I’m Hailey Garfinkel, a Licensed Master Social Worker and Certified Synergetic Play Therapist at The Banyan Tree Center in Athens, Georgia. I work with clients of all ages and abilities, from toddlers through adults, including neurodivergent individuals and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I see clients in person in Athens and via telehealth.

Even as a kid I was curious, sensitive, imaginative, and tuned into things people didn’t always say out loud. I felt my own emotions strongly and I could often feel the emotions of people around me too. I was always drawn to people who were left out, misunderstood, or not easily seen by others. As someone who is neurodivergent myself, I know what it can feel like to mask, adapt, and try to fit into ways of being that don’t match who you are. I love helping people learn who they are, how awesome they already are, and how to live a life that actually fits them.

My approach is grounded in Synergetic Play Therapy, a research-informed model that blends the therapeutic powers of play with nervous system regulation, attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, physics, mindfulness, and therapist authenticity. I don’t see therapy as something I do to a client. I see it as something we enter together. My style is warm, real, playful, honest, and deeply curious. I show up as a real human, sometimes messy, sometimes quirky, always curious, and I want clients to know they are allowed to show up that way too.

“Healing is not about becoming who you should be, it is about reconnecting with who you already are.”

Background and Credentials

• Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
• Certified Synergetic Play Therapist (SPT)
• Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist
• ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP)
• Certified Anxiety-Informed Professional
• Certified Clinical Child & Adolescent Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP-CA)
• Certified Neurodiversity Family Coach
• Marriage and Family Therapy certification
• Neurodiversity Affirming Play Therapy certification
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) trained
• Self-Regulation Certificate, neurological approaches for multisensory integration
• Advanced training in early childhood development, trauma, disability studies, and caregiver support
• Experience in private practice, nonprofit, and school settings
• Practicing since 2022

How I Work

• In person · The Banyan Tree Center, Athens GA
• Telehealth available
• All ages and abilities

Approaches: Synergetic Play Therapy (SPT) · Synergetic Psychotherapy · Nervous system regulation · Attachment-based · Neurodiversity-affirming · Somatic approaches · Expressive arts · Parts work · Mindfulness-based · Co-regulation · PCIT · Self compassion · Inner child work

What I Specialize In

Autism Therapy in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Clients often come in exhausted from translating themselves for a world that wasn’t built with them in mind. Kids may hold it together all day at school and fall apart at home. Teens and adults may feel like their real self is buried under masking, people-pleasing, or constantly trying to make their way of being easier for others to understand. Many have spent years being told something is wrong with them rather than learning how their brain actually works.

What we do together: I take a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach. Autism is not a problem to fix, it is a way of experiencing the world. We get curious about sensory needs, communication style, overwhelm triggers, and what helps you feel more regulated and more like yourself. I hold certifications in autism-informed clinical care and bring both clinical training and genuine respect for neurodivergent ways of being. At Banyan Tree, I offer a safe space for individuals to feel understood, confident, and connected to who they truly are.

ADHD Therapy in Athens, GA

Who I work with: People with ADHD often come in feeling frustrated with themselves, like they’re always falling short no matter how hard they try. Kids may struggle with transitions, focus, or emotional regulation. Teens and adults may be dealing with overwhelm, disorganization, impulsivity, or a long history of being misunderstood in school, work, or relationships. Some arrive not even sure if ADHD is what’s going on, just knowing that the way their brain works has made things harder than it feels like it should be.

What we do together: We get curious about how your specific brain works rather than measuring it against how neurotypical brains work. We look at sensory needs, regulation strategies, communication patterns, and what environments and routines actually fit your nervous system. I’m an ADHD Clinical Services Provider with specialized training in ADHD across the lifespan, and I bring both that expertise and an affirming lens to this work. ADHD can feel like living with the volume, speed, and number of inputs turned up. Rather than forcing your brain into systems that were not designed for you, we work together to create a personalized filter, one that helps you sort, integrate, prioritize, and respond to the information coming in while honoring your natural way of being.

Anxiety, Perfectionism, and Emotional Overwhelm in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Anxiety doesn’t always look like worry. It can look like control, anger, avoidance, stomachaches, reassurance-seeking, overthinking, freezing, or needing everything to be just right. Many clients I work with are deeply feeling and really hard on themselves. They want to do life well, but they often feel trapped by fear of messing up, disappointing people, or being misunderstood.

What we do together: We slow down and learn what anxiety is trying to protect. I help clients notice their body cues, understand their patterns, practice self-compassion, and build tools that work in real life. Anxiety doesn’t have to disappear for healing to happen. Healing happens as the client learns they can stay connected to themselves while anxiety is present.

Secure Attachment to Self and Inner Child Healing in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Some clients feel like they’ve spent years becoming who other people needed them to be. They may not know what they want, what they need, what feels true, or what kind of life actually fits them. They may carry younger parts of themselves that still feel unseen, ashamed, too much, not enough, or afraid to take up space.

What we do together: We work on rebuilding a relationship with yourself. That may mean learning to listen to your body, reconnecting with younger parts, practicing self-compassion, noticing where you abandon yourself, and discovering what actually feels aligned. To me, secure attachment to self means you can come back to yourself, trust your inner experience, and live from who you are, not just who you learned to be.

Child Therapy and Play Therapy in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Children often come in feeling overwhelmed by feelings that seem bigger than they are. Parents may describe it as meltdowns, panic, irritability, shutting down, perfectionism, or going from 0 to 100. Many children who hit, yell, throw, or become controlling are not trying to be difficult. They are often communicating intensity, fear, powerlessness, or a need for safety through their behavior. Parents often arrive exhausted, worried, or scared that something is wrong with their child.

What we do together: Using Synergetic Play Therapy, I support children in exploring big feelings safely and without shame through play, movement, art, mind-body awareness, and co-regulation. In this process, children begin to learn, “I can feel big things and still be okay.” As their nervous system builds capacity, difficult moments can feel less overwhelming, creating more room for regulation, self-understanding, and choice in how they respond.

Parent Support and Co-Regulation in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Parents often come in feeling overwhelmed, judged, confused, guilty, or desperate for something to work. They may be trying everything and still feel like they are failing. Many caregivers are also dysregulated by their child’s dysregulation, which makes it hard to respond the way they want to respond.

What we do together: I see caregivers as a central part of your child’s healing. I help caregivers understand what is happening in their child’s nervous system and what gets stirred up in their own. We work on helping the caregiver become more steady, connected, and grounded so the child can borrow that regulation. When parents feel more regulated, children feel safer.

A Few Things I Want You to Know

Before your first session: You don’t have to know exactly what to say or where to start. You can come in messy, unsure, overwhelmed, quiet, anxious, guarded, or not even sure what you need yet. My job is to meet you where you are and help us find the way together.

Something I wish more people knew: I view behavior as a form of communication. Symptoms and behaviors are often the nervous system’s best attempt to regulate, protect, express a need, or make sense of something that feels too big to put into words. When we understand what is underneath the behavior, we can respond with more compassion and create space for meaningful, lasting change.

Who I do my best work with: Clients who feel deeply, notice a lot, or have often felt misunderstood. I love working with neurodivergent kids, teens, adults, and families who are trying to understand their nervous system, build regulation, and feel more confident being who they are. I especially connect with clients who have been masking, adapting, or trying to fit into expectations that don’t honor their authentic self.

One more thing: My approach is not about fixing you or your child. It is about understanding what is happening underneath the surface and helping you build more regulation, self-trust, and connection. I believe clients already have so much wisdom inside of them. My role is to help them feel safe enough to access it.