LPC/MHSP, 10 years of experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois and a Licensed Professional Counselor Mental Health Service Provider (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee. I am an Army Veteran and I specialize in trauma and grief. I have experience treating many other mental health issues including: bipolar disorder, OCD, depression (postpartum and clinical), anxiety, personality disorders, chronic illness, domestic violence and life transitions.
In our first session together, we will discuss the limits to confidentiality, I will gather any information I need to appropriately develop a treatment plan. We will spend some time getting to know each other and discuss what brings you to therapy.
The connection I have with my clients. I believe the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important parts of the therapeutic process. My life experience gives me a genuine understanding of the difficulties of trauma and grief and makes me more relatable.
I love working with adults who are navigating difficult life experiences. I am well-versed in trauma informed care and take a warm, empathic approach to healing. I have extensive experience working with men and women who are healing through various types of trauma. I am best suited to work with clients who are invested in their healing and ready to commit to therapy.
The psychodynamic approach aims to identify how the past impacts the present and contributes to maladaptive coping skills, negative core beliefs, low self-esteem, relationship problems and overall dysfunction. Psychodynamic therapy or "talk therapy" helps with emotional processing, development of healthier coping skills and overall improved quality of life.
Attachment theory focuses on how our attachment to our primary caregivers (birth- 7 years) impacts our attachments later in life, most often with romantic partners. It is helpful to identify attachment styles when looking at interpersonal relationships, dysfunctional relationship patterns, and developing an understanding of client needs.
Grief comes in many forms, including: job loss/job change, relocation, death of a loved one/pet, life transitions, divorce, chronic illness/loss of mobility, disability, loss of a friendship, etc. Grief therapy provides a safe space to help clients navigate their loss with help in identifying the stages of grief, emotional processing, catharsis, and acceptance/ finding meaning in loss.
Trauma informed care is any modality of treatment which takes into consideration the life circumstances and unique needs of the client. I have taken a trauma informed approach to care since I started as a clinical intern in community mental health. I take a trauma informed approach to treatment by getting to know the client, building the trust and safety within the therapeutic alliance and then taking a multi-modal approach to treating the clients specific needs.
Trauma focused CBT is primarily used with children and adolescents but can still be helpful with adults. The goal of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is to identify and challenge negative thoughts, negative core-beliefs, and develop appropriate coping skills. Techniques such as thought stopping, thought replacement, and psychoeducation on the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviors can be effective in reducing problematic thought patterns.