Elsy Estrada, LCSW-C

Child and Adolescent Clinician

Elsy Estrada, LCSW-C, is passionate about mental health and specializes in working with children and families. She enjoys supporting children, adolescents, and their parents as they experience stress related to school, activities, challenges at home, or periods of transition and loss. These daily stressors can lead to mood swings, changes in behavior, and difficulty expressing emotions and thoughts. Before joining Kentlands Psychotherapy, Elsy worked in an inpatient residential treatment setting with children and adolescents. While in residential treatment, she engaged with children and young adolescents experiencing psychiatric disorders, depression, substance abuse, and behavioral problems. She collaborated with parents and staff to provide crisis stabilization. Her interventions focused on issues of trust and individualization, facilitating self-esteem groups, and art and expressive therapies.

Navigating life requires your child to navigate social, emotional, or behavioral issues. Issues of peer conflict, social skills, trauma anxiety, ADHD, learning disabilities, or family transitions can loom large for kids. Sometimes, they may encounter loss, life adjustments, changes, and emotional challenges. 

As a parent, you may feel alone in your challenges or find that your child or adolescent feels this way. However, Elsy’s role as your child’s therapist is to support you on your parenting journey to help you better understand your child’s difficulties. She will collaborate with you and your child to help them cope with stress and learn new strategies to deal with life’s difficulties as you guide and support them emotionally and at home and school. Elsy uses a person-centered approach and evidence-based treatment to help you and your child feel heard and seen in the therapeutic space.

Elsy’s Therapeutic Approach

Most of all, Elsy is passionate about the healing potential of Animal-Assisted Therapy. In her work with her partner Winnie, Elsy uses Animal-Assisted Play Therapy to build connections and engage children.

Elsy’s approach to therapy is to connect and build rapport with your child.  Using creative Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), TF-CBT, mindfulness, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Elsy creates a safe and fun space for therapy. Elsy also uses an integrative approach in working with your child, using various child-centered and engaging therapeutic interventions. In doing so, she connects with your child. She develops a trusting relationship in a safe environment. This allows her clients to express themselves freely and creatively without the pressure of overly formal sessions.

Additionally, Elsy Estrada, LCSW-C, welcomes humor and fun into sessions by utilizing expressive therapies such as play, sand, and art to provide your child or adolescent with alternative forms of communication and expression for those times when talking may not be the easiest. Elsy also uses her bubbly personality to create an openness and warmth. By doing so, she engages clients with her knack for making people laugh and feel seen. She loves to add levity to what can otherwise be a heavy reality.

Navigating the different phases of life can be confusing for your child and you as a parent. You want to do your best to give them the resources to cope and thrive. She will collaborate with you and your child to achieve their emotional well-being. She will identify ways to help your child and your family work together toward the treatment goals.

View Elsy Estrada’s CV