I am a licensed therapist with many years of experience in different situations. I have worked in private practice, group practices, community mental health and corrections. My areas of strength are with grief and loss, anxiety, depression, relationships and helping clients with their general sense of life struggles. I use a combination of therapeutic approaches while trying to match my clients with what works for them and what they feel comfortable in utilizing.
During our first session I spend most of the time listening to what brought the client into therapy. I ask a few clarification questions but am primarily interested in what the client wants out of therapy. I like to develop a list of topics in therapy and try to prioritize those in conjunction with the client.
I have had numerous years of experience as a therapist and very, very few things surprise me. I take a realistic approach to my life and will encourage clients to do the same.
I am willing to work with clients that are willing to talk through their concerns. Those concerns may indicate that the client just needs some support or information in making their lives better. I like to work with clients that are ready to have the difficult emotional discussions that will eventually improve how they feel on a daily basis.
We are not good at dealing with death or any loss. Death and loss are difficult to navigate and I do understand that grief is an individual process and there is not a blanket way to deal with it.
Using cognitive behavioral therapy, a system that will help change the way we think, teach us more realistic ways to approach our current challenges, and know when things cannot be changed is an excellent way to deal with both past traumas and current traumas.
CBT helps us to overcome emotional distress. It addresses our anxiety, depression, guilt, and other negative emotions that persist because we get stuck in those repetitive negative thoughts.