Serving Starkville, Mississippi & surrounding areas

"Play is a child's natural medium for self-expression"
— Virginia Axline

Play Therapy, Expressive Art Therapy, and Parent Consultation — because play is a child's natural language.

Child playing with crayons
Licensed & CertifiedLPC-S · RPT-S
🧩 Play Therapy
🐴 EquiPlay
🎨 Art Therapy
Our Services

How we help children & families

Every child communicates differently. We meet them where they are — through play, art, and connection.

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Play Therapy

Children play out feelings and experiences they aren't developmentally equipped to talk about — in a specially designed playroom, one-on-one with a trained therapist.

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EquiPlay

Equine Interactive Play Therapy combines the power of play with connection to miniature horses, helping children ages 5–14 develop self-control, problem-solving, and resilience.

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Art Therapy

In my therapy sessions, we’ll work to solve current problems and improve positive thinking and behavior. I will help you “re-frame” your reactions and provide you with valuable tools to cope with life’s obstacles.

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Parent Counseling

Every child is unique. We guide parents in discovering the best parenting techniques and strategies, and map out a family plan to equip, encourage, and empower each child.

Child playing with toy cars
The Power of Play

Helping families through Play Therapy

Sandplay. Art. Equine-assisted play. Role playing. Games. This is the language of children.

Children are designed to play. Long before they can talk, they learn to interact with their world through curious exploration — through playing. In play therapy, children are given the opportunity to play out feelings and experiences they are not developmentally equipped to talk about.

Play therapy is a research-based discipline used for decades. Sessions take place in a specially equipped playroom, mostly one-on-one — sometimes child-led, sometimes guided by the therapist. Play therapy helps children develop self-control, problem-solving skills, accept responsibility, and manage the unmanageable in their worlds.

Learn more about Play Therapy
What We Believe

Our Core Values

Everything we do is rooted in these principles — they guide every session, every interaction, and every relationship we build.

01

Therapeutic Process

The therapeutic process is a relationship that takes, time, energy, and investment from both sides. We believe that play is the natural language of children, and they should always be allowed to express themselves through therapeutic play.

02

Overcoming Obstacles

We believe in our clients' capacity to overcome obstacles in their lives — and we walk alongside them every step of the way.

03

People

We believe everyone is valuable to God and His Kingdom. We commit to making all of our interactions — with clients or otherwise — with this in mind.

04

High Trust & Safety

High levels of trust are essential to the therapeutic process and hold it as our responsibility to maintain this trust by acting in trustworthy ways. We value an environment of safety and security so clients feel free to explore and express themselves completely.

05

Child & Adolescent Focus

We intentionally focus on the child/adolescent in the family and serve as their advocate and ally. We commit to providing a session and environment that communicate to the child/adolescent that they are our number one focus and priority.

06

Family Involvement

The best results are achieved when the family system as a whole is involved in the therapeutic process. We commit to involving parents in the process and equipping them with resources that enable them to employ knowledge gained during that process into their home environments.

Getting Started

What should I expect?

From your first call to your first session — here's what the process looks like.

1

Reach Out

Call, email, or fill out the form below to schedule.

2

Paperwork & Intake

Once the initial parent consult is scheduled, all paperwork will be emailed to be completed before the parent-only session.

3

Parent-Only Session

The first session is with parents/caregivers only, so we can gather a case history and learn about the child's home and social life.

4

Therapy Begins

Sessions include one-on-one child time, parent sessions, and family sessions — tailored to your family's needs.

Child playing with toy cars
Emily Suggs
LPC-S · RPT-S
Meet Your Therapist

A licensed professional to guide you

Emily is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S), a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S), and the owner of Upside Down Therapy LLC. She received her Master's degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. She is married and a mom to two daughters. Emily specializes in anxiety-related issues, life change, grief, divorce, and parenting.

Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor
Registered Play Therapist Supervisor
Master's in Marriage & Family Counseling
Specializes in anxiety, grief, divorce & parenting
Practical Details

Insurance, Payment & Policies

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Insurance Accepted

Initial sessions are billed at the out-of-pocket rate until insurance benefits are established. We file BCBS, BCBS Federal, and BCBS State directly for you.

For other insurers, we provide a receipt and self-filing packet. It's your responsibility to verify your coverage — contact our office with questions.

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Payment

We accept cash, checks, and credit cards in the office.

For specific fee information, please contact our office to discuss your situation.

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Cancellation Policy

The full session fee will be charged for failure to attend without 24-hour advanced notice of cancellation.

We understand life happens — just give us a call as soon as you know.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my insurance covers therapy sessions?
Check your coverage by asking your insurer: Do I have mental health benefits? What is my deductible, and has it been met? How many sessions per year does my plan cover? What is the coverage amount per session? Is approval required from my primary care physician?
What if my insurance is not BCBS?
If you have a different insurance provider, we can provide you with a receipt and a self-filing insurance packet so you can file the sessions yourself with your insurer.
Why is the initial session with parents only?
This gives us an opportunity to gather a thorough case history and learn about the dynamics of the child's home and social environments. In some cases, we may meet with parents/caregivers for several sessions before bringing the child into a session.
What types of sessions will my family have?
Because of our training in family therapy, you can expect sessions with just the child, just the parents, and the family as a whole — tailored to your family's specific needs and goals.
Get In Touch

Ready to take the first step?

Contact us today to learn more and schedule an appointment. We'd love to hear from you.

101 GT Thames Suite 2-AStarkville, MS 39759
esuggslpc@gmail.comWe typically respond within 24 hours
(662) 338-4988

Request an Appointment