Welcome to my profile! Did you know everyone at one point or another in life may experience a host of unbearable stressors that leaves us feeling weighed down. We may even describe ourself as 'lost in a web of frustration' and describe that as anxiousness, fatigue, or sadness, whereas, our unique threshold feels completely depleted. But did you know feeling anxiousness is normal? Many would not realize, to feel stress is actually a sense of determination to gain back control and the tiredness is temporary. Anxiousness is innate in all of us. What's not healthy is when the stressors crosses the threshold to what feels comfortable, interrupts our daily habits/responsibilities. So, how do we 'fix things' when all we want is solitude? It is said, 'when life throws us lemons, make lemonade'. Simple as finding a helper - therapist. I’ll help you navigate the web of confusion to find YOUR empowerment. My journey began as a young child whose home was a host of struggles/abuse which later became insight into the struggles others experience. I found a well-regarded psychotherapist who helped me to learn life-long cognitive tools. Inspired, I became a psychotherapist, worked in a clinical setting. I garnered a vast amount of knowledge which helped me to specialize in various modalities of treatment. Proper psychotherapists should emphasize there is no such thing as "the magic pill" and most treatments don't require medication. I hold a high standard for clients' rights as a mental health advocate with requires a high standard for myself. I serve all slices of society including those dealing with depression, grief, anxiety, relationship issues, past trauma, adjustment, chronic health and other issues. Together, we will identify what's not working, find solutions you can innately use and form goals that do NOT require much change in your life.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Our first session is called the "Intake Session" where you and I will get to know each other, develop rapport to set the tone of the what therapy is all about, learn about confidentiality, duty to warn, and for the most, find whatever goals and objectives YOU are looking for in your life. The initial visit is when you and I (psychotherapist) get to know each other and get an idea of how to proceed based on your needs, such as learn what are the issues impacting your well-being, develop goals and objectives to build your therapeutic plan which includes the proper therapeutic modalities that will help you find your sense of empowerment in the here and now.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My biggest strength is my work ethic, in that I focus all my energy on every session toward the recovery of my client. Every client is important to me. I make it a point to stay abreast with the latest research on therapeutic tools so that I can concisely prepare for every session, using the best approach in treating my clients. For example, many therapists tend to stick with one modality and will never waiver from that said modality, despite the client's needs, whereas the end result is a repeated farce of stagnate sessions - NOT ME. Every human being is unique, diverse and static to the events impacting them. We, as clinicians, must treat every client genuinely, honestly, and accordingly. Honesty is paramount in a therapeutic relationship with every client. That being said, a therapist doesn't know everything and should admit when unable to help the client. I pledge to be honest with you and help you reach your therapeutic goals.
About Monica M. Rivera-Pina, owner of Pragmatic Solutions Therapy PLLC
Monica M. Rivera-Pina, owner of Pragmatic Solutions Therapy PLLC offers therapy covered by UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicaid in Texas.
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
As a psychotherapist with 20 years of experience working in the clinical setting, I use the most proven modalities; many of which stem from my primary specialization known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I have helped many clients (re)gain control of his or her many life stressors, revealed as or evident in our daily negative thoughts. Those cognitive distortions are common to us all, and often happen automatically, seemingly out of nowhere. Over time, the process of questioning and replacing negative thoughts with solutions, implementing boundaries for ourselves and others, as well as tools for de-stressing the mind, body and soul, will/can transform our thought processes into a sense of empowerment, also known as healing.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Another powerful and successful therapeutic modality is Dialectical Behavioral therapy (DBT). In my professional and experienced opinion, DBT goes hand in hand with CBT, considering DBT is basically a modified form of cognitive behavioral therapy. The main goal of DBT is to guide people in how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate our emotions, as well as improve our relationships with others. Alike to CBT, the tools for DBT are far-reaching, in that the techniques and tools can treat people of trauma, grief, bi-polar and so much more. DBT also helps people recover and move forward from what is holding one "stuck" in an emotional state of mind of negative thoughts and hopelessness.
EMDR
Another modality I am trained in is EMDR, a psychotherapy technique designed to relieve the distress associated with disturbing memories that stem from a traumatic event. EMDR is short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The therapeutic modality known as EMDR involves recalling a specific troublesome experience while following a side-to-side visual stimulus delivered by the therapist. The result of using lateral eye movements helps to reduce the emotional charge of the memory so that the experience can be safely discussed, digested, and stripped of the power that ultimately triggers anxiety and avoidance. Clients can expect to experience some level of emotional and physical discomfort while recalling distressing memories. EMDR is based on the so-called Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model and is said to directly target the way a distressing memory is stored in the brain. EMDR can also take several sessions to work, though you could notice some improvement after your first session. You might find the beginning of therapy triggers some emotional distress and discomfort, especially if you’re just starting to deal with traumatic events. But since EMDR doesn’t require you to talk about the trauma at length or spend extensive time thinking about it, it may feel less overwhelming than other approaches used to treat trauma. Ready to try EMDR? Keep in mind that I am a trained professional and can help you find your path toward recovery if it is determined that EMDR is right for you.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
As a professional that uses an eclectic or integrative approach with clients is that of Solution-focused therapy (SFT). SFT is a goal-directed collaborative approach to psychotherapeutic change that is conducted through direct observation of every single one of my clients' responses to a series of precisely constructed questions. Solution-focused brief therapy can be helpful for a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, self-esteem, relationship issues and coping with changes in life. It will help you, or any couple, number of family members, or groups to recover from whatever obstacle or issue.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
For client's that require a more intensive approach for outside influences such as dependency, I utilize Acceptance and commitment therapy, as a form of psychotherapy or analysis. It is an empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies along with commitment and behavior-change strategies to increase psychological flexibility. ACT helps the client to focus on how you may have used substances to avoid or numb unwanted or distressing internal experiences. ACT will help you explore the impact of the outside influence on your ability to create a meaningful or purpose-driven life. learn to accept and tolerate emotional pain without numbing or avoiding it.