Is everyday life feeling overwhelming for you? Are you struggling to move forward and tackle the challenges that come your way? If you crave peace in times of uncertainty, you're not alone. Together, we can embark on a transformative healing journey, taking it one step at a time, and uncover the peace that you truly deserve. Remember: You're not broken. You're human! As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I am passionate about supporting children, adolescents, and adults from diverse backgrounds and attending to their mental health needs. I am a firm believer in meeting where you are at. I enjoy working with adolescents and adults who are struggling with addressing a variety of needs. Together, we will uncover the pathways to help you regain your balance by addressing the barriers preventing you from reaching your goals, including any unresolved issues from the past. If you’re ready to embrace the strength and power that lie within you, I am here to support you. I understand that seeking therapy can be intimidating, but you’re making a courageous choice for yourself. You deserve a nurturing environment to heal and thrive. In our sessions, I will approach you with compassion, utilize evidence-based techniques, and holistic strategies tailored to help you move past the habits and obstacles holding you back. Let’s embark on this transformative journey together!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, I will conduct a biopsychosocial assessment (intake), approximately 60 minutes, to identify your need for counseling and we will collaboratively develop a comprehensive treatment plan with identifiable goals/objectives. A treatment plan is necessary in order to give us direction for your sessions.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
During sessions, I help foster a safe environment for my clients to identify the root(s) of their problem(s), process their emotions, reflect on behaviors/responses, and develop a balance within their lives. As a provider, I want my clients to have the opportunity to heal and challenge maladaptive coping patterns through therapeutic interventions.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I specialize in working with and not limited to, anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, life changes, and decision-making. I enjoy working with adolescents, young adults, working professionals, and individuals who are seeking to address their presenting mental health needs and any inner childhood trauma.
About Cassandra Gonzalez
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have treated clients with anxiety (social anxiety and panic disorder), depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, grief, stress, burn-out, compassion fatigue, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy, I help my clients identify how their experience(s) influence their thoughts and behaviors. I assist my clients with becoming aware of the connection between their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors through psycho-education. The goal is to change unhelpful thinking styles (e.g. cognitive distortions) and how behaviors (e.g. actions) are linked to emotional states.
Compassion Focused
I have treated clients with anxiety, mood disorders, poor body image, poor self-esteem, and obsessive compulsive disorder. By utilizing compassion focused interventions, I begin by exploring my client's mind and thought perceptions. We will assess your feelings, emotional learning, motives, body memories, compassion for self and others. Once these aspects have been identified and processed, we will examine your interactions between different emotion systems: threat system, drive system, and care-giving system. We will incorporate mindfulness and compassion focused imagery work to help foster the development of your compassionate self. The goal is to develop a care-giving system to be at peace with your own thoughts and be comfortable with being human.
Narrative
I have treated clients with grief, insomnia, attachment issues, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. By utilizing narrative therapy, the client is in the driver's seat while I am the passenger. As the driver and through assessment, the client provides me information about the problem, identifies the effects that the problem has impacted their daily functioning in a variety of settings, and the severity of how these settings were impacted. I have my clients retell their story and find new meanings to their experience(s). As I find the new meaning(s) with my clients, I provide them with psycho-education and tools to help them externalize. By integrating externalization, the client will separate themselves from their problem(s), making it easier to initiate change. We will identify areas that you are neglecting yourself (problem) and shift your narrative (re-authorizing). The goal is to separate the client from the issue and to externalize rather than internalize.
Trauma Informed Care
I have treated clients with sexual trauma, physical abuse, witnessed or experienced dating violence, and professionals with vicarious trauma. As a trauma informed therapist, I begin by cultivating a safe environment for my clients in order to build our therapeutic rapport and to successfully engage them in their own care. A safe environment is necessary to help mitigate any feelings of anxiety and avoid re-traumatization. We will assess your triggers, symptoms, and feelings. I provide my clients with psycho-education about trauma, functions of a traumatized brain, and trauma responses. We will explore instances of thought suppression and additional coping strategies. At my client's pace, I will expose them to their past trauma in a controlled and safe manner in order to help process, recover, and foster resilience.