LMHC, 9 years of experience
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who is certified in addiction treatment. I have been working in a community mental health center for the past 9.5 years. I have served a variety of populations including those suffering from pervasive mental illness, anxiety, and severe depression. For 3 years I was the therapist for Adult Drug Court in Nassau County, helping those previously incarcerated for drug use charges to overcome addiction and rebuild their lives within the community. I currently serve on the Crisis Response team for my agency which intervenes during mental health crisis and am the Clinical Team Leader for the FACT IL program which helps individuals in crisis achieve stabilization after release from a Crisis Stabilization Unit. I am certified to work with First Responders, I am a Military spouse, and have a background in Christian Formation.
First sessions are identifying symptoms, goals, and building trust. What does the individual want to get out of therapy? Have they had therapy before and how did it go? What brings them to therapy? How will they know it worked for them or what are their expectations for therapy?
I am very calm, kind, and provide a peaceful atmosphere. I am encouraging but honest. I believe that I am able to balance support with little nudges towards growth.
I am open to all those seeking care. I enjoy working with individuals that struggle with depression, anxiety, life transitions, severe and pervasive mental illness, and addiction. The majority of my clients are between the ages of 8-12, 18-55, and retirement. I have experience working with OCD, Agoraphobia, phobias, Generalized Anxiety, and Social Anxiety using exposure therapy, TF-CBT, and DBT therapies. I have a second masters in Gerontology and work well with those transitioning into retirement. I have background working with law enforcement, those with criminal history, and am building cultural competence to serve all first responders as well as those with military backgrounds. I am open to individuals of all faith backgrounds but do have a Christian Formation background which means I can integrate Biblical principles into session upon request.
I have been providing Christian based counseling for 8 years, pairing my knowledge of counseling with my knowledge of Scripture to support individuals in their emotional and spiritual health.
Over the past 6 years I have been integrating DBT techniques into my practice with individuals to help them learn skills to improve their emotional regulation and distress tolerance. For 3 years I led a DBT based skills group to help individuals walk through emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness practices, and interpersonal relationships. I believe that we all, no matter our level of emotional and interpersonal health, could benefit from practicing DBT skills.
I have been using Gestalt throughout my training and professional practice the past 10 years. The primary goal is to enhance your awareness of your whole self, expand your perspective, and rethink limiting perceptions that are holding you back. It focuses on the "here and now" rather than letting the past define you. I have found that it fosters a healthy rapport and increases our awareness of behaviors we cannot see but others do.
The goal of motivational interviewing it to allow the individual to lead the session through their own motivations rather than feeling pressure from their therapist who determines what is "most important" to work on first. It is person-centered, meaning that you are guiding your treatment, and I am just their as an active supporter. As you identify where you feel motivated, I provide strategies that help you achieve your goals. Think of it as a trainer. You tell me that you want abs and then I give you strength exercises that target those muscle groups. We will identify strengths as we go and guide you back to positive change when you become discouraged. I have utilized this practice for 6 years.
2 ratings with written reviews
May 23, 2025
I’ve been with Alissa for about 6 years. I followed her to grow therapy. She is authentic and that helped me to open up. She is very intelligent and genuinely cares about my wellbeing.
April 28, 2025
Alissa is not only empowering, solution oriented but helps me adhere to and remember and adhere to my strong biblical beliefs that incorporate every part of my life. She is warm, kind, actively listens with genuine concern and desire to help me in whatever I am challenged with. She always keeps her spirit joyful, light and encouraging. She has been a constant source of help, direction, motivation in her ability to assist me in my healing. I am grateful to her and for her everyday!