In this episode of the Therapist Thrival Guide, licensed clinical social worker Miranda Barker sits down with Kaleigh Boysen-Quinata, LMFT, and Stephanie McDonald, LPC, to explore the unique challenges and rewards of working with children under five in therapy.

Together, they cover everything from early childhood diagnoses and play-based modalities like Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Play Therapy, to the essential role of parents in the therapeutic process. The conversation also touches on practical strategies for engaging resistant kids, navigating foster care and separated parents, and handling the unique challenges of telehealth with very young children.

Unfortunately, this will be one of our last episodes. Thank you for all of the support and listening-- we couldn't have made it this far without you!

OUR GUESTS:

Kaleigh Boysen-Quinata (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder/director of Family Roots Therapy in Portland, OR. Kaleigh’s mission is to provide high quality, specialized mental health care to children and families. Before founding Family Roots Therapy, Kaleigh worked in community based mental health programs, a school-based program, and in crisis response and intensive services for children and teens.

Kaleigh has received specialized training in Child-Parent Psychotherapy. She has also received additional advanced training in perinatal mental health and solution-focused therapy. Her passion is helping parents understand their young children’s challenging behaviors and teaching them new tools and skills to connect with their children. She has spoken at conferences and other events on topics such as leadership, family therapy, engaging parents in treatment, and Positive Discipline.

Stephanie MacDonald (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and the Clinical Director at Family Roots Therapy in Portland, OR. She is a Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist, working with Autistic youth, as well as Autistic adults, including late-realized or questioning. She practices Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) with new parents and their young children and Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) with preschool and elementary aged children and provides parent coaching to their grown-ups. In addition, she integrates theories such as Interpersonal Neurobiology, Synergetic Play Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, and attachment science, and utilizes a feminist and social justice-focused lens. She also specializes in couples/relationship counseling, perinatal counseling, and working with adults who have parents with personality disorders. Her practice is neurodivergent-affirming and queer-affirming, and she is excited about working with folx from those communities.

Listen to their podcast, the Family Roots podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/family-roots-podcast/id1830360793

OUR HOST:

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for several years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, case manager, and the Director of Brand Content at Ellie Mental Health. Follow her on⁠ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miranda-barker-msw-licsw/

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ellie Mental Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.⁠⁠

Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and has expanded to an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bipolar disorder can be one of the most challenging diagnoses for clinicians to understand and treat—so in this episode of the Therapist Thrival Guide, we are sitting down with Rachel Snipes, LPC, who specializes in trauma and clinical supervision, to break it all down.

We talk through the key differences between Bipolar I and Bipolar II, how to spot symptoms, and why it’s often misunderstood or misdiagnosed. We also cover the most effective treatment approaches—like medication management, therapy, patient education, and building healthy routines.Whether you’re a new clinician or a seasoned therapist, this conversation is packed with practical insights to help you feel more confident when working with clients navigating bipolar disorder.

Unfortunately, this will be one of our last episodes. Thank you for all of the support and listening-- we couldn't have made it this far without you!

OUR HOST:

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for several years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, case manager, and the Director of Brand Content at Ellie Mental Health. Follow her on⁠ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miranda-barker-msw-licsw/

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ellie Mental Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you!

This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.⁠⁠

Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and has expanded to an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Introduction

00:37 – What is bipolar disorder?

01:17 – Symptoms and misconceptions

02:54 – Types of bipolar disorder (I vs II)

04:48 – How diagnosis is made

06:59 – Common challenges in diagnosis

09:03 – Understanding mania

18:21 – Why accurate diagnosis matters

22:28 – Treatment approaches that work

24:41 – Managing manic episodes

25:18 – Hospitalization considerations

26:04 – Medication & therapy options

29:10 – Routines and therapeutic strategies

32:04 – Challenges in treatment

35:23 – Compassionate diagnosis conversations

41:30 – Final thoughts & encouragement

In this episode, Miranda Barker, LICSW, sits down with Jessie Colter, LICSW, to explore the essential role of parent coaching in child therapy. Together, they break down therapeutic approaches, highlight why parent involvement matters, and share strategies for navigating real-world family dynamics.From trauma-informed modalities to practical case examples, this conversation is packed with insights for therapists at every stage of their career. Jessie offers her expertise on engaging parents effectively, balancing boundaries, and building stronger therapeutic outcomes for children and teens.Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned professional, this episode will leave you with practical tools and encouragement for working with parents in therapy.OUR GUEST:Find Jessie here: https://hiddenpinesmentalhealth.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMkFlBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFxSHJodTZVMkhMbVlsTmhCAR6YwVbUosPvk0yG2FZv2CLoVjqab359_oom8vIAx8d8s_vu6Km8HNfiY4Fb6g_aem_Squh-jAkEo-LPZ1REAzdYAOUR HOST:Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for several years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, case manager, and the Director of Brand Content at Ellie Mental Health. Follow her on⁠ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miranda-barker-msw-licsw/The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ellie Mental Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.⁠⁠Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and has expanded to an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Timestamps00:00 Introduction & Meet the Hosts00:29 Exploring Therapeutic Modalities03:09 Parent Involvement in Child Therapy05:37 Challenges & Strategies in Parent Engagement11:44 Case Studies & Real-Life Examples19:08 Working with Adolescents & Teens20:54 Managing Overly Involved Parents21:51 Parent Coaching vs. Parent Check-Ins25:27 Billing for Parent Sessions29:26 Involving Both Parents in Therapy31:49 Advice for New Therapists Working with Parents34:09 Handling Rambunctious Kids in Sessions36:59 Final Thoughts & Encouragement