I believe that clients are the experts of their lives and I strive to help use creative therapeutic avenues to create a space to help them meet their goals. I have experience helping children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families address emotional and behavioral needs including anxiety, depression, ADHD, anger management, mood disorders, social and school issues, military related issues, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and family conflict. I provide trauma-informed care and utilize a variety of approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused, Child Centered Play Therapy, Filial Play Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couple and Family Therapy, Family Centered Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Expressive Arts Therapy, and Mindfulness to help build resiliency and increase protective factors to improve individuals’ overall functioning. I have various skills and training to include EMDR, Trauma and Play Therapy, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Youth Resiliency training, Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Treatment Training, and Suicide Intervention Training. I am a Registered Play Therapist through the Association of Play Therapy and a Certified EMDR Therapist through the EMDR International Association. I am also a Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) provider. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education and a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University. I believe counseling can be a fun and empowering journey and am excited to help facilitate that with others!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
If we are going to get into the yuck, we mind as well have fun doing so! Counseling can be hard and uncomfortable, and I completely understand that! I focus on building relationships and connection in order to help create that safe space to allow for us to get to the healing. I am interested in getting to know YOU, not just a diagnosis.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I believe humans are individuals and therefore no just one methods fits all! As a certified EMDR Therapist, I incorporate a lot of those methods in all my work; however, I like to incorporate what my individual clients need whether that is some CBT, Emotion Focused, or Motivational interviewing to help encourage change and growth. We may incorporate expressive arts or get up an move, really depends on you and your preferences and needs!
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I specialize in trauma informed care. Integrating play therapy strategies in EMDR and providing EMDR virtually would be my specialty. Of course that means using play to help children with traumatic material, however, that may be misleading to my adult clients. This skills helps me treat adults also that may have complex trauma or have had a hard time feeling connected and heard in past therapeutic relationships.