LCSW, 3 years of experience
New to Grow
You are not broken or in need of fixing, you are just stuck. What you may feel is a hopeless situation is something workable that can be used as a strength. Everyone’s obstacles look different but each is a step toward achieving peace. Many of our obstacles originate from trauma we have encountered. Why can’t we just navigate our obstacles on our own? Because, for many different reasons we aren’t equipped with the tools needed to do so. Following my graduation from Azusa Pacific University School of Behavioral an Applied Sciences with my Masters of Social Work degree, I have spent the last 3 years helping people facing the challenges of anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship challenges, parenting struggles, and PTSD. I have walked with clients to help them rediscover tools and empower them to create the lives they want to live.
For your first session, it is important for me to get to know you. I want to know what brings you to therapy, your hopes for our time together, and what you want to prioritize working on. I hope to create a safe, compassionate environment for you to start feeling comfortable and supported in taking this step towards your goals.
My approach is about creating a strong therapeutic alliance that allows for accountability and safety through compassion and understanding. With a focus on patterns of behavior and the drivers of those behaviors we can understand better the impacts our life experiences have had on us. Knowledge is power, and with a deepened knowledge of self comes a transformative, and healing experience.
You are looking to take an active role in your mental health and get unstuck. You want to take back control and push through the challenges blocking your path. You value, like myself, the therapeutic relationship because that is the secret sauce to healing. It creates a safe space to express and explore without fear of judgment.
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to assist clients in improving thier mental health by helping individuals learn to accept difficult emotions rather than avoiding or fighting them. Through mindfulness techniques, ACT encourages people to be present in the moment, fostering a healthier relationship with their thoughts and feelings.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic approach designed to help individuals process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional charge. EMDR is particularly effective for treating trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and other emotional difficulties linked to past events.
Couples counseling helps partners improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen their emotional connection. It provides a safe space for both individuals to express their feelings, understand each other’s perspectives, and develop healthier ways to relate. By addressing underlying issues and promoting mutual understanding, couples counseling aims to foster a more supportive, fulfilling relationship.
Learning throughout the therapeutic process is essential to long lasting efficacy of therapeutic outcomes and enhances the clients ability to apply therapies they are using to other areas of functioning.