I am located in the Carriage Hill Office Building in Holladay, Utah at 2290 E 4500 S. My office is located in Suite 180 on the bottom floor. If you are unable to get into the building because it is locked and you have an appointment, please message me.

I believe in-person sessions are most effective, especially for play therapy. However, I am able to accommodate telehealth session requests easily.

For Adults: The intake session will focus on understanding your background and life experiences. We will explore your foundational upbringing and discuss the key events and challenges that have shaped your journey. This is an opportunity for you to share your personal history in a safe and supportive environment, allowing us to establish a comprehensive understanding of your unique needs.

For Children: The initial intake session for parents or guardians is focused on gathering important information regarding your child’s history and current concerns. This time allows you to share insights about your child’s behavior and experiences openly, without concerns about needing to censor any details.

For the child’s first session, the focus will be on building rapport and establishing a trusting relationship between the therapist and child. We will also introduce the therapy room and provide an orientation to play therapy, helping the child feel comfortable and engaged in the process.

The duration of therapy at Playful Minds depends on various factors, including the specific needs and goals of the individual. For children, therapy length can vary based on their developmental stage and the nature of the issues being addressed. Typically, therapy might last from a few months to a year or more, with regular assessments to monitor progress. Our therapists work collaboratively with you to develop a personalized treatment plan and set realistic goals. During the initial consultation, we will discuss a potential timeline and provide a more tailored estimate based on the individual's unique situation.

For those looking for a ballpark, it typically varies between 6 months to over a year. There are also people who prefer to continually and consistently engage in therapy, regardless of what may be happening in their lives. I am also happy to support you in this as well.

Play therapy is a therapeutic approach primarily targeted at children to help them express their emotions, improve communication, and resolve psychosocial challenges through play. At Playful Minds, I utilize play therapy to create a safe and nurturing environment where children can freely explore their thoughts and feelings. Through training, I use various play techniques, including role-playing, storytelling, and expressive arts, to guide children toward healing and personal growth. Play therapy is effective in addressing a range of issues such as anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and trauma. By engaging in play, children at Playful Minds can develop coping mechanisms, build self-esteem, and enhance their social skills in a supportive and understanding setting.

Sand Tray Therapy (or Sand Play Therapy) is a powerful and therapeutic approach often used in play therapy to help individuals express themselves, explore emotions, and work through challenges in a non-verbal, hands-on way.

In this type of therapy, clients—typically children but also adults—are given a tray filled with sand and a variety of miniature figures, objects, and toys. These objects might represent people, animals, nature, or abstract concepts, and clients are encouraged to create scenes, stories, or scenarios within the sand.

Here’s how it works:

1. Creative Expression: The sand and objects provide a medium for the client to externalize and symbolize their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. For children, this can be especially helpful because it allows them to express complex emotions or situations they may not have the words for.

2. Safe Exploration: The process of creating a scene in the sand can serve as a safe space for clients to explore difficult topics, such as trauma, conflict, or interpersonal issues, without the pressure of direct verbal communication. It’s also a way for the therapist to understand the client's inner world, conflicts, and thought processes.

3. Non-Verbal Communication: For children, in particular, sand tray therapy provides an alternative to traditional talk therapy. Many children find it easier to communicate and process feelings through play rather than through conversation.

4. Therapeutic Insight: The therapist observes the scenes or narratives created in the sand tray to gain insight into the client's emotional state, worldview, and unresolved issues. They can then use this information to guide the therapeutic process, gently exploring themes and offering support.

5. Empowerment: Sand tray therapy allows clients to have control over their creation in a way that can feel empowering, helping them feel more capable and resilient as they confront and navigate their emotional landscapes.

While sand tray therapy is most commonly used with children, it can also be a highly effective tool for adults, particularly in trauma recovery, stress management, or when exploring deeper emotional issues.

The initial intake session is charged at $225 and then sessions thereafter are a $160 investment in your child or yourself. This can be paid via credit card, HSA card, or Care Credit card. If you have insurance, you can see if you have benefits that cover out-of-network providers, which may enable you to be reimbursed with a Superbill.

I do not currently accept insurance.

I currently accept select insurance plans through the third-party billing company, Headway. However, I am in the process of independently credentialing with insurance companies to offer services directly, which will eliminate the need for a middleman. As a result, the list of insurance plans I accept may change in the future.

However, there are benefits of not utilizing therapy.

It allows me to:

-maintain your privacy and confidentiality. Insurance companies frequently audit files and deny claims and services as they deem fit. By not using insurance, you get full control over who gets access to your records.

-not be required to diagnose. In order to have insurance reimburse for services, there needs to be a qualifying medical diagnosis. Many clients seek out therapy for self-growth and normal life stressors, which do not meet requirements for a mental health diagnosis. Some people also choose not to have a diagnosis on file, because they do not want it impacting things like life insurance or job opportunities. This is your right and something you get to decide by not using insurance.

- work with you on deciding how often and when to meet. Insurance companies like to decide how long sessions are, how frequently they are, and even how long treatment should be. This does not work in real life and is not tailored to your specific needs. You and I can decide on length and frequency of sessions.

A superbill is a detailed receipt that you can request after you receive mental health services if your insurance is not accepted. It contains essential information such as the date of service, type of therapy provided, diagnosis code, procedure code, and the fee for each service rendered. You can submit this superbill to your insurance company to request reimbursement for the out-of-pocket expenses you have incurred. Although Playful Minds PLLC may not bill your insurance company directly, a superbill equips you with the necessary documentation to potentially recover a portion or all of your therapy expenses from your insurer. This process empowers you to access high-quality mental health support while leveraging your insurance benefits.

This is an accessibility statement from Playful Minds PLLC.

Conformance status The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Playful Minds PLLC is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.

Feedback We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Playful Minds PLLC. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on Playful Minds PLLC:

• E-mail: kristenthomascmhc@gmail.com

We try to respond to feedback within 2 business days.

This statement was created on 10 February 2025 using the W3C Accessibility Statement Generator Tool.