Ashley S. Lingerfelt, Child & Perinatal Therapist

11/20/2025

🌈🌩️It’s time for rainbows and thunder clouds!🌈🌩️

Do you often ask your child “what did you do today?” and they respond with “nothing”?

Sometimes asking them to explain their day is too big of a demand. It’s a complex question and requires a complex response. As a result, many children choose to withdraw and disengage. They feel overwhelmed!

You will see much more engagement if you break this task down into smaller, more manageable questions and answers.

An easy way to break the ice and support your child with talking about their day includes asking them about their rainbow and their thunder cloud. You could also call this their unicorn and their stink bug or any other creative “opposites.”

Here are the directions:

🌈🌩️ It's always important to share the best and worst parts of your day! Which part of your day was great, fun, or special?

We call this your rainbow.

It can be something simple, like having your favorite food for lunch, or something big, like seeing someone special or going somewhere fun!

Which part of your day was hard, boring, or maybe even sad or frustrating?

We call this your thunder cloud.

This might be something small like not getting your turn with a toy or something big like getting hurt. It's important to let your grown ups know how you feel!

It's normal to have both a rainbow
AND a thunder cloud! Most people
feel both of these things each day! 🌈🌩️

In my office, we enjoy telling about our rainbows and thunder storms. It gets kids to open up about their day and takes the pressure off. 🩷

11/04/2025

Hi, Playtime Families!

I have partnered with Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care of Atlanta to sponsor a family for Christmas.

This particular family includes a newborn, a toddler, a mother and father, as well as a grandmother and grandfather.

There are several items this family has on their wishlist. Some are as simple as a stuffed animal, some are more complex - like a stove.

While it is not required for me fulfill every single item, I know it would mean the world to this family to have each item on their list.

For clothing sizes for the children, or for mom and dad’s special requests, please email me at ashley@playtimetherapy.org and I will share the specifics with you.

All donations can be dropped by my office and I will deliver to the organization by 12/1.

I will personally be fulfilling this family’s items to the best of my ability, but any help is greatly appreciated! Together, we can do a lot, even if it’s just a couple of dollars donated to the family or to the hospice organization itself.

Please let me know if you’d like to help. And here’s a link to the local organization who organizes this for families: https://www.phpcofga.com/

Thank you ❤️🎄

08/07/2025

Hi, Playtime families!

Sweet little Clover had two seizures yesterday evening after work. She is completely fine today and acting normal, but she will be taking a few days off to make sure this was an isolated event and to get some bloodwork and follow up visits completed.

Here she was yesterday evening at the emergency vet wearing a bell collar to alert the doctor if she had any more seizure activity. She was not a fan of the bells, but I personally thought she looked cute. 🥰

Please think of her today and in the days ahead! She is 99% likely going to be totally fine! Just wanted to share because so many kids notice her absence when she is not here. 🩷

07/09/2025

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s almost time for another school year!

Ashton has some openings available for teens. There’s still time to get on her schedule before the school year so your teen is prepped with skills to boost confidence, have positive social relationships, and manage the stress of classes and sports.

Everyone who has worked with her so far has loved her - she is kind, professional, and easy to connect with. 🫶🏻

Reach out and I can connect you! 🩷

Pic of Clover for fun 🍀

https://playtimetherapy.org/about-ashton/

07/08/2025

Do you want to know about a huge problem in the field of infant and early childhood mental health?

Did you know that a common issue for toddlers and preschoolers is that their stories aren’t believed?

Just let that sink in for a second.

It often happens like this:

A child comes forth with an experience.

They share this experience with a caregiver.

The caregiver seeks appropriate support.

The systems in place claim that due to the child’s age, nothing can be proven AND/OR the child cannot be supported because they are “too young.”

It’s as if the system is saying “your child is too young to matter.”

The families don’t know where to turn.

Sometimes, they find me. Sometimes, they don’t.

For those who do find me and choose to work with me, I sit with their child. I listen. I listen to the parents. I listen to the child. I watch play themes emerge. I see how events impact development. I guide parents through what to say, how to say it, when to say it. I answer questions.

