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Hello, I'm Maureen.

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I’m a licensed psychotherapist with over 15 years’ experience supporting young children, their parents, and pregnant and postpartum women. I specialize in the journey to and through parenthood, providing therapy to preconception and postpartum women, to young children with their parents, or to children and parents individually. 

I do that in the comfort of your own home, where children are typically most comfortable, and where therapy is often most successful.  I also offer walk & talk therapy and Telehealth for maternal mental health services. The combination of fresh air and new perspective is often the perfect catalyst for uncovering insight and igniting change.  

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My treatment approach is customized to your specific needs, and may utilize elements of various therapeutic modalities including: Infant Mental Health, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Parent Child Interaction Therapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Family Training, and Trauma-Focused CBT.  My approach is holistic, allowing us to look at your or your child’s challenges from all angles, so that together, we can discover the best path forward.

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Utilizing play and/or talk therapy, I offer you new tools to understand your emotions, your child's behavior, or both. I see the profound potential in every infant and child, and the extraordinary opportunities for healing inherent in the transition to motherhood.  You deserve to be happy and fulfilled. Your child deserves to discover their strength and potential. Through incorporating the unique needs of each family into play and talk therapy, we are able to get to the root of the problem, creating lasting growth and healing.

 

I’m also a breast cancer survivor, a daily meditator, a musician, and a published writer. But above all else, I’m a mommy.  And my children, one of whom has Autism, have been my greatest teachers.   

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Maureen Linnell, LMSW, IMH-E®-III

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How is Root to Rise Therapy Different?

Parenthood is hard - especially when the child you have is struggling; or the life you imagined has not come to fruition. 

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Choosing a therapist can be a stressful process. As a parent, you want to find the best possible clinician, especially when it comes to your child’s emotional wellbeing.  You want an expert.
This is Root to Rise. I tailor each individual’s treatment to their specific challenges, and customize therapy according to client input and supporting evidence.  When an adult calls Root to Rise for therapy to treat opioid addiction or for geriatric counseling, they are referred elsewhere. Root to Rise is a specialty practice - offering only early childhood and parental therapy. This means that you are getting an expert in this field - someone who has dedicated her career to young children’s mental health, and the parents who are rising to the challenge.  

THE OFFICIAL STUFF

I’ve worked with mothers and children with emotional or behavioral challenges for over 15 years.  I have a LMSW, as well as a clinical certification (LCSW), and an advanced Infant Mental Health Endorsement (IMH-E®-III). I achieved nearly perfect scores on both my LMSW and IMH professional board exams, and constantly strive to further my expertise in maternal and early childhood mental health through professional training and continuing education courses. I frequently use various developmental & behavioral assessments including the DECA, Piccolo, ASQ, ASQ-SE, PIRGAS, PECFAS, CAFAS, PAI, CAI, GARS-3, MCHAT, and more. Additionally, I offer parent-child group facilitation, reflective supervision, case consultation, and student supervision.

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My treatment approach is rooted in Attachment Theory and Trauma Theory, as well as Relational Psychotherapy, Positive Psychology, & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  I am committed to following the latest research in maternal and infant/early childhood neurodevelopment in the context of primary caregiving relationships, and how to incorporate this understanding of the developing brain into dyadic (relationship-based) therapy for young children and their parents.  My therapeutic work has revealed the powerful bonds created by the birth of a child into a family, the pain of loss, the intensity of joy and sorrow in the childbearing year, and the pride in watching children rise above their challenges. I also have extensive training and experience working with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, teen mothers, and parents adjusting to their or their child’s chronic illness or disability.
 

Formal Education and Training: 

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  • BA in Sociology of Music from Hiram College

    • Minor in Creative Writing

  • MSW (Master of Clinical Social Work) from Wayne State University

    • Specialization in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    • Specialization in Infant Mental Health

  • Professional Clinical Board Exam:  Licensed with the State of Michigan as a LMSW, LCSW (Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker)

  • Professional Infant Mental Health Board Exam:  Licensed with the Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health as an Advanced Infant Mental Health Specialist.​

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  • Post Graduate formal training in the following evidence-based models:

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    • Trauma-Focused CBT

    • Motivational Interviewing (MI)

    • Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

    • Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)

    • Infant Mental Health Therapy

    • Play Therapy​​

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  • Recent professional trainings attended:

    • ​Psychotherapy with Infants and their Families

    • Practice in Partnership with the Diversity-Informed Infant Mental Health Tenets

    • Mindfulness: Full Spectrum Consciousness

    • Using a Trauma Informed Approach in Early Care and Education Setting

    • Collaborative Evaluation: Providers, Consumers, & Evaluators Working Together to Build an Evidence Base in IMH Practice

    • Translating Culturally Valid Research into Evidence-Based Community Intervention

    • A Secure Base: A Deeper Look at Attachment and Parent-Infant Relationships

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  • Professional Membership

    • The National Association of Social Workers

    • The Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health II

    • Postpartum Support International (PSI)

    • World Association for Infant Mental Health

I look forward to meeting you. 
To schedule an initial appointment, please complete the form here, and if using insurance, verify your coverage.  If openings are currently available for new clients, I will be in touch within 2 business days to schedule an initial consultation.

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