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Susan M. Carter, the founder of Center for Change & Growth, PLC in 1994, is the Clinical Director and Supervisor. She is a Licensed (Counseling) Psychologist, having obtained a Ph.D. in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (with an additional emphasis in Family Therapy) from Andrews University, is certified as a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and a National Certified Trauma Consultant. She has certification in EMDR and Thought Field Therapy, and extensive post-graduate training in play therapy. Further she spent several years as Clinical Consultant to schools in the area of special education, identifying learning disabilities and autistic disorders interfering with education and social adjustment. She has specialized training in trauma resolution, attachment disorders (post-adoption, chronic illness-related, related to neglect), and anxiety and depression in childhood and adolescence. Positive Parenting Solutions is a popular parenting training that Dr. Carter offers for parents of children with behavior disturbances. Dr. Carter is passionate about play therapy and kids, using play therapy in many modalities to resolve problems of childhood and family-related issues. Dr. Carter works with children from infancy through adolescence, and their families. Adults benefit from her playfulness from time to time, as well. Dr. Carter is currently the Immediate Past President of the Michigan Association for Play Therapy, a graduate of the Play Therapy Leadership Academy and is serving a second term as a Director for the Association for Play Therapy Board of Directors. Dr. Carter is fluent in Spanish and recently spent time in Mexico training therapists there in play therapy.
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Margo Runke. MA TLLP JD
Adolescent, Family and Marital Therapist
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Dr. Watson, Canine
Play Therapy Assistant
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Laura Pacheco
del Castillo, MA
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Margo Runkle completed her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology at Western MichiganUniversity in 2009 and joined CCG to work with families, adolescents, individuals and couples. Her style of counseling reflects a belief that each individual is unique, and that the most effective treatment is one that initially meets you where you are, and then works collaboratively towards your goals in a manner that is a combination of her skills and knowledge and your learning style.
Margo’s background also includes working as a collaborative family attorney and mediator. She has worked with families and couples to resolve differences in custody disputes, divorce matters, parenting time, and guardianship matters, as well as general legal matters. In her legal practice, Margo brings a humanistic approach to resolving family law issues in a way that helps the parties produce fair and just settlements that will meet their individual needs.
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Center for Change & Growth , PLC is a Play Therapy Center, and our work with children in the modality of play is assisted by ‘Dr. Watson’ CGC, our Canine Play Therapy Assistant. Play Therapy was initially developed around 1900, and those early play therapy pioneeers understood the emotional connection and healing, so unconditional, that flows from the love of a dog. Today Play Therapy has many treatment methods and theories, all incorporating play as the principal language through which children communicate their problems. Play Therapy with Dr. Watson doesn't differ from regular play therapy except that he assists in helping children address and resolve their own problems, building on the natural way children and dogs understand each other, and through this relationship, children learn about themselves and their world, using the therapeutic power of play.
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