LMSW-C, 7 years of experience
Frequently rebooked
Hello! I am a Licensed Clinical Social worker (LMSW-C) based in Michigan. I graduated with my master's degree in 2018 from Spring Arbor University. I have 7 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing things like anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts, and traumatic experiences. I primarily work with adults who are experiencing chronic and sometimes debilitating symptoms of anxiety and depression due to a variety of reasons including parenting, employment, grief, divorce, and processing through past trauma that is holding them back.
In our first session, we will spend time getting to know each other. In order for therapy to be effective, trust and mutual respect must be developed. This will be an ongoing process that starts in the first session and continues throughout our journey together. Once we have done brief introductions, we will dive head first into your unique story. My top priority is learning what it is you are hoping to gain by coming to therapy. In order to do that, I will need to learn more about what lead you to the point you are at today. After our first session, we should have a solid idea of who you are, where you've come from, and where you would like to go. We will then come up with a treatment plan that is tailored to meet your specific needs.
Prior to obtaining my master's degree and becoming a therapist I had my first undergraduate job as a foster care case manager. I credit much of my success as a therapist to that first job. I saw families at some of the most difficult times in their lives and some of those stories are still with me today. Throughout my entire professional career I have used empathy as a guiding compass to connecting with others. In addition to my professional experience, I have lived experience that has allowed for a deeper and more authentic therapeutic relationship with each of my clients.
As Dr. Brené Brown wrote, "Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we are supposed to be and embracing who we are." I believe that if you want to truly experience joy then you need to start with giving yourself permission to be who are. I understand how difficult this can be in today's culture of perfectionism. We are constantly being told how to be better- whether it be a better parent, better friend, better employee, better spouse. While I fully believe in self-growth and identifying areas for improvement, I also believe that you need to love yourself for who you already are and acknowledge the road blocks that have gotten you there. If you are struggling with anxious and intrusive thoughts, lack of motivation, or just feeling stuck as a result of trying to fit the mold of who others think you should be, then I am here to help you find joy and value in who you already are!
I have practiced from a CBT model for the past 7 years. When used effectively, I have seen client's learn to identify a direct connection between how their thoughts impact the way they feel and how the subsequent feelings impact the way they interact with the world. I like to say that knowledge is power! When we know the problem we can work harder to address it.
I incorporate DBT into much of my work to help clients practice acceptance and mindfulness. Working to accept something without judging it as good or bad allows us to be kinder to ourselves.
Exposure and response prevention is a modality I use specifically for clients suffering from OCD. Being able to practice exposure to our identified fears and anxieties allows us to retrain the neuropathways that are being formed in our brain and experience less anxiety.