What's up?! Thanks for stopping by! My name is Albena, I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) based in Maryland. I received my Masters from Liberty University and have been practicing for over 13 years! I help women struggling with various stages of "womanhood," with a special focus on people undergoing change in life and/or dealing with stage of life issues. Here to help with all transitions!
In our first session, we will start with brief introductions, then go deeper with getting to know one another in order to get to a place where we can explore and actively address challenges your bring to our sessions. This will help create structure for our time together. In addition, I will invite you to practice what we discuss in our sessions via homework exercises to help cement valuable insights gained in therapy sessions.
My greatest strength is my ability to show up authentically, and cut to the chase with an actionable plan for you to immediately start feeling better. Collaboration and transparency will be key in our work together.
I love supporting people undergoing various life transitions! My clients are excited to improve, but don't yet have the support and insights to take actionable steps. They often feel misaligned, anxious, and overwhelmed. In the words of Emily McDowell, " you aren't lost, your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people's opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. Finding yourself is actually a returning to yourself, an unlearning and remembering of who you were before the world got its hands on you."
I've been utilizing CBT in my practice for the past 13 years with various populations. It can also help clients identify, challenge, and replace these thoughts with more realistic and objective ones. CBT has been shown to be an effective form of treatment for a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and more.