Welcome. I am so glad you are here. This is such a hard step to begin to look into starting your therapy journey. I am a licensed professional counselor and received my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Shippensburg University. I have been practicing for almost 6 years. I truly believe you are the expert of your own life and value providing a safe and healthy place to explore and heal what you are most needing. I focus on finding the root of the issue and work on treating the wound that may be inflicting pain on your present life. Sometimes we just need to take time to focus on ourselves and what we are most needing and make sure to foster this space in therapy.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session together this will be a time for us to get to know each other. I need to get to know you as much as you need to get to know me! I believe our first meeting is crucial for you to get comfortable with the space, answer questions you have, and start building a relationship together. I will explore what brought you in and understand what you are most needing from therapy. I will also explore your history, so I can understand you as a whole and what your world looks like. We will then create a plan together that is well suited for your to begin working towards improvement.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I have almost 8 years experience working as a therapist and meeting the need of each client. I have many modalities and make it a focus to find what works best for you. I create a space to allow you to feel safe to explore and heal what you are most needing.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I love working with young adults. This age is often the age where you are trying to find yourself outside of family. I enjoy supporting people in identifying their own values, beliefs, and needs. I also enjoy working with clients that have difficulty experiencing emotions. Their is often stigma or barriers related to experiencing certain emotions. Example: crying means you are weak. I believe that these emotions are there for a reason and deserve a space to be validated. I also enjoy working with clients to build comfort and tolerance with emotional intelligence. Getting comfy with our emotions and learning ways to navigate them can improve depression, anxiety, relationship, self esteem.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I truly believe that you are the expert of your own life. It might not feel that way all of the time, but I am here to help support you in untangling those things that might be causing you to feel lost. I tend to be client centered and honor what you are most needing. By focusing and honoring your emotions, without judgment, comes personal growth. I value creating a safe space to allow you to explore and sit with the things you are most needing. This allows us to identify the root of the issue and healing what you are most needing.
EMDR
I have about 2 years experience in using EMDR treatment. Using EMDR treatment can help heal wounds that may be impacting your present life. Sometimes memories can become stuck and it is helpful to use EMDR to change the way that the memory is stored in the brain, thus reducing and eliminating the problematic symptoms. I have seen significant improvement in anxiety, self esteem, PTSD, trauma, and depression by using this form of treatment.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I tend to use CBT when we notice that our thinking patterns affect how we feel which then impact our choices and behaviors. CBT skills help improve unhelpful thought patterns which leads to improvement. CBT has been shown to be helpful in treating anxiety, depression, self esteem, relationship challenges, and many other areas.