I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Indiana and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in South Carolina. I have over 5 years of experience specializing in assisting children, teens, and families experiencing safety concerns or deteriorated functioning at home, school, or elsewhere. I am passionate about treating children and teens with a trauma history and helping to improve family relationships.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, I will gather information about presenting concerns, treatment goals, history of therapy, support network, and safety. I will explain my therapeutic style and format of our sessions.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My greatest strengths include guiding children and teens on effective utilization of coping skills and collaborating with families to increase successful engagement at home. I can adapt easily to prioritize immediate needs over long-term goals. I strive to build a strong therapeutic rapport with each individual I work with.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
The best therapeutic fit would include a child or teen with a history of high acuity symptoms including aggression, suicidal and homicidal ideation, and/or self-harm. I am comfortable being the counselor for someone who has recently transitioned from a higher level of care including PHP, IOP, inpatient, or residential. I have a passion for working with youth who are displaying unsafe behaviors following a significant trauma or life circumstance. I also enjoy providing therapy services to caregivers of youth and working with family units.
Trauma Informed Care
I facilitate a safe, judgment-free, and supportive environment for children and families to disclose and process through trauma at an individualized pace. I provide psychoeducation on the impact of trauma on mental health and how to improve symptom stability and resilience.
Family Therapy
I gather information regarding each individual in a family system with the goal of strengthening bonds between agreeable family members. I guide in sharing of events leading to relational strain and identification of solutions to alter patterns of damaging behaviors. I encourage identification and communication of ways each family member can better express affection and support eachother.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
I work collaboratively with individuals experiencing acute disruption of functioning to identify and implement person-centered goals in a SMART format.
Collaborative Management and Assessment of Suicidality (CAMS)
I conduct risk assessments and engage in safety planning interventions. My focus includes discovery of protective and risk factors, application of coping skills, and healthy utilization of supportive relationships.
Group Therapy
I facilitate group sessions for children, families, and caregivers. These sessions focus on processing events and teaching psychoeducational topics related to safety, functioning, support, coping skills, feelings, triggers, communication, and responsibility.