LCSW, 9 years of experience
Hello I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Illinois. I received my master's in social work from Loyola University of Chicago. I have been a social worker for 39 years and practicing as a therapist for 9 years. I have experience working with adults who are struggling with anxiety, stress, grief and trauma. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity and compassion. I tailor my treatment to meet my client's specific needs and create a safe and non- judgmental space to support my client's healing journey.
During our first session together, we will start off with brief introductions and I will answer any questions you may have. I will cover my approach to therapy and begin to gather information about what had you seek therapy at this time. The information I gather will help us develop an individualized treatment plan together that we will work on in future sessions.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to be empathic and put myself in my client's shoes and see how they may feel. I feel this strength helps me understand and build trust and rapport with my clients. Another strength I possess is the ability to be a good active listener. I am attentive and listen to understand what is going on with my clients and am committed to my client's well-being.
I love working with adults who are overthinkers and engage in negative self-talk. My clients are eager to improve their inner negative dialogue and replace it with positive thinking. In the process my clients begin to see a decrease in their overthinking and negative self-talk as well as a decrease in anxiety. I also welcome clients who want to incorporate their faith in their sessions.
I have been using Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) in my practice for the past 7 years. I have found that CBT has helped my clients who present with symptoms of anxiety and depression, and negative thinking. The way one thinks influences how one feels and how we feel influences the way we act. Thus, utilizing CBT has helped my client's change their thinking and reduced feelings of anxiety and depression.
I have been using mindfulness -based therapy for the past 9 years and living a mindfulness life- style for the past ten years. Mindfulness based therapy is helpful with my clients who have a trauma history, anxiety and depression. I focus on helping my client's use meditation, relaxation and awareness exercises to help them focus on the present moment. The goal is that over time my clients begin to experience day to day situations and stressors in non- judgmental and non- reactionary ways.
I have been using Faith- Based Therapy (FBT) in my practice for the past 9 years. I provide evidence- based techniques along with incorporating my client's faith in our therapy sessions. FBT has helped my client's who want to incorporate faith based principles to support their healing. FBT has served as a powerful resource for my client's who are working through challenges such as grief, anxiety and traumatic experiences.