Both. Oak Haven offers individual therapy for women, play therapy for children, and parent coaching through The Parenting Haven.

Play therapy is a research-backed therapeutic approach that uses play — the natural language of childhood — to help children process emotions, experiences, and challenges. Children are not developmentally wired to sit across from a therapist and talk about their feelings the way adults are. Play therapy meets them exactly where they are, in the language they already speak. It is not just playing — it is deeply intentional, clinically guided work that creates real and lasting change.

Any licensed mental health professional can legally say they work with children or incorporate play into their sessions. However, using toys or games in a session is not the same as clinically trained play therapy. Without specific credentialing, there are no required standards for training, supervised hours, or demonstrated competency in play therapy as a treatment modality. This means the quality and depth of that training can vary significantly from therapist to therapist.

A Registered Play Therapist™ is a licensed mental health professional who has met rigorous, standardized credentialing requirements set by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) — the national governing body for the play therapy profession. The RPT™ credential is the gold standard in the field and signifies advanced, specialized training and supervised clinical experience specifically in play therapy.

To earn the RPT™ credential, a therapist must hold a master's or higher degree in a mental health field and an independent clinical license in counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychiatry, psychology, or social work. Beyond that, they must complete a rigorous three-phase credentialing process that includes:

• 150 hours of play therapy-specific instruction in play therapy theories, techniques, and methods from APT-approved providers. Effective April 1, 2025, a minimum of 75 of those hours must be completed through in-person (contact) training.

• 350 hours of supervised direct play therapy clinical experience with actual clients, completed across three integrated phases under the supervision of a credentialed RPT-Supervisor™.

• 35 hours of play therapy-specific supervision, also completed across the three phases.

• All experience hours must be accrued over a minimum of two years, ensuring the therapist has adequate time to absorb, practice, and integrate the clinical skills required.

Yes. Lauren Donovan, MSW, LCSW, RPT™ holds the Registered Play Therapist™ credential through the Association for Play Therapy and is also a Certified AutPlay Therapy Provider, with specialized training in play therapy for children with autism spectrum differences and neurodivergent profiles. She is committed to providing the highest standard of play therapy care to every child and family she serves.

Play therapy is not simply playing with a child — it is a clinically sophisticated, evidence-based treatment approach. When delivered by a Registered Play Therapist™, your child is receiving care from someone who has invested hundreds of hours in specialized training, demonstrated competency under expert supervision, and made an ongoing commitment to excellence in this specific area of practice. For children navigating anxiety, trauma, grief, behavioral challenges, family transitions, or neurodevelopmental differences, that level of specialized training is not a bonus — it is the difference between a general approach and a targeted, effective one.

We hear this often — and it matters. Many traditional therapy approaches were not designed with children in mind (especially neurodivergent and highly sensitive children). At Oak Haven we specialize specifically in these children and bring both clinical training and personal lived experience to every session. If previous therapy felt like a poor fit, it may simply be that the right approach and the right therapist hadn't found each other yet. We believe that is about to change.

Oak Haven Therapy is currently offering telehealth sessions via a secure, confidential video platform to clients throughout Florida — and we have found that for many of our clients, the comfort of their own space actually enhances the therapeutic experience. There is something powerful about doing meaningful work from a place where you already feel safe.

We are actively searching for the perfect office space in Tallahassee — one that is thoughtfully designed to meet the unique sensory and comfort needs of our clients. Finding the right space matters deeply to us because the environment is part of the therapeutic experience, especially for neurodivergent and highly sensitive individuals. We are taking our time to get it right, and we will share updates as that unfolds.

Stay tuned — and in the meantime, we would love to connect with you virtually.

If you've read through this website and found yourself nodding — if something here felt like it was written for you — that's usually a good sign. Oak Haven is built for women who are ready to understand themselves more deeply, and for children who need a safe, unhurried space to work through what they're carrying.

The best way to know for certain is to schedule a free consultation. There's no pressure and no commitment — just a conversation to see if we're a good fit.

