LMFT, 5 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi there! My name is Chelsea and I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. In the past, I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients of all ages and backgrounds. I believe my communication style is calm and gentle, while still being direct. I do my best to provide a nonjudgmental space wherein the clients I work with can feel comfortable sharing their concerns. I will also challenge clients when appropriate, to allow them to develop insight into ways they can change their thoughts or behaviors in a way that would be helpful for them. My goal is to empower clients to reach their goals, so they can learn tools and techniques to help them better build upon their strengths and manage mental health symptoms. Eventually, my hope is for all of my clients to feel they are in a place where they can manage symptoms and life stressors on their own, through utilizing the skills they've learned throughout therapy. But until that time, I aim to help my clients learn how to change maladaptive patterns of behavior, and learn ways of helping their selves manage the challenges they are facing.
In the first session with clients, I primarily focus on asking a variety of questions to better get to know the client and what concerns they would like to address in therapy. I also use the first session to discuss client expectations, any past experiences with therapy, and important information regarding scheduling, confidentiality, and the structure of sessions.
I believe my breadth of experience working with a large variety of different clients, in a variety of settings, has helped better equip me to assist clients in managing different concerns. In the past, I have worked with children, adults, couples, families, and groups. I've additionally worked in a number of settings, including in community-based settings, private practice, school settings, and with clients requiring higher level of care services. Although I'm currently focused on primarily serving individuals, I believe the experiences I've had with varied settings and clients in the past has allowed me to be better informed on how I can best meet the needs of my clients, and what types of services would be the best fit for them. As far as my approach, I do my best to create a comfortable and inviting environment for clients to feel free to share anything without judgment. I also provide a collaborative working environment, and encourage clients to share any feedback or preferences about their treatment with me, so we can work together to tailor the specific treatment to best fit their needs.
I am currently most interested in working with young adults and adults struggling with stress management, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, life transitions, and communication challenges. I enjoy working with clients with specific goals they would like to work towards, who are highly motivated and open to making changes in their life. However, I genuinely feel that anyone can benefit from therapy, and I would like to assist others in working towards bettering their mental health and overall wellbeing.
When working with clients I have an eclectic and collaborative approach to therapy; my goal is to choose therapeutic techniques and interventions which will be a good fit with the client I'm working with. I enjoy this approach in working with my clients, because I believe no approach is a one-size-fits-all solution for every individual. Because of this, I will frequently draw from multiple different approaches. In the past I have integrated client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches in my work with clients.
I integrate a humanistic approach in the different techniques I use with clients. With a humanistic-based approach comes the idea that clients are capable of working towards their goals and already are equipped with everything they would need to do that. I do my best to provide an open and nonjudgmental space to allow clients to take the lead in identifying goals and making decisions they feel will best benefit them.
I often utilize CBT to help clients who struggle with negative thoughts, worries, and overthinking, among other concerns or challenging thought patterns. I find CBT to be a helpful tool in allowing clients to find alternative ways of thinking, resulting in an overall more positive mood and better interpersonal interactions.