Welcome! I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who uses a creative and integrative approach to keep my clients engaged in therapy. I look forward to providing a safe place to start setting achievable goals! My primary platform is teletherapy, which I believe can offer flexibility and access, whether you are a college student looking for a session in between classes, or just seeking support from the comfort of your home. Therapy can be a great place to start exploring how your thoughts and feelings impact your behaviors with out judgment or bias. I work to tailor treatment towards each individual’s needs, and strive for my clients to feel empowered in the therapeutic process! I specialize in working with teens, college students, and adults, who may be experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, chronic health issues/pain, and life changes. I also work with clients going through transitional times, such as starting a new job, moving or relocation, retirement, and transitioning into college. If you are new to this, feeling stuck, and do not know where to start, I have experience with newcomers to therapy! We will start slowly, at your pace, and work in collaboration together, to start learning more about mental health, coping skills, and taking actionable steps to bettering your life.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During our first session, we will get to know each other and see what style of therapy works best for you. Then we will start to talk about some of the challenges you are facing. I tailor my sessions to fit your goals, needs, and comfort. I like to ask how you learn and process information whether that is through visuals, talking, psychoeducation, and/or creative interactive therapies. At the end of our first session, we will set goals, so I can work in collaboration with you to develop a treatment plan/approach that is right for you. After our first session, we will check in weekly, and explore different themes related to your goals and challenges you are facing. We will continously re-veiw your progress to evaluate if you need more or less sessions.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My biggest strength is being able to adapt. If something is not working for you such as a coping skill or a type of therapy, I can help you take a step back and find other solutions with in my scope of practice. I am creative in the telehealth virtual space and have found many ways to still do art activities, play games, use mindfulness, and connect with my clients even through a screen.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Young adults, college students, and adults expereincing anxiety, depression, stress, caregiver burn out, general burn out, chronic illness/pain and life changes.
About Alyson Hinz
Alyson Hinz offers therapy covered by Blue Shield of California - Medi-Cal, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan (Medi-Cal), CalViva Health (Medi-Cal), Central California Alliance for Health (Medi-Cal), Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (Medi-Cal), Gold Coast Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Health Net (Medi-Cal), Health Plan of San Joaquin - Medi-Cal, L.A. Care Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Orange County Mental Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Partnership HealthPlan of California (Medi-Cal) and San Francisco Health Plan (Medi-Cal) in California.
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT in combination with other treatment methods. When using CBT or any other methods, I examine if it is appropriate for the client, and what is going on in that person's life. I will work in collaboration with my clients to help them examine their own self talk/thoughts and how it affects their emotions and behavior. I will help my clients to find CBT strategies that may be useful for themselves . We will work together to figure out what skills work best for each scenario. CBT helps people manage recurrent intruvisive thoughts, and bring awareness to how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
I use mindfulness-based therapy to help people manage their anxiety, depression, and over all stress. This may look like learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions such as sadness, anger, embarrassment etc. instead of avoiding them. We will learn skills to bring awareness to these emotions and manage uncomfortable physical sensations that come with these emotions, so you can be better equipped in stressful situations.
Strength-Based
I use strengths based approaches when working with clients who are going through life changes, have anxiety, and/or depression, to help empower them to find what works and does not work for them . I help my clients to examine their strengths and weaknesses in hopes of helping them to build more self-awareness, so they can make positive changes in their lives. This approach can also be used when treating anxiety and depression to discover appropriate coping skills that work for each client based on what the client excels in.
Positive Psychology
I use positive psychology when a client is looking to dig deeper into purpose and meaning, including exploring themes of happiness, fulfillment , and resiliency.