LCSW, 13 years of experience
I've been a licensed psychotherapist in the state of Florida for the past 13 years. I graduated summa cum laude from Barry University with a Master of Social Work. I've worked in different areas of practice, including community mental health, addictions, and with children and families. I strive to be my most authentic self and when appropriate, sprinkle in some humor into our sessions.
In our first session together, I will focus on building rapport with you, ask questions to get to know you, and provide you with a warm and welcoming environment. My goal is to help you feel comfortable and safe. I will get some background information so I can learn as much as I can about you. We will dive into the challenges you’re facing, which will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
One thing I hear from my clients and that I know to be true about myself, is that I truly care about the people I serve. This has always been more than a job to me. I enjoy learning about people and I feel grateful that my clients trust in me enough to have me in their lives to support them.
I have a special place in my heart for helping adults in their 20's, 30's and 40's, parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and individuals with anxiety, depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a treatment method that helps a person become more aware of their own thoughts and how those thoughts affect them. We learn the connection between our thoughts, our feelings and our responses/behaviors. Our thoughts can be very powerful in either improving or exacerbating symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, suicidal ideations, chronic pain, etc.
Solution Focused Therapy helps clients work on positive change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on the problems themselves. It's a very positive treatment method.
Trauma is anything someone has experienced that has been incredibly stressful, scary or life-threatening, i.e. sexual assault, grief, natural disasters, domestic violence, all forms of abuse, bullying, etc. I have been trained to see things through a "trauma lens", meaning that core beliefs, behaviors and thought patterns can stem from the trauma we have experienced in our lives. Specifically I have additional training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Do not ask the question, "What is wrong about this person?" but rather, "What happened to them"?
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is about enhancing a person's motivation for change. For anyone struggling to make positive changes in their life, the techniques of Motivational Interviewing can help things along.