Hello! I am a licensed clinical social worker based in Michigan. I received my undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University and my graduate degree from Michigan State University. I also have a graduate degree in Sociology from Arizona State University as well. I have worked in the mental health field for nearly ten years since graduating from Michigan State University.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During our first session, we will talk and see how well you feel we will work together. This will include discussing your hopes and desired outcomes for therapy and what plans I have to help.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Having personally struggled with depression and anxiety, I find that my empathy is connected to personal experience and not just schooling and training. This extends into the treatment methods I use and have personally experienced on the client side of treatment as well.
About Jason Luna
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy is a form of psychotherapy that integrates mindfulness principles into therapeutic practice. Mindfulness refers to a state of active, open attention to the present moment. When a person is mindful, they observe their thoughts and feelings from a distance without judging them as good or bad. This therapy leverages mindfulness to help clients increase awareness and acceptance of their moment-to-moment experiences. I use mindfulness-based therapy in various formats, including individual sessions. Techniques employed in this therapy often involve mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises, and body scans. These practices help clients develop a deeper awareness of their bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions, fostering a nonjudgmental attitude toward their experiences. The skills learned in therapy sessions are encouraged to be practiced regularly outside of therapy to enhance their effectiveness.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that uses mindfulness and acceptance strategies mixed in various ways with commitment and behavior-change strategies. The core premise of ACT is to help individuals live a rich, full, and meaningful life, while effectively handling the pain that inevitably comes with it. ACT is uniquely focused on values and mindfulness, which helps individuals develop psychological flexibility—a key component of mental health. Psychological flexibility means contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being and changing or persisting in behavior in the service of chosen values. This approach helps individuals stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is typically a structured, short-term, goal-oriented therapeutic approach that requires the individual to be actively involved in their recovery. It focuses on teaching clients how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that negatively influence behavior and emotions. Therapy also includes homework assignments and practice exercises between sessions, which help to reinforce new skills and strategies for approaching problems. One of the key educational components of CBT is teaching clients that thoughts can be controlled and that a change in thinking can affect feelings and behaviors. This awareness gives clients the tools to influence their own psychological well-being significantly.
