Westly Francois is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker located in Atlanta, GA who supports teenagers, young adults, and adults who struggle with their mental health. He works with those who face trauma, including racism or discrimination, as well as anxiety, depression, or difficulty coping with high levels of stress. Westly also works with couples and families who would like to improve their relationships, taking them back to reflections on their early attachments to make sense of what’s happening in their current lives. Westly’s approach to therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, which is an evidence-based therapy modality that stimulates the brain in a way that accesses memories. By reshaping the individual’s reactions to those memories, clients can find it easier to move forward, especially if they previously felt stuck in their distress after trauma. Westly also utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), teaching clients how to monitor their thought patterns for cognitive distortions that can lead to anxiety or low self-esteem. Westly earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from Florida A&M University. He has 15 years of experience working in the mental health field and is an accredited EMDR therapist. He enjoys leading relaxed, laughter-filled sessions, connecting with clients and helping them with his positive, joyful energy.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In the first sessions, the client's history and an overall treatment plan will be discussed. During this process I will identify and clarify potential targets for EMDR. Target refers to a disturbing issue, event, feeling, or memory for use as an initial focus for EMDR.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I am particularly sensitive to clients who struggle to trust or open up to others. I am very aware of how early attachment can injury can cause lasting problems and can tune in to subtle dynamics in relationships, including the therapeutic relationship.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Clients with history of anger management, trauma, anxiety and depression.
About Wes Francois
Identifies as
Specializes in
Serves ages
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
EMDR
Our brains have a natural system for processing information and experiences so that we can keep what we need for wisdom, learning, and growth and let the rest go. But sometimes disturbing experiences overwhelm that processing system, or we don’t have the information we need for our brains to make sense of what happened in a healthy way. Then, our brains and bodies hold on to all the pieces of the old experience and those can get triggered by reminders in our present life. The eye movements and other right-left stimulation in EMDR activate your brain’s information processing system in the security of my office so you can successfully process the experience and let go of what’s not useful to you.