(she/her)
New to Grow
Hello! My name is Desiree, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with a variety of experience serving neurodivergent individuals and their families. My approach is collaborative in nature as I am gender and culturally affirming in my practice. I am personable and acknowledge each individual as their own leader in their life and work towards empowering my clients to reach their goals while supporting them through this process. My experience includes inpatient settings, intensive outpatient, and outpatient settings as well. I specialize in play therapy, DBT, and solution focused therapy while incorporating mindfulness and somatic therapies to fit the clients needs.
Just some things to know about the first session- You will be welcomed into the space, free of judgement. I believe that rapport and trust start from the intake. I work to achieve a felt sense of safety within my sessions and this starts in this first session. In this initial session, we will likely identify what has brought you into therapy (in your words) and bring in conversation around goals to further explore the purpose of this space while setting the stage for future sessions so you know what to expect. I strongly acknowledge that the unknown is one of the four major threats to the nervous system and, with this knowledge, I take care in letting you know what to expect.
What is unique about my therapeutic approach is that I am person centered but also intentional throughout the therapeutic process. I see therapy as a space to be in relationship with one another while modeling prosocial skills to continue to promote the felt sense of safety and support in the progression of the therapeutic process to promote empowerment within my clients to live a meaningful life outside of therapy. I am authentic, intentional, person centered, and realistic.
I am best positioned to serve children ages 3 years old to young adults (about 25 years old) as I work best with developmental stages, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and the complexities that these age groups bring. I do individual therapy with parent involvement or parent education sessions intermittently between the children's sessions. I do not see older adults or geriatric population as this is outside my scope of practice.
Play Therapy
I am a certified Synergetic Play therapist with about 3 years of experience utilizing play therapy as a modality for children, adolescents, and even some adults depending on the presenting problem and symptoms associated. I offer a range of support through play therapy as an intervention along with parent education to best support the child.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I utilize DBT with individuals who present with mood disorders and integrate these skills into the session, providing an experiential approach while utilizing DBT skills to decrease distress and work towards empowering the individual through the skills development process.
Attachment-based
Focusing on attachment with the caregiver through individual, joint, or play therapy. My practice is rooted in attachment theory and exploring attachment to self and attachment within interpersonal relationships.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
As a therapist that works with individuals with a trauma history, mindfulness based practices are utilized in different ways to work towards building tolerance, connection to self, and remaining aware of what comes up in the therapeutic space.
Sandplay
I utilize sandplay as a regulatory tool and exploring themes that may emerge in daily life. This is a great reflection tool through gaining awareness on regulatory patterns, challenges, and integration.