good day in the Frederick office when new Switch controllers arrive to replace the broken ones!

Image ID: two wireless Nintendo switch controllers, one white with Zelda icons and one black and white striped with Fortnite's Cuddle Team Leader. Background is a multicolored dragon print desk pad.

11/07/2025

Meet Emily! Emily Mattison, B.A., Doctoral Extern is one of our newer team members currently serving clients virtually in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware & DC and providing in person testing at our North Bethesda, MD location.

Emily joins PTC with experience supporting clients across the lifespan through individual therapy, neuropsychological assessment and crisis support. Before entering the mental health field she worked in the tech industry to make digital tools more user-friendly. During this career, she felt a pull towards deeper connection and purpose through her experience with supporting people in crisis through a national hotline. This draw led her to the world of therapy! In her current work, she draws from cognitive-behavior, narrative, and attachment-based approaches with a special interest in working with people healing from relational and interpersonal harm. She works to create a warm, grounded space for her clients to feel safe to explore their stories and relationships. Emily believes that seeking support doesn't mean there is something "wrong" with you. Instead therapy can be a helpful resource to better understand yourself, navigate hard times, or to help you feel more like yourself again.

Outside the office, Emily is likely to be found near the water or on a yoga mat. She enjoys kayaking, boating, and discovering new beach spots near the Chesapeake bay. She is also in a movie club and enjoys spending time with friends watching & discussing films.

To read more about Emily's experience & expertise, you can check out her bio here: https://playfultherapy.net/meet-emily

To inquire about one of Emily's openings you can schedule a free consultation or contact us here: https://playfultherapy.net/contact
ID: Yellow background with light yellow spotlight streaks coming from top corners. Light blue text box in top center of image with dark blue text reading "Meet our Team!" Light yellow rounded text box on left side of image with black text reading "Emily Mattison, B.A., Doctoral Extern (she/her) CLINICAL COUNSELOR, LEVEL 1" Underneath is a light blue text box with dark blue text reading "Serving Maryland, Virginia, DC & Delaware Clients." Playful therapy connections logo in bottom left corner of image. Digitally drawn portrait of Emily on right side of image with light purple background & white frame. Under portrait is black text reading "Portrait by Nathan McConnell."

10/30/2025

Check out this workshop hosted by Sixx Cool Moms taking place in Gaithersburg, MD on Nov 19th at 6:30 PM!

Parenting While Healing: Breaking Cycles and Building Connection

Join us for an honest and compassionate conversation about what it means to parent while healing from your own past experiences. This event brings together an inspiring panel of women who have walked the path of personal growth, resilience, and transformation, and who now dedicate their work to helping others do the same.

You will gain practical tools to nurture your child’s emotional health while honoring your own recovery and growth. Together, we will explore how self-awareness, community, and courage can transform not just our parenting but the legacy we pass on.

To Learn More and Register: https://www.sixxcoolmoms.com/event-details/panel-raising-children-while-recovering-from-trauma

And don't forget to say "Hi" to Jaclyn, who will be presenting as one of the panel speakers, while you're there!

ID: Image is of a flyer promoting workshop with information detailing the speakers and information about the workshop. Sixx Cool Moms logo at top of flyer. Text on flyer reads, " Parenting While Healing: Raising Children While Recovering From Trauma.
Join us for an honest and compassionate conversation about what it means to parent while healing from your own past experiences. Learn practical tools to nurture your child's emotional health while honoring your own recovery and growth."
Below text lists the panel speakers and with a photo of each speaker. The speakers include:
> Nicole Hennessy, Certified Life Coach, Therapeutic Art Coach, Meditation & Breathwork Facilitator.
> Monica Blakley, Advocate and Owner of Passion For Ezra.
> Leda Kaveh, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Washington Psychological Wellness
> Jaclyn Halpern, Partner & Clinical Director of Psychology, Playful Therapy Connections.
Flyer also notes that the event will be "Moderated by Jenna Levine Liu." Event details at bottom of flyer read, "November 19th, 2025; 6:30PM - 7:30 PM ET." Location of workshop listed as, "Locally Crafted Workshop, 35 Grand Corner Ave, Gaithersburg, MD"

10/29/2025

I know that I did not realise what burnout even was, even though, with hindsight, I can now clearly identify periods I was definitely in it. Question other times in my life when it was a maybe. But one 'understanding' I always held on to was that, once I felt better I would be able to continue the life I had.

Now maybe this didn't start as my intrinsic understanding, but more of an external expectation. But regardless, it was what I believed. And I did exactly that. Only to be entirely surprised to end up struggling again. And blaming myself for not being enough somehow. After all, other people managed.

And by meeting that expectation I reinforced the external one. Well, she's got through it before. And carried on as normal.

And I realise for many of us that the need to return to that pre burnout normal is unavoidable . For employment purposes, for our family responsibility, for our lives that don't give and bend it accommodate in the ways they actually need to. But I think that there needs, therefore, to be the laying down of the of shame, through the acknowledgement and understanding that that's exactly why we end up in burnout. And that understanding of ourselves needs to be extended to those whose expectations we are continually trying to meet, for whatever reason, necessity or otherwise.

I'm also going to extend this concept beyond burnout. Meltdowns, shutdowns, overwhelm, panic attacks, mental breakdowns......that same logic applies. We aren't weak. We aren't failing. We are stuck in a cycle dictated to us by normative expectations that don't allow accommodation for our actual needs. And then comes the surprise that we end up right back where we started .

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

10/16/2025

You can't love someone but hate their autism. It's a part of who we are. Yes, you can dislike parts of our autism, like I'm sure there are parts of other people you don't like. However, the parts of us you do love? They're a part of our autism too!

If you removed our autism you would remove us. Everything you love and hate about us would be gone. We'd fundamentally be completely different people. So if you love an autistic person, their autism is part of what you love about them.

[Image description: A three panel comic of Honeydew, autism and all, being loved. The comic is titled "All Of Me" and is made by Theresa Scovil.

Panel 1:
Narration says "I'm not loved in spite of my autism."
Honeydew talks a lot, the words "Blah blah blah" repeated over and over again.
Ky looks at them all lovey-dovey, with little hearts over their head.
Panel 2:
Narration says "Autism is a part of me."
Honeydew stands alone, and smiles peacefully with a gold infinity symbol on their shirt.
Panel 3:
Narration says "And all of me is loved."
Ky leans in, looking at Honeydew all lovey-dovey, with little hearts over their head.
Honeydew looks to them and smiles.]

10/13/2025

Today we acknowledge Indigenous Peoples Day. We offer this website as a way to explore native lands and to learn which Indigenous peoples stewarded the land you live on and who are still here today.

Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

10/07/2025

Voting for Sixx Cool Moms of Montgomery County ™'s favorite local businesses is now officially open! Playful Therapy Connections would appreciate your support of votes in the category of Mental Health.

Each voter is able to cast their vote daily now until November 2nd. To cast your vote, please visit: https://www.sixxcoolmoms.com/vote

We appreciate your support!

10/02/2025

09/24/2025

The American Psychological Association is deeply concerned about the Administration’s recent announcement on autism.

Promoting unsupported scientific theories risks fueling stigma, undermines public trust and distracts from real scientific progress.