The first session is really about getting to know each other. For children we will talk with parents first to understand your child's history, your concerns, and your goals. For adults and adolescents we will spend time understanding your story, what brings you here, and what you are hoping for. There is no agenda beyond connection and beginning to build a space where you feel safe. You will never be pushed further or faster than you are ready to go.

Oak Haven Therapy is a private pay practice and does not bill insurance directly — and that is a very intentional choice. Insurance companies require a clinical diagnosis to authorize treatment, dictate how many sessions a client can have, and have access to your clinical records. For the clients we serve — especially neurodivergent individuals, highly sensitive people, and those navigating chronic illness — we believe that your care should never be shaped by what an insurance company decides you deserve. You deserve care that moves at your pace, on your terms, without a label attached as a condition of receiving support.

That said, we understand that cost is a real consideration and we want to make care as accessible as possible. We are happy to provide a monthly superbill — a detailed receipt of services — that you can submit to your insurance provider for possible out of network reimbursement. Every plan is different, so we recommend calling the member services number on the back of your insurance card and asking about your out of network mental health benefits before your first session. Please note that insurance reimbursement through a superbill does require a clinical diagnosis, so we will always have that conversation with you openly and transparently if you choose to go that route.

Coaching services through The Parenting Haven are not eligible for insurance reimbursement.

Therapy looks different for every client and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Some clients come for a focused season of support around a specific challenge. Others find that longer term work allows for deeper growth and lasting change. We will talk about your goals from the very beginning and regularly check in together about how things are progressing. You are always in the driver's seat.

Yes — and we would not have it any other way. We offer a free 15 minute consultation call because we believe the therapeutic relationship is everything. Finding the right therapist is one of the most important decisions you will make for yourself or your child, and we never want cost or uncertainty to be a barrier to finding out if we are the right fit.

In your consultation call we will take a few minutes to hear what brings you here, answer any questions you have, and get a genuine feel for whether Oak Haven Therapy is the right home for you. There is no pressure, no commitment, and no expectation — just a real conversation between two human beings figuring out if this is the right next step together.

We think you will know pretty quickly. And we hope you feel it too.

Individual therapy sessions at Oak Haven Therapy are $150 per session. Play therapy sessions are also $150. Parenting coaching packages through The Parenting Haven are priced separately — please inquire during your consultation.

Investing in therapy is a significant decision, and you deserve to feel fully informed about the care you're receiving and the training behind it.

Your therapist brings an unusually deep level of training to this work:

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) — one of the highest levels of clinical licensure available in Florida, with rigorous training in assessment, treatment, and ethical practice.

Registered Play Therapist (RPT) — advanced specialized training in play therapy, one of the most evidence-based approaches available for children and families.

Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) — specialized training in strengthening the parent-child relationship, particularly during times of stress, transition, or disconnection.

Sand Tray Therapy — foundational certification in sand tray therapy, a powerful expressive approach for processing experiences that are difficult to put into words.

Certified Parent Coach (in progress) — currently completing certification through Dandelion Seeds Parenting, bringing a structured, evidence-informed framework to coaching work with families.

Trauma-Informed Care — trained to understand how early experiences, chronic stress, and relational wounds shape the nervous system and show up in everyday life — so that therapy at Oak Haven never asks you to push through something your body isn't ready for.

Beyond credentials, Oak Haven Therapy offers something genuinely rare — a therapist who brings deep clinical training, personal understanding, and real human warmth to work that most practices treat as ordinary. This is not a general practice that sees everyone. It is an intentional space built for women who have often spent years not quite finding the right fit.

The $150 investment per session reflects advanced clinical training, specialized expertise in trauma-informed and relational care, and the kind of deeply attuned, unhurried presence that your story actually deserves. Many clients tell us that Oak Haven is the first place they have ever truly felt understood. That experience is worth showing up for.

We provide a monthly superbill for possible out-of-network insurance reimbursement. Please see the insurance FAQ above for more details.