I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been practicing therapy for 5+ years. I work mostly with teens and families with symptoms related to anxiety, depression, ADHD, by teaching DBT, CBT, ACT, and Executive Functioning skills. I have worked in an inpatient hospital and how work in a Partial Hospitalization Program while also doing private practice on the side.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we'll start with introductions, and then I want to know more about what brings you to therapy. I'll share my general ideas for how I believe we can work through those challenges and then I'll ask for your thoughts. At the end of the session, I will ask if you want to schedule your next session and there is NO PRESSURE/obligation to schedule.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I am an empathic listener who asks questions to help you come to your own decisions about what you want to do moving forward. I can help with grounding when emotions get high. In my presence, you are encouraged to cry if your emotions take you there. If you are someone who over-apologizes, I will work with you on this to limit/decrease the use of them. While I do typically focus on talk/psychotherapy, there are times when we don't have the words... in these times, I do utilize experiential activities to help us dig deeper or explore more of an area that maybe hasn't been processed with words yet; this might be in the form of drawing, or music, or movement.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I love working with teens and at-risk youth! I've spent the majority of my therapy career as a group therapist and family therapist and doing individual therapy in my private practice. I have a special place in my heart for working with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), postpartum moms, LGBTQ+, college students, and postpartum moms.
About Amanda Berenguel Smolka
Specializes in
Serves ages
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Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I was trained and facilitated ACT for the past 5 years as a Group and Individual therapist in the following settings; inpatient hospital, Partial Hospitalization Program, and in my private practice. I use ACT mostly with adults because it's full of metaphors. I love using ACT when someone is struggling to find motivation because a key component in this modality is values. So I help walk folx through identifying their top values then use that as a basis to help them make their own decisions.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have trained and practiced with CBT for the past 4 years while working in a Partial Hospitalization Program both in group and individual therapy. I use CBT when learning about someone's patterns of behavior and how their internal experiences (thoughts, emotions, physiological sensations) impact their behaviors. Then I walk them through various skills they can use to intervene to help manage their emotions.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I have based my career, in the PHP level of care, using DBT skills. I love using DBT to help folx learn how they can hold two seemingly opposing truths at the same time. There's no room for "but" in this modality, there's only "and". I teach people how to balance conflicting thoughts, ideas, behaviors, and emotions, and then identify the sticking point to overcome with a skill.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
For folx with complex anxieties or OCD, I have been helping them safely pave a way forward to overcome their fight/flight/freeze mode. The goal is not to remove the anxiety, the goal is to sit in the discomfort and do the hard things WHILE experiencing the anxiety. I'm order for this to be effective, the individual must be on board with this treatment method.
Family Therapy
I have 2+ years of practicing family therapy in a Partial Hospitalization Program. I typically help families with connecting through effective communication and validation. While this treatment method is typically brief/short term and goal directed, used to help families problem solve and create behavior plans, in also open to more long term work depending on the goals of the family.