New to Grow
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California with 15 years of professional work experience in community mental health. I believe in treating everyone with dignity, respect, and compassion. I take an empathetic approach to therapy while also respectfully challenging negative thought patterns. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, anger management, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, depression, & bipolar disorder. I utilize various therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing among others to best meet your specific needs. I take a collaborative approach to therapy and will work together to achieve your treatment goals.
At our first session we will discuss your story, such as what brought you to therapy, what presenting problems you have, as well as your history so I can get an understanding of who you are. We will discuss what you would like to work on (therapy goals) and develop a plan for treatment.
I have firsthand experience with childhood trauma and familial mental illness and am able to use my personal experiences to better understand and relate to you and what you may have experienced.
I am happy to work with clients from diverse backgrounds, childhood traumas, present day problems, and anything in between. My only ask is that you are willing to try and are honest with not only me, but yourself. Not all interventions and skills taught will work the first time, but you have to try and then we can talk about how they didn't work and why so we can try something else. You need to have goals and be willing to work to achieve them. There has to be motivation for change and a willingness to put the work in. This is your journey and I am here to support and guide you through the process.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I am highly experienced with this approach. CBT will help us to identify how your thoughts/feelings, behaviors, and actions are all connected. I will teach you how to recognize unhelpful thinking patterns and replace them with more balanced, realistic thoughts so that you can respond to situations in a healthier way.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Solution Focused therapy focuses more on the present and future than the past. We will identify what is already working in your life and then build on those strengths. Therapy will be centered on progress rather than problems.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
With ACT we will focus on clarifying your values and committing to behaviors that align with those values. It is a combination of mindfulness skills with practical action which helps to build a more meaningful life.
Motivational Interviewing
With MI, I will help you find your own reasons and motivation for change. Instead of telling you what to do, we will explore your goals, values, and feelings that you have about decisions being made in your life.
Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology will help you build a more fulfilling life through developing positive habits, strengthening relationships, and focusing on what is going well while still acknowledging the problems and creating appropriate solutions.