LICSW, 35 years of experience
New to Grow
During my career in social work I have provided extensive service to individuals and families in crisis. This attention has supported them through a variety of circumstances and issues such as; domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness, poverty, mental illness, racial bias, sexual identity and sexual orientation. The assistance that I am able to give to these populations’ helped ease the societal alienation that they felt as a result of their personal experiences, The focus is to help clients break through the individual barriers work on goals that are realistic and provide a foundation of stability, and hope. I also can bring experience and skills to the agencies that assist them. My skills include the knowledge to complete a through multidimensional/functional assessment, carry a personal client caseload, counseling them in individual, groups and family settings. My advocacy skills are strong and help individuals navigate through complex systems while providing opportunities for resources to enter their lives, as a result of networking with other agencies. My goal is to support confidence within clients to develop independent living skills, teach advocacy for their own well-being and families and encourage them to utilize community services. These skills are transferable to other professionals in the field by aiding them through supervision and/or training.
Meeting a new therapist can be intimidating. The thing that we both share is are we going to be liked by one another? It is my goal to have a discussion that sheds some light on my background and whether the experiences I have had can be useful to the person I am working with. It also gives me a chance to see what you are looking for in a therapist. This may be from your own experiences with therapy that did not work for you or that you found helpful.
I believe what is important is developing a sense of trust with the people I am working with. I find it important to be client centered. This means focusing on the individuals unique learning style. I do my best to listen to a client and hear the stories that made them who they feel they are today. Sometimes this means hearing an event over again. The hope is that someting in the event is revealed that can lead to new insights and better outcomes. Teaching people skills to change behavior is also an important tool. Today, there are many skills that can be tried to change behavior. Together we can work to find a skill that can turn a negative behavior into a more positive experience.
My background includes experiences from very many settings. Adolescents, older people, traumatic experiences with abuse and violence, substance users, people who struggle with medical conditions, and individuals who find it difficult to manage behaviors that they fell have a negative impact on their lives. I was trained in a generalist perspective. Essential this means helping individuals with all therapeutic tools that I have accumulated along the way in my tool box.
CBT therapy is used to help individuals who struggle with negative behaviors. Once a behavior is identified the client has a variety of skills that can be useful to change their behavior.
DBT is used in therapy to assist individuals manage intense emotions. Skills are introduced to clients that help them with distress tolerance and regulating their emotions.
Focus on trauma and the impact it has on peoples lives. TIC therapy provides positive outcomes that focus on empowerment of the individual and resisting triggers in ones environment that can leas to re-traumatization.