Hello, I'm a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Georgia. I work with people who are experiencing a variety of issues and need a safe space to process. If a client wishes, I also include Biblical counseling to help clients find answers and guidance on a spiritual level that helps them to also honor their values. I help clients find hope and build resiliency as they grow and work towards healing and reaching their mental health goals.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session we will spend time gathering information and building rapport, which includes discussing reasons for seeking counseling, previous history, and current stressors and positive factors. We will also discuss goals and desired outcomes for therapy so that we can create hope moving forward as well as collaborate to form a treatment plan for future sessions.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to listen and provide hope in difficult situations. I create a safe space where a client feels accepted and can be open and honest. I offer different perspectives and ask questions to help clients find new ways to grow and move forward.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I enjoy working with people ranging from young adults to seniors who are seeking to grow and live more peaceful and fulfilling lives. My clients are motivated but often need encouragement and support to face difficult feelings and situations. They are eager to dig deeper to identify the patterns that hold them back and desire learn new tools and skills to help them to move forward.
About Mary Jo Ayllon
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Christian Counseling
With this approach I like to look at each issue through the lens of the Bible and what it says about who we are and who God is, and how that shapes the way we cope with difficult symptoms and situations.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT as a way to look at beliefs and thought patterns and how that influences our feelings and behaviors. I work with the client to try and challenge negative patterns and look at things from a different perspective and build new habits to think more positively.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
I have been using ERP for several years as a way to overcome obsessive thoughts and compulsions for OCD as well as supporting clients who may deal with specific phobias and anxiety. This method helps clients to learn how to respond differently to their anxieties and compulsions and feel supported as they learn to tolerate distressing emotions.
Integrative
I like to meet the client where they are and assess what different methods might be most effective for them. Using different exercises from a variety of methods helps a client to build up their "toolbox" of coping skills so that they feel more empowered to face difficult things.