Nancy Ablao, MA, LLPC
Nancy Ablao, LLPC provides individual therapy for children experiencing anxiety, anger, grief and loss, friendship difficulties, family changes, school-related concerns, and other emotional challenges. With more than three decades of experience working with children in educational settings, Nancy brings a unique understanding of the social, emotional, and school-related challenges children and families may encounter.
Nancy creates a safe, warm, and welcoming environment where children can identify and express emotions, develop coping skills, and work through challenges using play, engaging activities, and conversation. She believes that a strong therapeutic relationship provides an important foundation for children to feel comfortable learning, growing, and trying new skills.
About Nancy Ablao, LLPC
Before becoming a counselor, Nancy spent more than three decades working with children as an educator and school counselor. Her extensive experience in schools gives her insight into the ways emotional well-being, friendships, family experiences, and school demands can intersect in a child’s life.
Nancy uses games, activities, conversation, and evidence-based practices tailored to each child’s developmental needs. She helps children develop a personalized set of tools for managing everyday stress, navigating peer conflict, strengthening friendships, expressing difficult emotions, and coping with changes at home or school.
Therapy for School-Related Concerns
Nancy’s background as an educator and school counselor gives her particular experience helping children with concerns that affect their experience at school. Children may struggle with anxiety about school, friendships, peer conflict, emotional regulation, transitions, stress, or other challenges that make the school day more difficult.
Therapy can help children better understand their emotions, develop coping and problem-solving skills, strengthen social skills, and practice healthier ways of responding to stressful situations.
For children whose school difficulties may also involve attention, learning, or developmental concerns, Kalamazoo Child & Family Counseling also provides psychological testing and evaluations and comprehensive ADHD testing.
Grief and Loss Counseling for Children
Nancy has experience helping young children cope with grief and loss, including co-facilitating grief and loss groups through Hospice of Southwest Michigan.
Children may experience and express grief differently from adults. Depending on their age and developmental level, grief may appear through sadness, anger, worry, changes in behavior, questions about death, difficulty concentrating, or changes in relationships and routines.
Nancy provides children with developmentally appropriate opportunities to express their feelings, understand their experiences, and develop healthy ways to cope with loss.
Trauma-Focused Therapy and TF-CBT
Nancy is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.
TF-CBT can help young people develop coping and emotional-regulation skills, understand trauma reactions, process difficult experiences, and strengthen communication and support with caregivers.
Nancy also has extensive training in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), school-based crisis debriefing, and trauma-informed care.
Families can learn more about therapy for childhood trauma and post-traumatic stress at Kalamazoo Child & Family Counseling.
Therapy for Childhood Anxiety and Difficult Emotions
Nancy works with children experiencing anxiety, anger, emotional difficulties, and challenges adjusting to changes in their lives. Her approach helps children learn to recognize emotions, understand what may be contributing to them, and develop practical strategies for responding to difficult situations.
Games, activities, and other developmentally appropriate approaches can make it easier for children to explore feelings and practice new skills without relying entirely on traditional conversation-based therapy.
Clinical Interests
Nancy’s clinical interests and areas of experience include:
- Childhood anxiety
- Anger and managing strong emotions
- Grief and loss
- Family changes and transitions
- School-related concerns
- Friendship and social skills
- Peer conflict
- Emotional expression
- Coping skills
- Childhood trauma
- Trauma-informed care
Working With Children and Families
Nancy believes that strong relationships help children feel comfortable learning and growing. Her warmth, creativity, and experience working with children allow her to build meaningful therapeutic relationships while maintaining communication with parents and caregivers when appropriate.
Her goal is to help children understand themselves, recognize their strengths, and develop practical tools they can use at home, at school, and in their relationships with others.
Looking for a Therapist for Your Child?
If you are interested in working with Nancy or another member of our child therapy team, you can request a therapy intake online. Our team can help determine which available provider may be a good fit for your child and family.
You may also call 269-615-7637 and select Extension 1 for assistance.
