Today we’d like to introduce you to Mia Bertram.
Hi Mia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, as the middle child of four children, I had a childhood filled with imaginative play, time in the woods with my siblings, and long summer days at the beach. Those early experiences of connection, creativity, and play stayed with me in ways I didn’t fully appreciate until much later.
When I was 13, I experienced a tragic accident that resulted in significant injuries to my left hand, multiple surgeries, and months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. It was an incredibly difficult and formative experience, both physically and emotionally. I worked with multiple therapists throughout my healing journey as I navigated the emotional aftermath of my experience. What stayed with me most was witnessing what became possible when a child is surrounded by therapists, family, friends, and other caregivers—who can help them navigate an experience that feels overwhelming and unimaginable. It was likely during that time that I first realized I wanted to spend my life helping children. I think that was the beginning of my calling to work with children. I didn’t necessarily know what that would look like at 13, but I knew I wanted to become someone who could be that person for another child.
I moved to New Orleans for college, where I volunteered extensively with children at Children’s Hospital,inner city schools and summer camps for children with special needs . After college, I worked as a paraprofessional with children with significant developmental needs, including severe autism. I fell in love with that work and initially thought my path was leading me toward special education.
Hurricane Katrina changed that trajectory. I had been accepted to Loyola University’s graduate program in counseling and education, with classes scheduled to begin the day Katrina hit. After eventually beginning the program, I realized that I was drawn more deeply toward the emotional and psychological worlds of children and families than to toward education.
That journey ultimately brought me to Colorado and Naropa University, where I earned my master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology. While there, I was feeling uncertain about exactly where I belonged professionally. Then, in a child development class, a professor encouraged me to connect with Lisa Dion, a Naropa alumn who was practicing play therapy in Summit County.
I took Lisa’s play therapy intensive, and it was a defining moment in my career when I walked into a playroom for the first time, something clicked. I remember having almost no idea what I was supposed to do, and yet I had this profound feeling of clarity—as if everything had suddenly come together. I knew I had found the place where I belonged. I wanted to work with children, and I wanted to help them reconnect with the parts of themselves that can become lost or dimmed when life becomes overwhelming.
I went on to work closely with Lisa Dion for years as an intern, student, and eventually supervisee as she developed Synergetic Play Therapy. Her mentorship profoundly shaped both my clinical work and the way I understand children, relationships, and healing.
After graduate school, I began building my private practice in Boulder while continuing to serve families in Summit County offering play therapy and parenting support. In 2015, I moved my practice fully to Boulder, and today I have a practice in Louisville where I specialize in play therapy and work with children and families throughout Boulder County.
Looking back, my path was anything but linear. But every experience—from my own childhood and trauma, to working with children with special needs, to the unexpected detours of Katrina and graduate school—ultimately brought me to the work I was meant to do.
I learned firsthand that even in the aftermath of profound trauma, children can heal. With the right support, guidance, and relationships, something that feels broken or dimmed can begin to come back to life. The experience planted a deep belief in me that children have an incredible capacity for resilience,healing and ultimately growth and that sometimes they just need someone who can help them find their way back to their own light.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, and I think some of the biggest challenges have been internal ones—learning to trust myself and believe that I was capable of building something of my own.
Graduate school was incredibly demanding, both academically and emotionally. After graduating, I tried working in an agency setting, but I quickly realized that the intensity and demands of that environment were leading me toward burnout. I knew I needed to find a different way of practicing, but the idea of starting a private practice so soon after graduating was honestly pretty scary. I was working toward licensure, still gaining experience, and suddenly faced with the responsibility of building something from the ground up.
What made it possible was having people who believed in me when I wasn’t always sure I believed in myself. My mentor, Lisa Dion, along with friends and family, encouraged me to take the leap and trust that I could do this. I continued to seek out training, supervision, and mentorship, particularly in Synergetic Play Therapy, while slowly building my practice.
In the beginning, it was slow. There were certainly moments of wondering if I was really capable of doing this. But with each child and family I worked with, I gained more experience, more confidence, and a deeper trust in my own abilities.
