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Michelle Silva Nuxoll, LCSW-R

@michelleplaytherapy

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Supporting Highly Sensitive & Neurodivergent Kids
🧸 Child & Adolescent Play Therapist
📖 Author of My Super Senses
📍 Bayside, Queens

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After years of working with sensory kids in the therapy room, I finally put their world into a story.

My Super Senses celebrates sensory differences with warmth, color, and heart- through the eyes of a child.

If you’re a parent, teacher, therapist, or someone who loves a sensory kid, I hope this book helps them feel seen- and helps you feel understood too. 💛

#childrensbooks #sensorykids #sensoryprocessing #playtherapy #pediatricot by @michelleplaytherapy

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9 months ago

Maybe that’s why so many of us loved Forky. ❤️

He was absolutely convinced he was trash.
Everyone around him saw something worth keeping.

Kids can carry stories about themselves that feel just as true:
I’m bad.
I’m too much.
Nobody likes me.
I can’t do this.

Sometimes they need us to hold onto a different story until they’re ready to believe it too. ❤️

What story did you need help rewriting as a kid? #playtherapy #forky #sandtraytherapy #bigfeelings #connectedparenting taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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2 months ago

Growing up is a journey of discovering who we are, who we love, and where we belong. 🌈

For tweens exploring their gender identity or sexual orientation, that journey can bring curiosity, excitement, uncertainty, and sometimes fear about how others might respond.

Some young people have always known. Others are just beginning to wonder. And some are still searching for the words that feel right.

There is no deadline for self-discovery. And there should never be a deadline for feeling loved.

💗 For the grown-ups in their lives: You don’t need to have all the answers, either. Listen with curiosity, honor what your child shares, and let them know that your love and support are not dependent on certainty.

Sometimes, the most meaningful thing we can say is simply:

“Thank you for trusting me. I’m right here with you.”

A little love letter to every tween discovering themselves, and to the grown-ups learning how to walk alongside them.

💌 Save this for a young person who might need to hear it, or share it with someone who loves one.

#deartween #heartstopper #lgbtqyouth #genderidentity #parentingtweensandteens taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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a month ago

“No hug” doesn’t mean “go away.” 🩵

Sometimes a child wants to be near you without being hugged. They may want to play, share something, or simply have you sit beside them.

We can respond warmly:
“That’s okay! I’m happy to see you. Want to show me what you’re playing?”

Affection can take many forms. There’s room for connection and a child’s boundaries.

A little moment from My Super Senses: A Story Celebrating Sensory Differences, illustrated by Barbara Bongini.

#MySuperSenses #SensoryDifferences #BodyAutonomy #RespectfulParenting #ChildrensBooks taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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5 days ago

Curious what other child therapists say in the room! What’s your go-to way to explain your role to a child? Drop yours below 👇 taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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14 days ago

Children don’t need magic spells or quick fixes to navigate big feelings, scary moments, or new transitions.

In the playroom, courage doesn’t always look like facing a giant dragon. Sometimes it looks like:

✨ Asking a trusted adult for help when a feeling gets too big
✨ Letting down their guard in a place where they feel safe
✨ Walking into a new classroom with a tummy full of butterflies

Play gives children space to imagine, struggle, try again, and discover the quiet magic they’ve carried inside all along.

Which slide spoke to you most? 💛

#PlayTherapy #ChildTherapy #ChildTherapist #TherapeuticPlay #ChildMentalHealth taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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21 days ago

Tiny pieces. BIG life lessons. ♟️✨

Who knew a chessboard could hold so many lessons about life?

Every move gives children a chance to practice making choices, thinking ahead, protecting what matters, and learning that mistakes don’t have to mean the end of the game.

And perhaps one of the biggest lessons of all? We can’t always control what happens next, but we can learn to choose how we respond.

Sometimes the most meaningful lessons happen through play. 💗

Which chess lesson is your favorite?

#PlayTherapy #ChildTherapy #ChessForKids #ExecutiveFunctioning #EmotionalRegulation taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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22 days ago

Some children hear the world a little louder.
Some feel textures a little deeper.
Some notice the smallest details that others might miss.

We don’t all experience the world in the same way, and that’s something worth celebrating. 🌈

When we make room for different ways of sensing, feeling, and being, we create a world where more children can feel comfortable being themselves.

A little reminder from My Super Senses: A Story Celebrating Sensory Differences. 💛

#MySuperSenses #SensoryDifferences #highlysensitivechildren #NeurodivergentKids #SensoryProcessing taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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a month ago

Before we ask how to change a child’s behavior, maybe we need to look at their environment. 🌊

The blobfish gets a bad rap for being “ugly.” But thousands of feet below the surface, under enormous pressure, its soft body makes sense. Bring it rapidly to the surface, and without that pressure, its body becomes distorted.

The blobfish didn’t fail. The conditions changed.

When a child experiences sensory overload, rigidity, withdrawal, or big reactions, what we’re seeing isn’t always a problem within the child. Sometimes it’s a nervous system working hard to function in conditions that don’t fit it well.

What looks like a problem may sometimes be an adaptation:
Sensitivity → deep awareness
Rigidity → a search for predictability
Withdrawal → protection from overload
Big reactions → a nervous system running out of room

So when a child is struggling, maybe the question isn’t only, “How do we change this behavior?”

What can we change around them to help their nervous system thrive? 💡 #neurodiversity #highlysensitivekids #sensoryprocessing #parentingwithconnection #playtherapy taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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a month ago

You don’t have to change your frequency to fit in. Your unique wavelength is part of what makes you, you. 🌈✨ How are you letting your colors show today?

Illustration from my children’s book, My Super Senses. #MySuperSenses #Neurodiversity #SensoryProcessing #SensoryDifferences #highlysensitivechild taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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a month ago

Two children can sit at the exact same desk on day one, but they may have traveled very different roads to get there.

Back-to-school season can bring excitement, but it can also bring transition stress, nervous system overload, and the invisible weight of whatever happened over the summer.

Behavior is communication. And long before a child needs correction, they may need safety, connection, and someone willing to wonder what’s underneath.

As school doors open across the city, may we lead with curiosity over judgment.

Their circumstances may be unequal. Their worth is not. 💛

#NYCPublicSchools #BackToSchool #FirstDayOfSchool #ChildMentalHealth #TraumaInformed taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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a month ago

Hope isn’t always something a child can generate on their own. Sometimes, it’s something they need to borrow from us. ✨

When a child is overwhelmed, hurting, or feeling hopeless, they can lose sight of the idea that things will ever get better. In those heavy moments, our role isn’t necessarily to fix everything or convince them that everything is fine.

It’s to stay close, make room for what they’re feeling, and communicate: “I’m here. I can hold onto some hope for you until you can begin to feel it again.”

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a reminder to pay attention to both the subtle and direct ways children express distress. If a child talks about wanting to die, disappear, hurt themselves, or not be here, take it seriously. Ask directly about suicide, stay connected, and get support.

One resource I like for opening this conversation with children is A Flicker of Hope by Julia Cook @juliacookonline . It uses a simple metaphor to help children understand that when their own light feels small, they don’t have to find hope all by themselves. 💛

Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. #SuicidePreventionMonth #SuicidePrevention #ChildMentalHealth #ChildTherapist #ParentingSupport taken in Queens, New York by @michelleplaytherapy

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