Creative Interventions For Our Unique Clients, By Our Unique Therapists
Creativity & Individualization: The Keys to Engagement in Therapy Services for Children & Adolescents
“As a psychotherapist with a passion for creativity, I believe that innovative therapeutic techniques are key to unlocking each client’s potential.
From designing scavenger hunts that integrate bilateral stimulation to incorporating art and play therapy, I create experiences that are both healing and empowering so that each activity is collaborative with appropriate stimulation and empirical backing to treatment and diagnostic consideration.
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My goal is to help clients of all ages find new ways to express themselves, manage their emotions, and build resilience through creative expression and exploration."
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” — Eric Riesterer, LPC, Founder of CVMHW
Therapeutic
Interventions
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At Cuyahoga Valley Mindful Health & Wellness, we specialize in innovative therapeutic activities tailored for children and adolescents aged 4 to 18, particularly those with Autism and PTSD.
Our Nature-Based Scavenger Hunt is a unique and engaging intervention that combines creativity, nature, and evidence-based techniques to support emotional regulation, brain integration, and mindfulness.
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Activity Overview
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Setting: The Cuyahoga Valley National Parks
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Objective: Children search for pairs of natural objects with contrasting textures (e.g., a smooth stone and a rough stone).
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Therapeutic Tools: Alternated Audio & Tactile-Sensory Bilateral Stimulation via a Headset to engage both brain hemispheres, enhancing emotional processing and assisting developmental pathways in normalizing different forms of self-soothing/bilateral stimulation formats.
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Grounding Exercise: A 5/4/3/2 sensory focus technique (naming 5 things they see, 4 they notice about touching the object, 3 they hear, and 2 they smell) to help them stay present and calm.
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How It Works
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Scavenger Hunt: Children explore the park, finding specific pairs of objects while alternating hands to touch different textures (e.g., "Find something smooth with your left hand, then something rough with your right").
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Grounding Exercise: After each pair is found, they bring the paired objects to the "goal area" for a grounding exercise with a therapist, reinforcing sensory processing and mindfulness while alternating forms of self-soothing and emotional regulation through long therapy sessions.
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Observation: Therapists guide and observe the child’s responses, noting how the activity supports emotional regulation and stress management, differences in behavioral/affectual changes through differing therapeutic tool utilization phases of the exercise.
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Why This Activity Benefits Children with Autism and PTSD
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Brain Integration: Alternating tactile and audio bilateral stimulation engages both hemispheres of the brain, supporting emotional regulation—a concept rooted in polyvagal theory and neurobiological approaches to trauma and autism.
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Age-Appropriate Fun: The game-like scavenger hunt fosters independence and competence while distracting from stressors, aligning with developmental goals under Erikson's stages.
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Mindfulness in Nature: Grounding exercises teach neuroregulation in a calming, natural setting, helping children stay present and manage emotions effectively.
What to Expect
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Children may experience excitement or frustration during the hunt, which is typical for their age. Our grounding exercises are designed to help them manage these emotions in real-time, with therapists providing guidance every step of the way. This activity offers valuable insights into how these techniques influence your child’s emotional regulation and stress responses, shaping future support strategies.
Why Choose This Intervention?
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Our Nature-Based Scavenger Hunt is more than just a fun activity—it’s a carefully designed therapeutic tool that blends creativity, nature, and evidence-based practices. It’s an opportunity for your child to learn, grow, and heal in a way that’s both enjoyable and effective.
Creative Interventions: Nature-Based Scavenger Hunt (4-18)
MindHouse Mindfulness Visualization: Advanced Meditation For Children & Adolescents (7+)
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At Cuyahoga Valley Mindful Health & Wellness, we offer the MindHouse Mindfulness Visualization, a therapeutic technique designed to help children and adolescents (7+) build emotional resilience and mindfulness through guided imagery.
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Activity Overview
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Setting: A comfortable, quiet space
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Objective: Children visualize and explore their ideal "MindHouse," a safe and calming place, using all their senses.
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Therapeutic Tools: Guided imagery and sensory focus to enhance mindfulness and emotional regulation. Bilateral Stimulation to assist in grounding patient in here/now into their MindHouse throughout the meditation.
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How It Works
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Preparation: The child finds a comfortable position and closes their eyes.
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Breathing Focus: They concentrate on their breathing to center themselves with the assistance of a therapist.
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Visualization: They picture their favorite place for their MindHouse (e.g., beach, cabin, woods).
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Exploration: With the therapist’s guidance, they explore the MindHouse, noticing details like colors, sounds, textures, and smells.
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Sensory Engagement: They describe what they see, hear, smell, and feel as they move through each room of their MindHouse.
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Intervention Steps: ​​
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Get Comfortable
Sit or lie down in a cozy chair, sofa, or bed. Play soft bilateral audio (alternating tones) through headphones at a low volume to ground yourself/your child.​ -
Focus on Breathing
Close your eyes. Notice each inhale and exhale. Align your breath with the audio tones if it feels natural. -
Picture Your MindHouse
Imagine your favorite place (beach, cabin, woods, etc.) for your MindHouse. -
See the Steps
Picture the steps to your MindHouse. Note their color and shape with each tone. Observe the walls and roof. -
Hear the Sounds
As you approach, listen for sounds (waves, birds, etc.). Let the tones blend with them. -
Enter the MindHouse
Open the door. Notice the first thing you see, hear, or feel with the next tone. -
Explore the Main Entrance
Inside, focus on what you see, hear, smell, and feel in your body. Use tones to shift between senses as you enter your Mindhouse. -
Guide Through Rooms
Move through each room (hallways, kitchen, bedrooms, etc.). With each tone alternating, focus on a different experience to what you see, hear, smell, and feel as you guide your therapist through your MindHouse.