Looking back, I think one of my greatest challenges—and ultimately one of my greatest areas of growth—was learning to trust myself. Starting my own practice required me to take a leap of faith before I felt completely ready. And I’ve learned that sometimes you don’t need to have complete confidence before you take the next step. Sometimes you just need enough courage to take the step, and the confidence comes from doing the work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist with a private practice in Louisville, Colorado, where I work with children and families throughout Boulder County. I specialize in working with children experiencing a wide range of emotional and behavioral challenges, including anxiety, ADHD, grief and loss, divorce and family transitions, emotional regulation difficulties, and neurodivergence.
At the heart of my work is play therapy, which allows children to communicate and process their experiences in the language that comes most naturally to them: play. Rather than expecting a child to sit down and simply talk about what is happening, I meet them where they are and create a space where they can feel safe enough to express, explore, and work through what they’re experiencing.
I also provide parent coaching, which has become an incredibly meaningful part of my practice. I believe that supporting the parents is just as important as supporting the child. When a child is struggling, parents can begin to lose confidence in themselves. They may find themselves questioning everything—Am I doing this right? Why isn’t anything working? Why can’t I reach my child? Over time, that uncertainty can make parenting feel overwhelming and can erode the trust parents once had in their own instincts.
One of the things I love most about my work is helping parents find their way back to that confidence and certainty. Parents are the experts on their children, but sometimes they need someone to help them reconnect with that knowing. My role isn’t to become the expert on their child or tell them how to parent; it’s to help them understand what is happening underneath the behavior, strengthen their connection with their child, and trust themselves again.
I think what sets my practice apart is this whole family approach. I don’t see the child as the problem that needs to be fixed. I see behavior as communication and believe that children and parents both have an incredible capacity for growth when they have the right support, understanding, and tools.
What am I most proud of, brand-wise?
I think I’m most proud that my practice has grown into something that feels deeply aligned with who I am and how I believe children and families should be supported. I never wanted to create a practice that simply felt like an office where children came in for therapy. I wanted to create a space where children could truly be themselves, where parents felt supported rather than judged, and where the entire family could experience more connection, understanding, and confidence.
After all these years, I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built with the families I’ve worked with and the trust they place in me during some of the hardest times of their lives. Being invited into a family’s world and getting to witness a child rediscover their confidence, joy, and sense of self is incredibly meaningful to me.
What do you want readers to know about your services?
I would want readers to know that you don’t have to wait until things feel completely out of control to reach out for support. Sometimes a child is struggling, and parents simply need another set of eyes to help them understand what is happening beneath the behavior. Sometimes the child needs therapeutic support, sometimes the parent needs support, and often the most effective work involves both.
My goal is ultimately to help children and parents reconnect with something they already possess—their own capacity for healing, connection, and confidence.
I think that the essence of my practice is helping children find their way back to their light, while helping parents find their way back to trusting themselves.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I certainly haven’t gotten here alone. There have been so many people along the way who have believed in me, encouraged me, challenged me, and helped me become the therapist and person I am today.
One of the most significant people in my professional journey has been Lisa Dion, the founder and creator of Synergetic Play Therapy. Lisa was not only my mentor and supervisor, but someone who truly believed in me at a time when I was still learning to believe in myself. She helped me develop my clinical skills, confidence, and understanding of play therapy, and she played an enormous role in shaping the therapist I am today. I will always be incredibly grateful that she saw something in me and encouraged me to pursue this path.
I also have tremendous gratitude for the children and families I’ve had the honor of working with over the years. My clients have taught me as much as I have taught them. Every child and family has brought a unique perspective and has challenged me to continue growing—not only as a therapist, but as a person. They have shaped the way I understand connection, resilience, parenting, and what it truly means to heal.
And then there is my family. My husband, Matt, has been my biggest cheerleader for the past 15 years. He has believed in me through every stage of this journey, including the uncertain beginnings when I was taking the leap into private practice. He has supported my dreams, celebrated my successes, and been there through all the challenges. My daughter, Livia, has also grown up watching me build this practice, and she has been another wonderful source of love and inspiration.
I’m also incredibly grateful for my colleagues, friends, and family members who have supported me along the way. There have been people at different points in my career who offered encouragement, opened a door, shared an opportunity, or simply reminded me that I was capable when I needed to hear it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.miabertram.com
- Email: mia@miabertram.com
