Hello, I am...
Dr. Charles E. Galyon, PhD, HSP
It has been many years since I updated my description (and I'm probably much more grey now)! These days I specialize in providing therapy for neurodiverse populations. As a neurodiverse individual myself, I find I can often relate to many of the experiences my patients have. That said, I am just one individual and each person has their own experiences with the world they live in. I strive to help my patients learn how to direct their lives and connect with their experience in the way that is most fulfilling to them.
When I'm working with children and teens, this often means working with parents in addition to working with the individual. Parents typically long to help their child, but may feel at a loss for how. I greatly enjoy the opportunity to teach parents how to respond to and support their child's exploration of life!
I used to provide a lot of diagnostic assessments and still do sometimes, but that has become less frequent as I am often busy providing direct therapy services and training other professionals. I have extensive training in assessment of childhood disorders and behavioral intervention. I also have additional training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), SPACE (for child anxiety), and treatment for Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ERP), and Tourette's/Tic Disorders (CBIT).
Services I Offer:
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Typically we learn to identify how we differ from other people and after encountering challenges arising from those differences, we begin to think our differences are a problem to be solved. One part of my work is helping individuals see their differences as simply differences, much like we have different colors of hair or eyes. If we learn to accept ourselves as we are, then we can more easily move on to finding the ways of directing and engaging with our lives in the ways that are meaningful to us.
Comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT)
This therapy is designed specifically for Tourette's Syndrome and Tic Disorders. Tourette's and Tic Disorders are far more common than people usually think (about 3% of the population) and can produce a significant burden on the individual with tics. Tourette's actually comes along with a host of other personal challenges that are invisible to other people. CBIT specifically targets the tics, but I integrate ACT in my work with Tourette's and Tic Disorders and try to help families and loved ones understand the nature of Tourette's and how to support the individual.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can present in a wide variety of ways, though generally it targets and latches on to whatever is important to the individual. ERP helps build more flexible behavior around the OCD experience, thereby reducing the impact and intensity of OCD-related experiences and anxiety. It is hard to work through ERP, but individuals usually experience considerable freedom and reduced emotional burden and distress as they progress.
Autism Therapies
There is not a single approach for working with Autism Spectrum Disorders (which, in fact, are not just a single disorder anyway), but what I have found to be an essential component is for the individual to learn to accept themselves as they are and that they are worthwhile and deserving of the same respect as everyone else. Though we often work on social skills, this is best done in a way that emphasizes the individual's autonomy. Just as I might teach a person how to use a hammer, I'm not going to demand they always use a hammer - in the same way, though I may teach a person how to use some social skills, it is up to them when and how they do so. I am simply satisfied if they feel empowered by having the skill and the option.