Aniron Functional Medicine and Integrative Psychiatry

11/03/2026

IFS Therapy for Children with ADHD and Autism: Understanding Their Needs

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Tres Hatch, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Level 2 Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist in Lehi, Utah.

Tres is the founder of the International IFS Cooperative and a Certified Clinical Supervisor. Through her practice, Whole Self Clinic, she works with children ages 6 and older, adolescents, and adults.

Her areas of expertise include trauma, ADHD, autism, and helping neurodivergent individuals better understand and manage their emotions.

Her training includes child-centered play therapy, sand tray therapy, art therapy, and Lifespan Integration. She also contributed Chapter 11 to the second edition of Internal Family Systems Therapy with Children by Lisa Spiegel and Claire Stubbs.

During our conversation, we explored how Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy can help children with ADHD, autism, emotional dysregulation, and trauma better understand their internal experiences and develop healthier ways of coping.

As a provider specializing in Functional Medicine and Integrative Psychiatry, I believe collaboration between medical and mental health professionals is important when supporting neurodivergent children and their families.

I invite you to read my latest blog article to learn more about IFS therapy, ADHD, autism, and how this therapeutic approach may support children's emotional well-being.

Read the full article on my website:

Find out how IFS therapy for kids in Utah aids ADHD and autistic children in expressing their feelings and understanding themselves better.

10/21/2026

When depression, anxiety, or ADHD symptoms don’t improve, there may be more to the story.

In conventional psychiatry, lab testing is rarely used to investigate underlying biological causes of psychiatric symptoms. We do things differently.

Physical and mental health are deeply connected. Inflammation, infections, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and thyroid dysfunction can contribute to symptoms and affect treatment outcomes.

In children, PANS and PANDAS are examples of how medical conditions can affect mood and behavior.

Met your deductible this year? Medically necessary labs may cost little or nothing out of pocket, depending on your coverage. Remember, deductibles typically reset January 1!

Schedule your consultation at Aniron Functional Medicine & Integrative Psychiatry before the year ends.

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Root-cause Integrative Psychiatry in Utah. In-person care in Lehi & Bountiful, plus virtual visits in Utah & Idaho.

10/12/2026

On September 16, 2026, the American Society of Hematology released landmark new guidelines raising the ferritin thresholds for diagnosing iron deficiency across every population. Children. Adults. Pregnant women. Menstruating individuals. Under the old thresholds, up to 70% of iron deficiency cases in high-risk groups were being missed. These new guidelines change that and validate what functional medicine providers have recognized for years.

A ferritin of 12 ng/mL is not fine. A ferritin of 8 ng/mL is not fine. These numbers produce real symptoms and those symptoms often resolve when iron stores are properly corrected.

Read the full article in my blog to learn about the new ASH guidelines, the symptoms of iron deficiency across every age group, how to supplement safely with vitamin C and B vitamins, and when IV iron infusions are needed.

Learn about the recently updated guidelines on iron deficiency in physical and mental health and their implications for treatment.

10/05/2026

Most families have heard of ABA. Far fewer have heard of JASPER, and that gap matters.

JASPER stands for Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation. It is a play-based autism intervention developed at UCLA that follows the child's lead rather than asking them to comply with adult-directed drills. The research behind it is extensive. A systematic review of 19 studies found that children who received JASPER showed significant improvements in joint attention, engagement, play skills, and language, across every study reviewed.

What makes JASPER different is not just what it teaches but how it teaches. Therapy happens inside play, inside what the child already loves and is motivated by. Skills develop naturally because the environment feels safe, not because compliance is demanded.

JASPER is not the only play-based approach worth knowing about. DIR Floortime, the Early Start Denver Model, Pivotal Response Treatment, and Relationship Development Intervention all share the same child-led philosophy and all carry meaningful evidence for autistic children.

Furthermore, play-based therapy works best when the child's biological underpinnings are also supported. Gut health, nutritional deficiencies, inflammation, and folate pathway dysfunction all affect how the brain responds to therapy. Addressing both together produces stronger outcomes than either approach alone.

Read the full article in my blog to learn about JASPER, where to find the book and training, and how a comprehensive approach supports autistic children more fully.

Jasper play-based autism therapy in Utah is gaining well-deserved recognition and the research behind it is compelling. For decades, Applied Behavior Analysis has dominated autism intervention. However, a growing body of evidence supports naturalistic, play-based, child-led approaches that work with...

09/22/2026

I had the great opportunity to have a conversation with Betty Flores, a certified therapist specializing in perinatal mental health.

Like many women, we both have personal, but also professional experience with postpartum depression. So many women suffer silently and are apprehensive about what seeking treatment might mean.

