Background
Dr. Heather Hruskoci completed her doctoral degree in School Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prior to working in a private practice setting, she worked in a community health center following her internship at Family Service and Guidance Center. During her internship training, she received extensive training and experience, and developed particular interest in the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. She also received training in the treatment other behavioral, social, and emotional concerns using cognitive, behavioral, and play therapy approaches.
Therapeutic Approach
Dr. Hruskoci has a warm, genuine, playful, kind, and inviting style. She wants to create a therapeutic environment that feels safe and comfortable, to help support a client’s ability to heal. While she primarily utilizes a cognitive-behavioral approach to treatment, she is eclectic in that she integrates other therapeutic modalities into her practice to support the individual needs and goals of clients if one approach alone is not working. She also believes in the power of play, especially when working with young children. Dr. Hruskoci integrates play therapy approaches into her work to help children freely express their thoughts and feelings, as well as to discover and practice healthy solutions to address problems. Regardless of approach, Dr. Hruskoci wants therapy to be a collaborative experience, and seeks both client and family feedback to help inform treatment decisions and directions.
Services Offered
Therapy: Dr. Hruskoci provides both individual and family therapy services, for children and adolescents presenting with a variety of behavioral, social, emotional, developmental, and academic-related issues. She specializes in the treatment of internalizing and externalizing concerns, including anxiety, depression, oppositional and disruptive behavior disorders, developmental concerns (i.e., attachment, parenting, sleep hygiene, toileting, feeding, developmental delays), bullying and school-related issues, stress management, and complex trauma.
Dr. Hruskoci also provides Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) services to address trauma- and attachment-related concerns among young children and their families using play- and trauma-based interventions. CPP is an intervention model for children aged 0-5 who have experienced at least one traumatic event, and are experiencing mental health, attachment, or behavioral concerns. Sessions are dyadic, in that they include the child and primary caregiver.
Assessment: Dr. Hruskoci is able conduct comprehensive psychological assessments to more accurately diagnose presenting concerns and inform treatment through data-based decision making.