Meet Sanam Pejuhesh of Colorado Play Therapy & Parenting Support and Camp Connect

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sanam Pejuhesh

Hi Sanam , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story actually started when I was a little girl growing up in a tumultuous and abusive household. It was a scary upbringing and, as a sensitive, intuitive little person, I remember often wondering what it would take for someone going through the abuse I was experiencing to turn out healthy and ok. I would write in my journal, get lost in stories like Anne of Green Gables and visualize what my life would be like once I was old enough to be free of the circumstances I was in. This is what propelled my interest in supporting children’s psychological and emotional health and ensuring that any child who crossed my path would feel seen, understood and validated.

I worked as a nanny, volunteered in schools and worked with kids in any context I could. Even as a kid myself, I loved supporting and guiding people younger than me. Later I studied psychology at UC Berkeley and fell in love with the work of Dr. Alison Gopnik and Dr. Stephen Hinshaw among others. I worked in research facilities interview kids who had been through stressful experiences to learn about this impacted their memory and learning. It was all so fascinating!

In graduate school I took a deep dive into Gestalt Psychology and really embraced the way children operate fully in the present and able to be their authentic selves when given the safe space. I brought Gestalt over into my work with kids and have since done a ton of professional development as well as my own personal growth journey to be able to do the work I do with children.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road doesn’t lead to the kind of growth and understanding of self that we need to support others in their healing journeys. It definitely has not been a smooth road! I’ve had to face all kinds of obstacles, blocks and limitations– most of them in my own mind. I didn’t grow up in a supportive family that truly believed in me, so I had to work through a lot of of self-doubt, uncertainty and fear. Ten years ago I also unexpectedly became a single mom in a tough circumstance, which led to a scarcity of time and a need to “do it all” so that I could show up and provide for my daughter. Even though there have been obstacles along the way (and I still have obstacles all the time!) those struggles have been the catalyst to my growth and development as a person. It’s led me to where I am now and I couldn’t be more grateful and proud.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work focuses on helping children shine brightly as their authentic, emotionally intelligent, most confident selves. My business is called the Connected Family Collective, where I get to bring together my passions for working with parents and supporting children.

Colorado Play Therapy and Parenting Support is where I get to sit on the floor with kids and help them heal stress and trauma, discover who they really are and learn to love themselves. I help parents shift the lens on who their children are and understand that behavior does not define who one is as a person or a parent. Their children’s behavior is not generally a reflection of poor parenting but of a need that isn’t being met and needs attention and fulfillment. I help parents develop closer their bonds with their kids in order to build solid and lasting relationships.

Camp Connect is where I bring kids together to develop self-love, confidence, resilience and healthy relationship skills (aka social skills). We do this through play, art, movement, creative expression and fun. Kids love our programs and keep coming back again and again. Essentially I decided to create the dream camp that I’d want my daughter to attend to build her emotional intelligence and capacity to love herself.

I also run a parenting support community that supports families in building emotionally connected relationships with themselves and each other. Relationships that will carry into their kids’ adulthood with a foundation of trust and security. I coach parents through videos, talks, interviews, courses and beyond. I just got done teaching a course to refugees from Afghanistan and it was so beautiful to connect with these families who have been through so much and are open to integrating their culture with their children’s new culture in a healthy way.

Our Camp Connect programs are expanding in the coming year beyond Boulder and we’re so excited to bring this work to a wider audience. Connection and being our authentic selves… I think it’s the medicine that our world needs right now to heal.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Through the pandemic I’ve learned that our creativity and commitment to joy and love can get us through the most difficult of times. For me the pandemic was a big catalyst in recognizing that we’re all so truly connected and impact each other significantly each and every day– in ways we don’t even realize!
Like many people I had to get creative during the pandemic since my work was all in-person. We started meeting outside, going on walks and exploring nature. I realized how crucial human connection is to our mental health and sense of well-being. I found that the kids who were most isolated due to health concerns at home or the family’s worry were more intensely impacted socially and emotionally. Therapy has been a huge support to kids who had to go through this in order to help them find that sense of safety and trust in the world around them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coloradoplaytherapy.com
• Instagram: @sanam_pej
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanam.pejuhesh/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanam-pejuhesh-1364a729

Image Credits
Bailey Johnson
Isa Down