Olushola A. Lawal
Olushola Abiodun Lawal, known as Shola, was born and raised in South Florida. He is a Florida State University alumnus, graduating with a Bachelor's and Master's in Social Work in 2013 and 2015, respectively. During his time at FSU, he developed an interest in substance abuse, child welfare, mental health, and life coaching.
The core ingredients of this method are self-sufficiency, self-actualization, self-awareness, self-determination, and self-discipline.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida, Shola brings over five years of experience as a Primary Therapist, case manager, and clinical care coordinator, providing insight into various mental health disorders.
First session
Clients can expect the first session to be a comfortable, judgment-free space where we get to know each other, discuss what brought them to therapy, and identify the areas they want to improve. We will talk about their current concerns, past experiences, strengths, and goals for treatment. By the end of the first session, clients should have a clearer understanding of what they want to work on, what therapy may look like moving forward, and a few practical next steps or coping strategies they can begin using right away.
Strengths
Olushola has been working with mental health and substance abuse clients for eight years and has developed an effective method for creating change. The core ingredients of this method are self-sufficiency, self-actualization, self-awareness, self-determination, and self-discipline.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone who knows something in their life or relationships needs to change but may not know how to make that change. I enjoy working with adults and couples who are struggling with communication, trust, boundaries, anger, anxiety, relationship conflict, or major life transitions. My approach works best with clients who are willing to be honest, take accountability, learn practical coping skills, and actively work toward creating healthier relationships and a more fulfilling life.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is a behavioral therapy approach that facilitates behavioral change by helping clients identify and modify dysfunctional thought patterns. By understanding the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, clients can learn to reframe their thinking to cope with stressors more effectively. This shift in thinking positively impacts emotions, which in turn leads to changes in problematic behaviors.
Psychodynamic
Change occurs through insight and understanding of early, unresolved issues. My approach emphasizes the belief that psychopathology often develops from early childhood experiences and focuses on understanding how the past influences current behavior. I explore client transference within sessions and identify defense mechanisms. Sessions are generally non-directive and open-ended, often utilizing free association. This method is well-suited for high-functioning individuals capable of insight, and it can be effective for addressing relationship problems in high-functioning, introspective individuals.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Brief, goal-directed therapy that focuses on a client’s strengths and resources. It emphasizes what the client wants to achieve rather than focusing on problems. We focus on a client’s strengths and resources to create a more effective future. Beginning: We join with the client, envision their preferred future, begin to identify their strengths, use solution-oriented language, and come up with achievable goals. Middle: We continue to identify strengths, resources, and traits the client has already used to deal with problems in the past. We utilize solution-talk, identify exceptions to problems, use scaling questions to reflect on the nature of change the client has experienced, provide feedback that includes highlighting small changes, and assign tasks. We also provide encouragement and celebrate change along the way. End: We assist the client in identifying actions they can take to continue their progress and identify potential hurdles or barriers that could hinder maintaining their changes.
Structural Family Therapy
Change occurs through remodeling the family’s organization (structure). Joining is the first task of a structural family therapist, involving blending in with the family and adapting to their affect, style, and language. Many family problems arise from maladaptive boundaries and subsystems. The therapist helps the family understand how the family structure (relationships, alliances, and hierarchies) can be changed, the impact of rituals and rules, and how to integrate new interaction patterns. Enmeshed boundaries involve family members who are overly dependent and closely involved, which can lead to higher incidences of incest. Disengaged boundaries involve disconnected and isolated family members, which can lead to a greater prevalence of substance abuse. Structural Family Therapy can be beneficial for families experiencing conflict between in-laws, parents, spouses, and/or siblings. The Family Map is a tool used by the therapist to depict relationship dynamics, including subsystems, alliances, coalitions, and boundaries, to conceptualize the case outside of therapy sessions; it is not shared with the family.
Motivational Interviewing
use Motivational Interviewing as a collaborative and client-centered approach to help clients explore ambivalence, identify their own reasons for change, and strengthen motivation toward meaningful goals. In sessions, I use open-ended questions, reflective listening, affirmations, and summaries to help clients better understand their thoughts, behaviors, and values. Rather than telling clients what they should do, I help them recognize discrepancies between their current behaviors and the life or relationships they want. I also use tools such as readiness and confidence scales, exploration of pros and cons, and change-talk questions to support clients in developing realistic, self-directed action steps.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Black / African American
Man
Top specialties
Addiction / Substance Use
Couples Counseling
Life Transitions
Other specialties
Anger Management
Attachment Issues
Family Conflict
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Couples Counseling
Family Therapy
Individual Therapy
Teenagers (13 to 17)
Licensed in
ConnecticutLicense 58.016703
FloridaLicense SW22129
MinnesotaLicense 33414
VirginiaLicense 0904019688