(she/her)
Do you recall a time when you felt truly seen, truly heard? That is the foundation of how I connect with my clients. My perspective of therapy begins with genuine connection, through which my clients feel not only safe, but also understood, validated, and nurtured. My strengths-based approach to therapy encourages growth, development, and healing by first recognizing the positive internal resources clients already possess and building on them to enable clients to reach their goals. I am here to listen and not to judge. I view problems as problems, not people as problems. Using evidence-based practices that align with these concepts, clients can build self-awareness and skills that they may apply between sessions so that they are active partners in their progress. We collaborate on solutions and clear pathways to reach those solutions. I am in this line of work because of a strong desire to help others live their lives as the best versions od themselves.
Clients can expect their sessions to first and foremost provide a safe container for them to reveal their thoughts, feelings, and hopes. Sessions follow a treatment plan, formed by collaboration, and consist of therapeutic dialogue and sometimes activities aimed at taking steps toward goals. Clients are active participants! Sometimes clients need to share their stories and challenges, and they want merely to be heard and understood. We will build on this sharing to not only create a strong alliance but also to take concrete steps toward relief, growth, healing, and solutions. I often assign small homework tasks that reinforce the work done in sessions.
Primarily, I use solution-focused therapy. This model is validating and strengths-based, and it is also future-minded. Using the clients' stated goals, each therapeutic conversation taps into clients' abilities and aspirations. For clients who are unable to visualize the kind of future that is possible for them, we first explore and engage in strengths-building as necessary. In addition, I employ other humanistic models that take into account the whole person, and I meet each client with unconditional positive regard. Sometimes the need arises to be strategic, and specific interventions are designed to help clients create real change for themselves.
Continuing education and as I am nearing completion of my doctorate, I am expanding my expertise in the solution-focused model. This means that I gravitate toward recognizing and valuing the immense resources clients possess within themselves to solve problems, build strength and resilience, feel empowered, and gain real and lasting confidence. This process also helps people address many issues that arise in life, but I am particularly focused on trauma and stressor-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. I have a well-developed ability to sit with people who have experienced trauma and to provide a safe and nurturing space to explore their experiences, understand how those experiences relate to current functioning, and decide what they want to do about it. I use my natural nurturing tendencies to help clients to feel truly cared for, and I demonstrate skill that enables them to trust in the process.