Hi. I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). I want perspective clients to know I genuinely care about the people I work with, and have a passion for joining people on their journey to a new self. The fact that you are searching for a therapist shows you would like something to change. This is very brave. We often lose perspective about situations and how we deal with them. This can be a result of things we have buried from our past, or relationships that did not support us in the way we need. I will give you a safe and supportive place to look at your unwelcome patterns and find a way to make your journey more fulfilling. My counseling focus is on adolescents and adults. My philosophy is client-centered, Mindfulness based, trauma informed, and goal oriented. I have training and experience with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness. My areas of focus include trauma, attachment issues, difficulties with distress tolerance and emotional regulation, along with families dealing with Alzheimer's. Your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are what make you who you are. As we work together to understand these parts of you, we will find a way to alter those thoughts that no longer work for you and strengthen those that are helping you become who you wish to be.
In our first session together we will begin with introductions, what brings you to therapy now, some assessment may occur, and we will make an action plan to reach your goals. In the first few sessions we will develop our therapeutic relationship, teach you skills to help self-regulate ( deal with your emotions better), and begin to tackle your needs.
I have been successful working with clients who have varied presenting problems. I am able to provide a safe space to investigate their experiences, and a space where clients get to experience more than their problem. They get to experience calm, quiet, humor and hope. I believe being able to learn from my clients is as important as teaching them skills to combat what brought them to therapy. Clients are their own historian. I have to learn their history before I can go on their journey with them.
I believe that in order to truly understand where we are in our lives, and where we want to go, it is necessary to focus on the right now, and understand that treating ourselves non-judgmentally will lead to a happier life. Focusing on how things affect you in the present is helped by focusing inward and identifying your values.
Our emotions seem to rule us. Sometimes, we don't even understand why we are affected by them. Emotions are just things to notice. We are in charge of how we respond to the information those emotions are telling us. Through the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, we will identify your false beliefs , understand them, and help you make choices that align with your values.
Emotions are tricky. They lead us around like we have no choice in how we behave. The question is, why do we let them? Emotions can feel big, bigger than you feel you can handle. This can lead to unwanted behaviors and emotional distress. Through the use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I teach you skills that you can put in your toolbelt, to use when you need them to get through moments of distress.