Farah is a licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Maryland and a Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW) in DC with experience working with children, adolescents, emerging adults, and families in multiple settings. As a child advocate and supporter of early intervention, she is passionate about the power of therapeutic play. Farah integrates an empathic, attuned approach with evidence-based, relationship-focused play therapy engagement that fosters the use of all five senses.
Farah fosters healing and growth in clients with various challenges, including anxiety, neurodiversity, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, mood/self-esteem, OCD, PANDAS, social skills deficits, interpersonal conflict, trauma, attachment trauma, separation, and divorce. She supports clients existing strengths and resilience with deep respect for clients’ cultures and identities. Farah utilizes creative methods in her work with children and teens, including art, movement, and music.
Treatment Approach
Farah’s therapy approach cultivates a warm, accepting space for her clients as she empowers them to cope with life’s challenges. She uses an integrative approach that co-mingles family systems, strengths-based, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral interventions. She supports clients in developing connectedness with others and positive attitudes about themselves. She helps clients develop self-awareness, self-compassion, and new, more functional coping skills. In her work with children, she uses child-centered, play-based and sensorimotor approaches and works collaboratively with parents so they can support each other and help families thrive. She is working towards certification as a Theraplay® practitioner and uses techniques from Theraplay and Filial Play Therapy to enhance child-parent connections.
Education
Farah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and her master’s degree in clinical social work and behavioral health at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Farah holds certifications in Family Therapy through Jonah Green and Associates, LLC, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), Advanced Child-Centered Play Therapy Certification through NIRE, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: From Diagnosis to Treatment Certification, enabling her to engage in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). She has completed Module 1 in Theraplay® Theory and Concepts through the Theraplay Institute and Clinical Fundamentals of Autism: Screening and Affirming Play Therapy Treatment for Autistic Youth through Chesapeake Beach Professional Seminars.
Farah is pursuing Registered Play Therapist RPT™ credentialing through the Association for Play Therapy (APT).
Contact Information
Telephone: 301-660-8580
Email: farah@jgatherapy.com
Address: 3930 Knowles Avenue, Suite 200, Kensington, MD 20895