Andrew Wynkoop
Hi! My name is Andrew, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in North Carolina. The bulk of my clinical experience has been working with children, teenagers, and emerging adults. I have provided therapy in both office and school settings. I have experience working with children and teenagers with depression, anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, trauma, and family conflict. I use an eclectic mix of therapeutic modalities, and find it important that you find a therapist who you click with. I have experience working with LGBTQ+ youth, am and queer-affirming and slow for safe exploration of identities. I have considerable experience working with school staff as well as parents to coordinate children and teens care and ensure that those in their life are equipped to support as best they can. Previous clients have remarked that my ability to build trust, provide a safe space, establish rapport, and forge relationships quickly is a strong asset of mine as a clinician.
First session
First sessions with a new therapist can be intimidating! Please know that while first sessions are a time where I will ask many questions to start getting to know you, there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. Therapists should be intentional about accepting you for who you are! While I will continue to learn about you in future sessions, the first appointment is a great jumping-off point. In addition to talking about why you are looking for therapy, I would love to hear about things that you love doing! I don’t expect clients to sit and talk about what ails them for an hour— it is totally appropriate to also talk about things that are going well, your hobbies, and things that you love and bring you joy! With children and teenagers, I am quite familiar with safe websites to online game at the beginning or end of sessions, to meet them where they are and engage them at their level— whether that be looking at cool Pokémon, playing Uno, or learning about BTS, trendy dances, or TikTok trends (6-7?)
Strengths
Previous clients have remarked that my ability to build trust, provide a safe space, establish rapport, and forge relationships quickly is a strong asset of mine as a clinician. I am affirming of all beliefs and identities, and am very intentional about creating a safe space for identity exploration. I work hard to create a welcoming environment for those with marginalized identities. What sets me apart is my ability to work with not just children and teenagers, but also caregivers, teachers, and school counselors (if you consent to this!) to support youth across settings.
Ideal clients
Many therapists will say that they most enjoy working with clients who are motivated. However, as a therapist who has worked with many children and teenagers experiencing different readiness to change, I am very comfortable working with ambivalence, doubt, and reticence. Previous clients and families have told me that I am very open, warm, easy to trust, and genuine, and these traits encourage clients to open up relatively quickly. I am very comfortable setting expectations with youth and their caregivers about what information I share with caregivers, and what information I anticipate keeping between youth and myself, as this can promote further trust and readiness for clients to share openly and honestly in session. I know that while some children and teenaged clients may seek therapy for themselves, other times they are encouraged to see a therapist by adults in their life. While I certainly out a lot of stock into these adults’ wishes for therapy, I am intentional about not pigeon-holing the therapeutic process into these treatment goals, and ensuring that ample space is given for things that the child/teenager themselves would like therapy to address.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help you or your child identify your less and more helpful thoughts, identify how they are serving you, and work to identify other thoughts that may be more accurate and/or helpful for you.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I use ACT to assist you or your child in identifying less changeable things about yourself or you life circumstances, and help you adapt to this and make meaning out of it in an adaptive manner.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
I use ERP with clients who deal with phobias, anxiety, or OCD. We will work together to maintain calm when confronting feared or anxiety-inducing situations, and will help you practice facing your fears and anxieties is a gradual, safe, and monitored environment.
Play Therapy
As a therapist with ample experience working with children, I know that not every child can be expected to sit down and talk through their problems. In order to engage children more intensely and to gain their trust, we must meet them at their level and understand how they use play to process past events, deal with internal struggles, and process their emotions.
Psychoeducation
I use psychoeducation with adult clients to normalize symptoms, thoughts, and emotions, and to help convey how their current behaviors may be more or less helpful to their functioning. With child clients, I can do the same an an age-appropriate level, while also providing parents or caregivers insight on why they may see particular behaviors from their child.
Identifies as
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Licensed in
- North CarolinaLicense C019444