Vanessa Souza
Hi there! I'm Vanessa. I was a social worker for a long time before I became a therapist, and that is the foundation of my approach to therapy. I specialize in working with clients with chronic illness, those who care for them, and folks experiencing life transitions.
I specialize in working with clients with chronic illness, those who care for them, and folks experiencing life transitions.
I provide both short-term, solution-focused therapy for people utilizing EAP or with other time or financial imitations, and longer-term therapeutic partnerships. I’m based in Silicon Valley, but provide service via Telehealth throughout California. I have a body-neutral stance and a person-centered, LGBTQ+-affirming practice.
First session
At the end of our session, you will feel heard and have new insights to why you feel the way you do today. We'll work together on a plan to ease your way through your time of transition, or the length of your caregiving or illness.
Strengths
I understand, personally and professionally, what it is like to navigate the healthcare system and manage both the physical and emotional needs of oneself and others. As a social worker, I am trained to guide you not only through the emotional journey, but also through acquiring resources and other supports for your journey. I believe you are the expert-all the answers are inside you, and we'll work together to bring those out. I'm solution-focused, so if you have a limited number of sessions or limited availability, let's talk about how to make the most of the time we have together. Between the two of us, we will create a realistic plan, review, and revise as needed.
Ideal clients
As a long time professional caregiver and a person living with a chronic illness myself, I understand that both caregiving and receiving care can be stressful, complicated, and sometimes feel unmanageable. We will likely work well together if you are open to identifying your strengths and challenges and setting goals for how you would like to manage them in the future. In time, we will practice establishing boundaries and maintaining clear and assertive communication to maintain them in the future.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
We will explore your automatic thoughts and assumptions, identify cognitive distortions, and work on re-framing those in a way that is manageable and realistic, while acknowledging that there are sometimes hard truths.
Eclectic
I use a client-focused, eclectic approach, depending on your needs. I often work with people in times of life transition, so we may use motivational interviewing or solutions-based strategies together, along with narrative therapy or even reminiscence therapy if appropriate. You are the expert in your own life and we will work together using aspects of various therapeutic modalities to bring out the answers.
Motivational Interviewing
When we encounter resistance to change or feel like we are "stalled" in therapy, motivational interviewing can unlock the hidden obstacles and help increase our readiness for change.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
You may have a very specific issue you wish to address, or may only have access to treatment for a limited time, for a variety of reasons. Solution Focused Brief Treatment lets us get right to problem-solving together, with a structure to support us.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 105700