Miranda Scharf
MSW, RSW
Hi there! My name is Miranda (she/her), and I am a Registered Social Worker with a focus on youth and family therapy. My training is in Attachment-Based Family Therapy, which aims to improve the wellness of youth by improving the relationship and attachment between youth and parent. As a result of traumatic events, mismatched personalities, normal developmental patterns, or many other factors, teens can often feel distrustful of their parents, or worried their problems won't be taken seriously. Not being able to go to their parents for comfort can lead them to turn to forms of soothing that are harmful for them and the family system, such as self-harm, substance use, excessive gaming, skipping school, etc; as well as contribute to pre-existing mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety. Many parents, faced with this strain, can struggle to know how to respond in a way that will work for their child. This is a normal experience of raising a child, especially as they are maturing and changing so much in their teenage years.
Attachment-Based Family Therapy aims to bridge this gap by discovering why the youth is hesitant to speak to their parents, and then working to address it. This process involves work with the whole family together to identify and agree on the main concern in the relationship. Following this, we split up - I work with the youth alone to further understand their struggles and experiences, as well as coaching them on how to effectively raise concerns with their parents, and I work with parents to uncover how their childhood may be impacting their current parenting, as well as coaching them on how to respond to their child. When we come back together as a family, we first address the concern in the relationship. As parent(s) and child begin to feel more secure in their new relationship structure, we continue to address further problems in the family's life, such as school absenteeism or substance use. I encourage parents to lead these conversations, while I am present to support both parent and youth as they use their new communication and relationship skills to navigate these concerns.
