Karley Chickness profile image

Karley Chickness

Karley Chickness

LPC
3 years of experience
Intelligent
Solution oriented
Virtual

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light." - J.K. Rowling Welcome to a safe space, I commend your bravery & vulnerability to seek help for your mental health. Are you looking for a therapist that's adaptive to your needs and will also challenge you to become the best version of yourself? If you are, I may be a good fit for you and would love the chance to meet you during a free consult. A little about me, I'm a genuinely empathic, yet humorous, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CAADC) in the state of Pennsylvania. I received my master's degree in applied clinical psychology from Penn State University and I continue to utilize evidence-based treatment such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) my work. Please don't feel overwhelmed by these terms, especially if they are new to you, I am happy to describe how I will use these methods in our sessions together so you feel fully informed and actively involved in your treatment. I enjoy working with adults who experience a range of mental health symptoms, some experiencing many symptoms simultaneously, including: anxiety, relationship issues, low self-esteem, mood swings, irritability, addiction/substance use, personality disorders, self-harm, trauma, and more. My goal is to help you find ways to improve your mental health symptoms so you can obtain the quality of life you desire and deserve.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

In our first session, I encourage you to open up about what's bringing you to therapy and what you are hoping for during our work together. We will also collaborate to create some treatment goals that target behaviors you would like to improve. Additionally, we will discuss how frequent you would like to meet & approximately how long you would like our treatment to last. I am flexible to meeting your needs and will offer my suggestions to create the best therapy plan possible. After our initial session, my goal is to maintain a safe therapeutic environment where we can be honest with each other. Some people like to openly discuss their diagnosis while others prefer to talk about the symptoms without a "diagnostic label", I am accommodating to both depending on your preference. Overall, we will work together to unveil the underlying roots for your concerns, identify skills to effectively manage stressors with ease, and accomplish your therapeutic goals.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

Having worked with a wide range of diagnoses over the past 3 years, I have come to understand that each client is different and deserving of their own individualized treatment. Meaning I will treat you as your own person and will tailor my therapeutic methods to meet your specific needs. I am an effective problem-solver and strongly believe in sharing these tactics with my clients. Additionally, I am radically honest yet very empathetic & understanding. If there is something else I can do to make the most of our time together, please tell me as my objective is to help you reach your goals.

About Karley Chickness

Identifies as

Licensed in

Appointments

Virtual

My treatment methods

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

I've been using CBT as a foundation in my therapeutic practice for years to meet the needs of each of my clients. I believe that many of the concepts from CBT can be tailored to help clients understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a way that empowers them to regain control by changing their narrative of life.

Dialectical Behavior (DBT)

In addition to my work with Grow, I work as a full-time Dialectical Behavior Therapist. As a modification and expansion from CBT, DBT is increasingly popular & this method allows me to work with clients by guiding them to shape their behavior that promotes their "life worth living". In this therapy, we will collaboratively work on 4 primary skills (for more info, check out out this link: https://dbt.tools/) to improve the quality of your relationships, help you live a more intentional life, and handle stressors (big & small) like a pro.

Motivational Interviewing

Another foundation of my therapeutic practice is Motivational Interviewing (MI). I've helped many clients with addictions & co-occurring diagnoses gain control of their life by helping them identify where they currently are in life, where they want to be, challenges that may present, and skills to help them overcome these barriers. Think of MI like this: you are the driver & I am your navigation system. I can provide you many ways to get to your destination, but you have control of the speed, direction, & skills to navigate roadblocks. Together, we will focus on the journey & acknowledge your successes along the way.