https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/home daily 1.0 2025-05-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1632925448645-T7JL78Q47O5RWJFZJPKH/kelly-sikkema-4le7k9XVYjE-unsplash.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1632925552455-13GSKEA33XTDDY9LVULW/sharon-mccutcheon-Jv_oD5CuVfw-unsplash.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1632925770784-R52M8PO8D5NDHP8KQA52/count-chris-Luip9yglwqA-unsplash.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1632948965221-5AKLE7ZTPWGOUU0DTGBY/unsplash-image-5tp-5OLYufg.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1ef88fa8-ddef-4b13-a962-8bf6777a472d/IMG_1146.jpg Home https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/about-sarah daily 0.75 2026-02-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/43d42272-8835-4363-94e4-d991d765dc6b/IMG_1146.jpg About Sarah - About Sarah Sarah Small, LCSW is the owner and primary clinician at Heart In Heart Child Therapy, LLC. Sarah decided to open Heart In Heart Child Therapy after 17 years of working in community mental health and school-based mental health with children and adolescents in Northern NJ. A native of Western NY, Sarah recently moved back to the area with her family, bringing with her a passion for her work with children and families and a true love for play therapy. Sarah has trained extensively with Dr. Heidi Kaduson and other leaders in the play therapy field and has dedicated hundreds of hours to specialized training and supervision in providing play therapy to young children. Sarah is also a certified EMDR therapist and completed a certification in the STAR model for treating children with dissociative symptoms. Sarah is also a certified trainer in Robyn Gobbel’s Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors parent training program. Sarah delights in watching children and families play and grow together and truly values the relationships she builds with all those she serves. Sarah’s Credentials Sarah maintains LCSW licenses in both NJ and NY. Sarah is also a Certified School Social Worker in NJ. After earning her undergraduate degree in English from Syracuse University, Sarah taught 7th grade English in the Bronx through Teach For America, a non-profit organization dedicated to bettering educational access and outcomes for students in under-served communities. Through her teaching, Sarah was inspired to pursue social work, going on to earn her MSW from Rutgers-New Brunswick. Sarah has supervised and trained other therapists in clinical social work and has led large school-based social work teams in Newark and Camden, New Jersey. Sarah also brings with her years of experience leading multi-disciplinary Child Study Teams and enjoys collaborating with teachers and other service providers to help students with learning differences reach their highest potential. Sarah has extensive experience advocating for 504 and IEP services for students and is well versed in the Child Study Team process, IDEA and effective accommodations and modifications for children with learning disabilities. Sarah continues to grow her clinical skills through ongoing training and education and through membership in the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and the Theraplay® Institute. Sarah has completed Level One training in Theraplay®. Sarah is also a certified EMDR therapist through EMDRIA. To enhance her treatment to children with dissociative symptoms, Sarah also completed a year long intensive training in the STAR treatment model with Fran Waters, DCSW. Sarah also completed Yale’s Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (S.P.A.C.E.) program and is trained to provide the S.P.A.C.E. parenting intervention for families in need of support for children with anxiety and O.C.D. as well as ARFID. In addition, Sarah trained in Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and is able to provide tic management training to children and adults living with tics. Most recently, Sarah completed a year-long intensive training with Robyn Gobbel to become a certified parent trainer in the interpersonal biology model of treating children with vulnerable nervous systems. Sarah’s Approach to Therapy Sarah’s overarching theoretical approach is based in attachment theory. From both her experience as a therapist and as a mother, Sarah believes that when the child-parent dyad is strong enough, the child will thrive despite the obstacles they are facing. In sessions, Sarah’s approach is most often child-centered, following the lead of the child, allowing the child’s inner sense of self to guide the treatment approach. That said, there will be times when other theories and approaches fit the child’s current need. In those times, attachment-focused, cognitive behavioral, behavioral and/or psychodynamic approaches may be utilized in a direct manner to meet the need the child is currently exhibiting, applying theory and practice in a prescriptive, individualized way. Sarah is always looking for what the child and parent are in need of now and how she can best help the child and parent meet that need. While Sarah understands and values a child’s right to confidentiality, Sarah also strongly believes in the need for parents of young children to know what is being done in sessions. Sarah seeks to bring parents (and other key adults in the child’s life) in as partners in the therapeutic process in a way that honors both the child as well as the parent. https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/about-1 daily 0.75 2024-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1633010200357-XM56OLPRZPOA8DTDZCFK/bruno-nascimento-eo11MS0FSnk-unsplash.jpg About Heart in Heart Therapy - What We do: Heart In Heart Child Therapy LLC specializes in providing play-based psychotherapy to young children (approx. 3-12) and support for their caregiving adults. Heart In Heart Therapy offers a fully equipped play room in addition to spaces for sand tray, attachment work, movement and creative arts. A parent’s space is also available so that parents have a comfortable spot to wait for their children while they are in session as well as a place of their own to work with the therapist as the parent and therapist explore different ways to support the child. Heart In Heart is a trauma informed practice that also provides Theraplay informed services as well and EMDR services to work effectively with single incident as well as developmental trauma. What We Believe: All children (and parents) will do their best if they can. Challenging behavior in children can feel very personal. Dysregulation can overshadow the positive aspects of a child and sour the parent-child relationship. Heart In Heart Child Therapy believes that behavior is a function of skill, not will. Our philospophy is that “bad” behavior is a child signaling they have an unmet need. The purpose of therapy becomes about identifying needs, meeting needs and filling skills gaps so that positive change is possible. We firmly believe that there are no bad children and that all parents are doing their best with the resources available to them. There are no families that are without hope. Parents are partners. While children will often be the ones “in session” with the therapist, Heart In Heart Child Therapy believes in the power of the parent-child relationship above all else. Because that primary relationship is so powerful, the therapist's role is to partner with the parents, with the parent actively participating throughout the therapy process. At times parents may join in sessions. All of the time, parents will be asked to be active partners outside of session. While the child may be the “reason” for therapy, it is through work with the parent-child dyad that lasting change occurs. Diagnoses describe, but they don’t determine outcomes. When your child receives a diagnosis like ADHD, ODD or Anxiety, it can feel like a life sentence. Heart In Heart Child Therapy sees these diagnosis as a description of behavior rather than a definition of the person. We look past the diagnosis to see the person and the strengths and special abilities within. https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/what-is-play-therapy daily 0.75 2021-12-01 https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/fees-insurance-and-scheduling daily 0.75 2025-11-24 https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/does-my-child-need-therapy daily 0.75 2021-11-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1633011978762-CHURKUCK0V34I52Y7IHU/kelly-sikkema-E8H76nY1v6Q-unsplash.jpg Does my child need therapy? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1633010808325-3ZO2493S3CHM0JSH8S3M/ben-wicks-iDCtsz-INHI-unsplash.jpg Does my child need therapy? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61546e570b7fe5713a4e3e30/1633010841027-OKM6Z7XHKJFJHKK33KZ3/ronak-valobobhai-4qHWTuP_RLw-unsplash.jpg Does my child need therapy? https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/contact-sarah daily 0.75 2024-03-04 https://www.heartinheartchildtherapy.com/good-faith-estimates daily 0.75 2022-01-19