I make calls.
I work with forensic interviewers.
I work with psychologists.
I work with case workers.
I work with the legal system.

We all try to navigate a complex system while holding space for the child’s emotional experience.

It’s tiring. At times, it can feel defeating.

It’s also some of the most intimate, complex work I experience. It teaches me the most about humanity, developmental trauma, and empathy.

If you ever need resources for yourself or your child, reach out.

Your child is not too young to matter.

07/02/2025

Using children as communicators is an issue I see a lot in my work with high-conflict divorce and custody cases. When parents struggle/refuse to communicate with each other directly, this burden is placed on the child. It’s not a fun (or healthy) position for the child to be in.

When I see this pattern emerging, I try to support the parents and the child to shift the responsibility back onto the appropriate parties.

One such activity is “I’m not the messenger!” where parents and children learn about the types of inappropriate “asks” to make of their child.

I actually created a whole guide for this. I’m proud to say people have actually purchased it.

https://playtimetherapy.org/product/playtime-through-divorce-a-brief-guide-for-parents/

🤎🤎🤎

06/25/2025

I don’t work with a ton of adults individually, but when I do, they’re normally parents with young children. They struggle each day to get up and create a blanket of safety and security for their child(ren) amidst divorce, amidst job loss, amidst loss, amidst war.

This is worded really well. 🤎

06/10/2025

Using a Hoberman Sphere to demonstrate deep breathing has been so helpful for all of my little ones! The visual cue to breathe in and out helps them master the concept of taking a breath. Take 35 seconds and have them breathe along to this video if you don’t have a Hoberman Sphere at home. 🥰

Ps we breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth 🩷

04/07/2025

✨ I’m officially Ashley S. Lingerfelt, MS, LPC, PMH-C, CPCS………AAT-I!!!!! ✨

Super duper happy and excited to announce that I have officially completed my Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist Credential!

This means that I am an expert animal assisted therapy (AAT) clinician recognized by the Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist Credential (AAT-I) through the completion of a comprehensive AAT-I program.

This took me a year to complete. It included intensive training for me, for Clover, and lots of experiential training mastering the inclusion of animals within clinical practice. My primary clinical focuses are on the inclusion of equines and canines. I am honored and excited to add these letters to my name. It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that I and others have pursued within the AAT-I field.

This means Clover is officially a co-therapist! Congratulations, Clover! 🍀

04/04/2025

I am excited to announce that I have been presented with the opportunity to bring a clinical intern to my practice! I’ve always been hesitant to bring other people into my practice - I like keeping things small and intimate. I have also been hesitant to be a teaching facility for counseling interns because of the immense pressure and responsibility. I frequently receive requests for internships, but I always reluctantly turn them down.

Last fall, I met Ashton at a local event in Downtown Woodstock. I like to think that our paths crossed for a reason that day! Here we are several months later and she’s officially the first Playtime Intern. 🥰

Ashton will be working with my practice as she finishes her masters program. She will be working with pre-teens and teens with a variety of presenting concerns. Her clinical focuses are: anxiety, body image issues, and neurodiversity, among a few other specialty areas.

If you or someone you know is looking for low-cost counseling services for adolescent-aged kids, please keep Ashton in mind! She will be receiving clinical supervision (from an outside clinical supervisor) and clinical direction from me. This means that your teen will have multiple sets of qualified eyes overseeing their care. It’s really a great option to receive top notch care at a reduced cost.

Let’s give her a warm welcome! 🩷

https://playtimetherapy.org/about-ashton/

04/01/2025

The moment many of my kids have been waiting for…..new sand!!

My special order finally came in! I use a dust-free, chemical-free, therapeutic sand in a special color.

Enjoy. ✨

03/21/2025

I love this. It’s true - we as adults are quick to assume that “no” = defiance. But it’s usually related to a skill that has not yet been developed. Saying no is a developmentally typical response to a situation that is stressful. 🤎

Sarah R. Moore, Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting 🧡