From Playroom and Courtroom: What Play Therapists Need to Know When Working with Court-Involved Families (Virtual Attendance)

Dr. Balch is passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families navigate life's challenges and achieve emotional well-being. She has an appreciation for uniqueness in every individual and works to tailor the counseling process to the developmental needs of each client. Treatment modalities may include play therapy, activity therapy, expressive arts, and/or traditional talk therapy. Additionally, her approach is informed by interpersonal neurobiology, a concept in counseling that uses neuroscience to inform counseling practice. Dr. Balch highly values her relationships with clients, working to build a therapeutic environment where each client feels safe, accepted, valued, and understood.

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Balch has worked with a diverse range of clients, helping individuals of all ages, couples, and families find improved self-understanding and fulfillment. Some of her specializations include grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, high-conflict divorce, parent training, and relationship concerns. Additionally, Dr. Balch is neurodivergent-affirming and has extensive training and experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).



Although Dr. Balch enjoys working with all ages, she has specialized training and extensive experience working with children utilizing play therapy. ​She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling from the University of North Texas (UNT), where she specialized in play therapy and had the honor of being taught by some of the top leaders in the field. Dr. Balch has advanced training and certifications in play therapy, including child-centered play therapy and child-parent relationship therapy. She believes in the power of play as a therapeutic modality for children and has had the incredible honor of walking aside numerous children and families as they find hope and healing through this unique therapy modality.

In addition to providing direct counseling services, Dr. Balch conducts assessments for individuals of all ages. She is dedicated to helping individuals and families create a better understanding of themselves or a family member. This can often have a positive impact of self-awareness and self-esteem, accommodations at school or work to help improve success, and improve relationships and interactions with others and the world around them.

​Dr. Balch has received numerous accolades throughout her career. One of her proudest achievements was her dissertation study, which examined the effectiveness of play therapy with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This was the first study to be considered an evidence-based design to explore autism and play therapy, which significantly contributed to both the field of autism and play therapy. As a result of this study, Dr. Balch was awarded Best Practices by the American Counseling Association for contributing to the evidence-base for counseling.

​​Dr. Balch enjoys staying actively involved in training future counselors. She has been licensed supervisor for over 10 years and frequently supervises counselors working toward independent licensure as well as play therapists working towards earning the Registered Play Therapist credential. Dr. Balch also works as an Adjunct Professor for the counseling program at Southern Methodist University and frequently presents at local organizations as well as at state and national conferences.