I believe people possess all the knowledge and skills to overcome their mental health challenges, but sometimes need an ally to uncover these strengths. I chose to work in the behavioral health field because I have benefited from a strong support system to help me overcome my own struggles in the past. In my practice, I incorporate motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy to help people uncover their strengths.
In our first session together I will get to know some of the reasons that brought you to the point to seek out therapy. I will ask you about some of the experiences you are/have had and how these contribute to your current struggles. I will team with you to identify goals that you have and develop a plan with you about how we can work together to achieve those goals.
Through working in the substance use, mental health, and grief field for the past 11 years I have the ability to listen to people empathically and uncover some of the thoughts/ideas that may not be said. Empathy is a strength for myself and truly connecting with a person in a meaningful way. I also am skilled in challenging people to look hard at themselves, their behaviors, and get curious of whether their actions are in line with what matters to them.
Through ACT, I work with individuals to get out of their thoughts/feelings and into their lives. I find a lot of the suffering for people comes from getting caught up in thoughts/feelings and avoiding the people/activities that bring purpose/meaning for them. I work with individuals to develop psychological skills to live a live of meaning, purpose, and vitality.
Trauma (PTSD) is unfortunately an experience that many individuals are exposed too and significantly impacts a persons ability to engage in life at the level they want to. CPT allows persons to identify thoughts that may be keeping them stuck in their trauma and provides a platform to be able to process through them with myself in a safe space. CPT is an evidenced based treatment for persons diagnosed with PTSD.
Through Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques I assist persons in moving from position of "maybe something/therapy could help" to "I'm ready to engage in therapy and take action". Reaching out for therapy/help can be a scary process and many times people are unsure if they really want to take on the challenge of therapy and MI helps people move through this process. MI supports persons whom might be unsure if they have a problem or who have people in their lives that say they should seek help but they themselves are unsure.
I am trained in grief therapy and utilize the Dual Process of grief and the 6 stages of grief model in my grief practice. Grief has to be witnessed and I provide a safe space for a person to share their grief and how it is impacting their lives. I have developed/led grief group therapy for the past year.