(he/him)
New to Grow
Hello, my name is Zacharia, and I am a Licensed Mental Health Therapist with 20 years of experience providing compassionate, culturally responsive, and evidence-based mental health services to children, adolescents, young adults, and families. I specialize in working with young people who have experienced trauma, anxiety, depression, behavioral challenges, and co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns, and I am deeply passionate about serving individuals and families from underserved and multicultural communities who deserve access to high-quality, affirming mental health care. My approach to therapy is warm, collaborative, and strength based. I draw from a variety of evidence-based therapeutic modalities including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and the Gottman Method, tailoring my approach to the unique needs, goals, and cultural background of each individual client and family I serve. I firmly believe that the therapeutic relationship is the foundation of meaningful healing and from our very first session, my priority is to ensure that you feel genuinely seen, heard, valued, and never alone in your journey. Whether you are a young person navigating the complexities of growing up, a caregiver seeking support for your child, or a family working to strengthen your bonds and communication, I am here and I am honored to be a part of your healing story. I look forward to the privilege of working with you.
Your first session with me is all about getting to know one another in a safe, comfortable, and completely pressure-free environment. I will take time to learn about your story, your current concerns, the people and things that matter most to you, and the goals you hope to achieve through our work together. From a clinical standpoint, we will complete a brief biopsychosocial assessment covering your mental health history, family background, social supports, and current functioning across the key areas of your life, and for my younger clients, I typically begin with a caregiver session to ensure that families feel informed, involved, and supported from day one. Most importantly, I want you to leave our first session feeling genuinely heard, respected, and hopeful, because you do not have to have all the answers coming in, and you do not have to walk this journey alone.
What stands out most about my therapeutic approach is the genuine, authentic connection I bring to every client relationship, grounded in a deep commitment to meeting each client exactly where they are and honoring their unique story, cultural background, and individual strengths as the foundation of all our work together. Clinically, I seamlessly integrate multiple evidence-based modalities, including TF-CBT, CBT, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, the Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy in a fluid, flexible, and highly personalized way that is always guided by the unique needs and goals of each individual client and family I serve. What I am most proud of, however, are the results I witness in my clients, the child who walks in guarded and withdrawn and over time begins to rediscover their voice and joy; the adolescent who once believed they were broken and leaves therapy with a renewed sense of identity and self-worth; and the family that arrives in crisis and gradually rebuilds trust, communication, and connection because at the heart of my practice, results are not measured solely by symptom reduction, but by the moment a client realizes, perhaps for the very first time, that they are truly capable of healing.
My ideal client is a child, adolescent, or young adult between the ages of 5 and 24 who is navigating the challenges of trauma, anxiety, depression, behavioral difficulties, or co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns. I am best positioned to work with young people who may be struggling silently, those who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), family instability, community violence, abuse, neglect, or significant life transitions that have impacted on their emotional well-being, academic performance, and overall functioning. My ideal client does not have to be ready or motivated at the start of our work together, in fact, some of my most rewarding clinical work has been with young people who were initially resistant to therapy. I am skilled at building genuine therapeutic rapport, creating safe and non-judgmental space, and using creative, engaging, and developmentally appropriate interventions that help even the most guarded clients open and begin to heal. I am also best positioned to work with families and caregivers who are committed to supporting their child's growth and recovery, as I firmly believe that lasting healing happens not just in the therapy room, but within the broader family and community system that surrounds each young person I serve.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and challenge negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to their emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors. Through a collaborative and structured approach, I work with clients to develop insight into the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and to replace unhelpful thinking patterns with more balanced, realistic ones. I incorporate evidence-based CBT techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, exposure therapy, thought records, and psychoeducation, tailoring each intervention to the unique needs and goals of the individual client. My goal is to equip clients with practical coping skills and tools they can apply in their daily lives long after our therapeutic work together has ended.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
In my practice, I utilize Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) to empower clients by shifting the focus away from problems and toward identifying their inherent strengths, resources, and solutions. Rather than exploring the root causes of a client's difficulties at length, I collaborate with clients to uncover what is already working in their lives and amplify those successes to create meaningful change. I incorporate core SFBT techniques such as the Miracle Question to help clients envision their preferred future, Scaling Questions to assess progress and motivation, Exception Questions to identify times when the problem was less present, and Coping Questions to highlight the client's resilience. This approach is particularly effective with the children, adolescents, and families I serve, as it is goal-oriented, time-limited, and inherently empowering — fostering a sense of hope, agency, and self-efficacy that extends well beyond our time together in the therapy room
Couples Counseling
In my practice, I utilize Couples Counseling to help partners develop healthier communication patterns, rebuild trust, and strengthen their emotional connection. I take a collaborative, non-judgmental approach, creating a safe and supportive therapeutic space where both partners feel equally heard, validated, and respected. Drawing from evidence-based frameworks such as the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and CBT for couples, I work with partners to identify destructive relational patterns — such as criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling — and replace them with healthier, more constructive ways of engaging with one another. I help couples explore underlying emotions and unmet needs that often drive conflict, improve their ability to navigate disagreements productively, and develop practical tools for deepening intimacy, trust, and mutual understanding. Whether working with couples navigating communication breakdowns, infidelity, life transitions, premarital concerns, or co-parenting challenges, my goal is to help partners build a stronger, more resilient relationship grounded in respect, empathy, and shared commitment.
Motivational Interviewing
In my practice, I incorporate Mindfulness-Based Therapy to help clients develop greater present-moment awareness, self-compassion, and emotional regulation. Drawing from evidence-based approaches such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), I guide clients in cultivating a non-judgmental awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, helping them to observe their inner experiences without becoming overwhelmed or reactive. I utilize mindfulness-based techniques such as guided meditation, deep breathing exercises, body scan practices, grounding techniques, and mindful journaling to help clients interrupt automatic negative thought patterns and develop a healthier relationship with their emotions. This approach is particularly effective with the children, adolescents, and adults I serve who struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, and stress, as it equips them with powerful, portable self-regulation tools they can draw upon in their daily lives both inside and outside of the therapy room.
Trauma-Focused CBT
In my practice, I utilize Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to help children, adolescents, and their caregivers process and heal from the impact of traumatic experiences in a safe, structured, and supportive therapeutic environment. Grounded in the evidence-based TF-CBT model, I guide clients through the core components of treatment — including psychoeducation about trauma, relaxation techniques, affective modulation, cognitive coping, trauma narrative development and processing, in vivo mastery, conjoint child-caregiver sessions, and enhancing safety skills, collectively known as the PRACTICE components. I take a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach that honors each child's unique experience while actively involving caregivers in the healing process, recognizing that family support is a critical component of trauma recovery. My goal is to help clients reduce trauma-related symptoms such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral difficulties, while rebuilding a sense of safety, trust, empowerment, and hope for the future.