Why This Activity Benefits Children with Autism and PTSD
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Mindfulness Development: Helps children stay present and manage anxiety by focusing on sensory experiences.
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Safe Space Creation: Allows children to build an empowering mental retreat they can access during stressful times.
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Emotional Regulation: Encourages self-awareness and emotional processing through guided imagery.
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Communication Enhancement: Provides a structured way for children to express themselves verbally through any sensory difficulties.
What to Expect
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Children often find this exercise relaxing and empowering, as it taps into their creativity and imagination. Therapists will guide them through the process, ensuring they feel safe and supported throughout.
Why Choose This Intervention?
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The MindHouse Visualization is a flexible tool that can be tailored to each child’s needs and preferences. It’s an excellent complement to other creative interventions, offering an versatile, visualization-based approach to mindfulness and emotional regulation.
The Council of the Forest (9-15):​
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At Cuyahoga Valley Mindful Health & Wellness, we offer The Council of the Forest, a therapeutic role-playing exercise designed to help children and adolescents (9-15) develop cooperation, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience. This engaging activity uses imaginative play to explore power dynamics and teamwork in a safe, structured environment.​
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Activity Overview
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Setting: A comfortable, quiet space for imaginative play.
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Objective: The client joins a pretend “Council of the Forest,” taking on a role with limited power, and collaborates with others to solve a forest-related problem.
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Therapeutic Tools: Role-playing and cognitive-behavioral reflection to explore power dynamics and emotional responses.
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How It Works
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Preparation: The client, therapist, and optionally, parents or others, choose roles like a tree, animal, or river.
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Role Assignment: The client takes a role with limited power slightly higher than the rest of the council (e.g., the “Wise Old Tree,” who advises but doesn’t decide). Participants (Client, therapist, parent) may hold multiple roles, but the "Wise Old Tree" is always the client.
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Problem-Solving: The council addresses a challenge, such as a drought, requiring teamwork.
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Exploration: The therapist observes how the client reacts to limited control, opposition, and collaboration.
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Challenges:
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Scenarios test the client’s behavior, including:
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Resource Scarcity Dilemma: Negotiating limited resources.
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Strong Opposition: Facing disagreement from others.
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Reduced Influence Role: Coping with less power.
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Crisis Decision-Making: Responding to urgent situations.
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Contradictory Plan: Handling opposing ideas.
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Forest-Wide Decision: Considering the greater good.
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Indecisive Council Member: Managing delays.
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Authority Challenge: Reacting to questioned decisions.
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Compromise Requirement: Finding middle ground.
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External Threat Collaboration: Uniting against a threat.
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The therapist tailors roles and challenges to the client’s therapeutic goals for a personalized experience to enhance in-vivo communication and problem-solving vs collaboration authenticity and processing in here/now.
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Part 2: Cognitive-Behavioral Reflection: “Power Balance Scale”​
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Step 1: Grounding in the Present:
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Activity: After the role-play, invite the child to sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths. Ask them to notice their current feelings and bodily sensations.
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Example Prompt: “Right now, how do you feel in your body after being part of the forest council? Do you feel tense, relaxed, or something else?”
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Purpose: Anchors the child in the here-and-now, connecting their immediate emotional and physical state to the activity.
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Step 2: Mirroring Recent Real-Life Stressors
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Activity: Guide the child to reflect on recent situations (e.g., from the last few weeks) where they felt a similar sense of control or lack thereof, paralleling the forest council challenges.
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Example Prompt: “In the council, you worked together to solve the drought problem, even when it was tough. Has anything happened lately—like at school or home—where you felt you didn’t have much control or had to depend on others?”
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Purpose: Links the fictional scenario to the child’s lived experiences, making the reflection relevant and personal.
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Step 3: Exploring the Power Balance Scale
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Activity: Introduce the Power Balance Scale (drawn on paper or imagined), with “too much control” on one end and “too little control” on the other. Ask the child to place themselves on the scale based on their council role.
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Example Prompt: “During the council, where do you think you were on this scale? Did you feel like you had too much control, too little, or somewhere in between?”
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Purpose: Provides a concrete tool to explore their sense of control, making abstract ideas accessible.
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Step 4: Connecting to Lifelong Trauma (PTSD Processing)
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Activity: For children with trauma histories, gently explore how the council experience might echo past feelings of powerlessness or feeling overwhelmed in or after crisis situations.
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Example Prompt: “Sometimes, tough things from the past can make us feel like we have too little control, even today. Did anything in the council remind you of times when you felt that way before?”
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Purpose: Uses the forest narrative as a safe metaphor to process trauma-related emotions indirectly.
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Why This Activity Benefits Children with Autism and PTSD
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Cooperation and Teamwork: Builds social skills and perspective-taking, aiding children with autism.
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Emotional Regulation: Helps process control-related emotions, key for those with PTSD.
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Safe Exploration: Offers a controlled setting to navigate power dynamics.
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Nature Therapy Integrations: Offers opportunities for en-vivo grounding and here/now exploration between client and therapist to assist in deescalation and connection to here/now throughout/after exercise.
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Self-Reflection: Enhances behavioral awareness and growth.
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What to Expect
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Clients often find this exercise fun and revealing, exploring their reactions in a playful, supportive setting guided by a therapist. Therapists should be ready for trauma processing associated with this activity.
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Why Choose This Intervention?
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The Council of the Forest is adaptable to each client’s needs, complementing other therapies with a unique, role-playing approach to address power, control, and cooperation vs problem-solving.
