I am a licensed clinical social worker in private practice since 2015. Before that, I had years of experience working as a program director for a mental health agency in CT. Post Master’s degree. I did a two-year training in Couple’s and Family therapy at Ackerman Institute for the Family in Manhattan. Additionally, Since 2018, I have been working as a provider on the Emergency Mental Health Services Team. I am therefore trained in the diagnoses and treatment of patients presenting with mental health crisis’s in the ER. My client base is diverse. I have treated patients of all backgrounds, including children, adolescents, teens, young adults, adults, couples, blended families,,and the elderly population. My work also includes treating LGBQT patients, and patients of a diverse cultural identification. I have a great deal of experience treating mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, thought disorders, as well as, life transitions, relationship challenges, and trauma related disorders. I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, however, each case is unique, and other modalities, I may find useful, are DBT, solution focused therapy, narrative therapy, etc. Thank you for your interest in my profile, and let me know if I can help! Mary
In our first session together I will ask you some brief questions regarding your history, and then find out what specific or general concerns brings you to therapy. From there we will work collaboratively to develop a treatment plan that will serve to help you obtain your Therapeutic goals. You are the expert of your own life and only you know what you want to get out of therapy. I am here to help you achieve those goals!
My biggest strengths are that I am a “seasoned” therapist with many years of experience in treating not only more “mild” presentations, but I have treated patients with complicated presentations such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and PTSD. I have worked collaboratively with prescribers in order to obtain the best results for my patients when needed. Personally, I am a step-mother and biological mother of nine children and have a great interest, not to mention experience, with blended family situations.
I love CBT because it is evidenced based and works. CBT the “gold standard” for treatment of anxiety. I will give homework assignments/worksheets using CBT which my clients find enormously helpful when they are feeling anxious between sessions. What is also great about the worksheets is that they are available for you to look at and do again even when treatment with me ends.