First, there is the fear of simply saying out loud what is happening. We all remember when Tom Cruise publicly criticized actress Brooke Shields for speaking openly about her postpartum depression and using medication as part of her treatment. That was in 2005, but the stigma and fear of judgment surrounding maternal mental health are still very real today.

Second, there is the fear of what treatment might mean for their babies—especially concerns about medications during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Third, there is the poor accessibility of providers and facilities specifically trained to care for mothers experiencing serious perinatal mental health conditions and their families.

We also talked about the Lindsay Clancy case and the difficult reality it has brought into the public conversation about postpartum psychosis. Her case is an extreme and tragic example, but it highlights something we cannot ignore: severe perinatal mental illness can be a psychiatric emergency, and women need to be recognized, believed, and given appropriate care before they reach a crisis.

We need to make it safer for mothers to say, “Something is not right,” without fear of judgment.

Maternal mental health is healthcare.

Join the dialogue on perinatal mental health in Utah, focusing on the challenges and stigma surrounding postpartum depression today.

09/15/2026

Could your home be making you sick?
When fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, depression, or other symptoms do not respond as expected to treatment, the environment may deserve a closer look.
In susceptible individuals, mold and mycotoxin exposure may contribute to neuroinflammation and immune dysfunction, potentially worsening physical, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. It may also be an overlooked factor in complex conditions such as chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and neuroimmune conditions like PANS and PANDAS.
I recently worked with a family whose daughter experienced severe OCD symptoms and significant neuroimmune vulnerability. Addressing suspected mold exposure in their home became an important part of her broader treatment approach.
For this article, I collaborated with Sam Hess, IICRC-certified co-founder of Elite Water Restoration. Sam shares what he encounters inside affected homes, how hidden moisture and mold problems are investigated, and how specialized remediation can help families create a healthier living environment.
From my perspective as a healthcare provider, treating the individual may sometimes require us to investigate the environment in which that person lives.

Learn about mold remediation for CIRS and mental health in Utah and how it affects well-being and treatment effectiveness.

09/08/2026

I will be presenting on PMDD during The Evolution of Women Conference.

Many women with PMDD have been misdiagnosed with depression, anxiety, or even bipolar disorder and, as a result, may go years without receiving the right treatment.

PMDD is much more than just “bad PMS.”

Research shows that one of the major mechanisms behind PMDD is an increased sensitivity of the brain to the normal hormonal changes that happen throughout the menstrual cycle, particularly changes involving progesterone and allopregnanolone. Research is also looking at the role inflammation may play in worsening symptoms.

I see this very often in my practice.

Antidepressants can be very helpful for PMDD, but medication alone may not address everything contributing to a woman’s symptoms.

This is why I believe PMDD needs a more comprehensive approach, one that looks at mental health, hormones, inflammation, nutrition, sleep, stress, and overall physical health.

Come learn more about PMDD, why symptoms can become so severe at certain times of the menstrual cycle, and how we can better understand and treat women who struggle with it.

09/07/2026

Hormonal changes may affect how ADHD symptoms present throughout a woman’s life—particularly during perimenopause.

Recent research found that women with ADHD reported more severe perimenopausal symptoms, with difficulties appearing at younger ages than among women without ADHD.

Changes in estrogen and progesterone may influence focus, working memory, motivation, sleep, mood, and emotional regulation. These symptoms are real, and they deserve to be evaluated through a whole-person lens.

Aniron Functional Medicine and Integrative Psychiatry provides individualized care that considers mental health alongside hormones, thyroid function, nutrition, metabolism, and other factors that may affect well-being.

Appointments are available in Lehi and Bountiful, with telehealth offered where permitted.

Learn more: www.anironfmip.com

https://anironfmip.com/adhd-perimenopause-menopause-treatment/

Aniron Functional Medicine & Integrative Psychiatry in Lehi and Bountiful, Utah offers root-cause care for mental and physical health.

09/01/2026

Women with ADHD can experience significant changes in focus, concentration, memory, mood, and emotional regulation with hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle, and particularly during perimenopause and menopause.

Many women have also gone years without being properly assessed or diagnosed. Instead, they may experience anxiety, depression, overwhelm, low self-esteem, or believe they are simply distracted, unmotivated, or not trying hard enough.

Understanding how female hormones interact with ADHD and brain chemistry is an important part of recognizing and treating these symptoms. ADHD has real neurobiological and physiological components, and hormonal changes can significantly influence how symptoms present.

Come learn about the connection between ADHD and female hormones, why symptoms may change with your cycle and during perimenopause and menopause, and practical ways to better understand and manage them.

For more information, you can also read my article on ADHD, Perimenopause & Menopause:

https://anironfmip.com/adhd-perimenopause-menopause-treatment/

08/07/2026