It has been my privilege to partner with many people over the last 30 years to help them make positive changes in their lives. I am a licensed independent clinical social worker in Minnesota and Michigan. I believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all individuals and that we all have times in our lives when we need to join with others to make course corrections, learn new skills, and work toward a better quality of life.
My goal in our first session to get to know you and your unique strengths and needs while creating a warm, safe and empowering space for you to feel comfortable as we begin this journey together. I seek first to understand you as best I can and learn from you how I can be of support as we work toward your goals. By the end of the first session I like to have agreed upon a direction you want to go and the start of a plan on how we can work to get you there.
I come into the therapy relationship with a great deal of experience with people of all ages and backgrounds, which has helped me hone my skills and my sense of how to connect in a genuine way with my clients. People can tell when you really care and I have been told many times what this is my greatest asset. I listen to understand you, as I truly believe you are the true expert in you. I work to use my experience, expertise and skills to guide you, reflect back to you and problem solve with you as a partner.
I really enjoy working with children, teens and adults who are ready to work toward change and open to trying new ways to improve their daily lives. I have found anxiety and depression to be the most common issues that bring people to seek therapy and I feel very confident in helping people address those symptoms. I also have years of experience with children, teens and family issues, and am well-versed in school, social services and medical systems.
I tailor my integrative therapy based on the unique strengths and needs of each client. I believe that the client guides the direction of therapy and that you are the expert in you. I come from a strengths-based perspective and I believe in building upon the positives to learn new strategies and increase insight.
While I do utlitize many different approaches, based upon the needs of the client, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a primary method I use as it is proven to be highly effective in addressing many challenges. With CBT we explore how our thoughts impact our feelings and behaviors and work to change problematic patterns and find tools to address symptoms.