Welcome! I'm Alexis McDonald Please take a moment to acknowledge you have taken the first step towards bettering your mental health because, you have taken the first step by simply looking into how you can begin to address what you are experiencing. I strive to create a safe and welcoming environment that allows clients to explore obstacles with concerns related to anxiety, depression, trauma and/or self-care. I focus on helping clients develop assertive communication & boundaries with themselves and those around them that can help improve their quality of life. Counseling can foster personal development in whatever way you may be seeking and help build the life you so deeply deserve. If that's what you're looking for, I'm here when you're ready to share.
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, expectations of therapy, some rapport building and then dive into the specific challenges you're facing. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
My greatest strengths as a professional are communication, empathy, respect, trust, flexibility and compassion for the clients I work with and their personal journey to healing.
I have been utilizing CBT in my practice for the past five years. It’s helped my clients with daily challenges as well as ongoing challenges. It can assist with anxiety and managing emotions in the daily life of my clients. I can help clients understand how CBT can assist them in recognizing how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other. We’ll then use that knowledge to change thinking patterns, which will help clients achieve a less anxious and stressful daily life.
I have been utilizing DBT to help clients learn and practice better skills to assist them in managing their emotions, work through difficult situations, and overall improve relationships in their lives.
Grief therapy is a way to establish a routine to assist clients in reguating their emotions and soothing their nervous system. Clients are encouraged to openly express their feelings and emotions as a way to understand that these are all normal stages of grief.
Mindfulness-based therapy is a way to assist clients in reducing negative emotions, improving self-control, accept their experiences, move to a growth mindset, tolerate pain, be more present, reduce avoidance and increase connection to self.
MI is a way a therapist can assist clients in life changing ways. It is used to assist clients in taking responsibility, building self-confidence, making positive changes, helps clients envision a life free of substance and mental health challenges, and allows them to become more receptive to treatment.