Hi, I'm Barbara! I'm a warm-hearted and compassionate soul and been working in the mental health field for over 20 years. Helping you find real, solid, meaningful and/or tangible solutions to issues and problems is my commitment to you. In today's fast-paced world, thinking outside the box is sometimes scary, but also necessary. The answers to our most tricky problems can be unorthodox or unusual. Through the process of changing your perspective, letting go of old burdens, adopting a new credo, and re-inventing yourself is often what can make the difference. I'm licensed in the State of Virginia and worked with both children and adults over the course of my career. I've spent much of it helping others who were in the middle of a major life crisis, and I can help you, too!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
We'll spend the first session getting acquainted and begin the journey of rapport-building, information gathering, and ultimately healing. If you have something pressing you need to discuss, go for it! It's all about your comfort level. Some people know what they want to discuss during their first session, because they have issues that have come to the forefront. Then again, I've met many people who have been holding onto a story for 10 years (it could be a past hurt, a trauma or event that affected them), and they've not discussed it with anyone, until they felt genuinely safe enough to share it with a compassionate counselor.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Listening is probably the single greatest skill we have as human beings, but so often we can't find anyone who will really listen. It's even more rare to find others who won't judge. But after listening (and not judging), I will still encourage you to do better for yourself---because you are worth it. Every human being is worthy of personal dignity. I will encourage you on a journey to discover your own self-worth and potential. And along the way, we may employ some unorthodox and forward-thinking in order to get past life's obstacles.
About Barbara Andrieu
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
People experiencing crises are frequently looking for answers to their problems. In today's fast-paced world, they need to find the answers quickly and efficiently, as it may not be either wise financially or timely to invest in longer-term therapy. Many people have been helped by just giving rise verbally to their own unspoken feelings and thoughts that may have been repressed or have otherwise gone unacknowledged. All clients need a safe environment in which to express their sentiments, and professionals to listen openly and not judge, and then help offer direction, support, advice and compassion during difficult times. With that being said, we'll take a fresh approach!
First, we’ll identify the challenges you’ve been having, and then begin developing solutions by generating a detailed description of how your life will change and be different when the problem is gone (or the situation has improved to a degree satisfactory to you). Next, we’ll go on to identify your personal strengths, your approach to problem solving, and examine in some detail other life experiences that have led you to overcome challenges in the past. We’ll do this so that we can identify necessary resources needed to find workable, manageable and sustainable solutions that you can implement going forward. We’ll take time to identify times when you successfully coped with or addressed previous difficulties and challenges. Lastly, we’ll continue to consistently collaborate in identifying goals reflective of your best hopes and developing satisfying solutions, for a brighter future!
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been implemented and employed successfully, in a number of different ways, in countless situations to treat various behavioral health issues. CBT examines the link between our emotions, thinking and behavior.
The basic way it works: A therapist starts by working with the client to identify stressful situations in their life or triggers (such as anxiety, depression or other MH issues the client is having). Then, they might work with the therapist to start to examine their thoughts and beliefs about those things, and how those are affecting their feelings and behavior. Once the individual has cultivated an awareness of their thoughts and feelings, the therapist might then work with them to identify biases or inaccurate perceptions in their thought patterns that aren’t helping, and try to reframe those into thoughts that are more in line with their long-term goals.
Interpersonal
Interpersonal psychotherapy is one of the most dynamic and life-changing experiences a person can have. I've studied and used Gestalt and/ or Humanistic approaches. I think Fritz Perls said it best when he stated that it's not so much about what happened to you a long time ago, as much as what is going on in the present. This is somewhat surprising to most people, because it doesn't match up to their preconceived notions about what traditional psychotherapy or psychoanalysis looks like. Psychoanalysts put the predominance of significance on whatever happened in the past. However, it's frequently the case that whatever is going on in the present can have more impact in a person's life, simply because it's about what is going on right now. So, what's been going on in your life lately? And how would you like it to be better or different? Are there any challenges you need to overcome?
