Charmaine Pigue is a licensed social worker who has been working in the field of social work for the past 19 years. She brings with her a wealth of experience in working with adults, children, and families. Charmaine helps clients deal with depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, and other mental health disorders. I am a military spouse who spent years moving to different places with my military husband who is now retired. What drew me to focus on treating clients with mental health issues is that I have always wanted to help people. I immigrated from Jamaica, WI with my family when I was a young girl. Being an immigrant in New York helped me see how helping the community was needed. I started by volunteering as a candy striper in a hospital. After obtaining my bachelor's degree in psychology, I worked in state and county agencies that assisted clients with mental health needs. Having worked with psychologists, nurses, and case managers, I felt I could do more. I decided to get my master's degree. This allowed me to help change lives by providing counseling for people who needed face-to-face, hands-on assistance. Ultimately, I was ready to fully focus on providing clinical psychotherapy to my clients and obtained my clinical license.
I use a biopsychosocial questionnaire to assist me with getting to know my clients. You can expect the first 1-2 sessions to involve discussing your life and the problems you are facing. You can expect that we will develop a plan to address each problem based on your motivation and commitment to change. Most of your homework will consist of practicing new coping skills you learn and observing your own reaction and responses to bring important challenges to your awareness. I use a strength-perspective, psychodynamics, and other approaches, depending on the problems presented.
Having worked in the social work field for the past 20 years, I've developed a tried-and-true method of establishing rapport with clients and for helping them (a) identify the root cause of your challenges and (b) create a individual treatment plan that leads to measurable progress.
I often use Cognitive behavioral therapy in my practice; taking a look at your thoughts and behaviors and analyzing what works and what doesn't. We'll explore the most appropriate ways for you to make progress.
I often use Strengths based therapy to emphasize the strengths in the client rather than focusing only on their problems. Every client has unique strengths and is seen as the expert in their own life. Counselor and client engage in a collaborative relationship.