LCPC, 10 years of experience
Being an adult can sometimes feel like you're on a roller coaster ride! Life isn't linear - it involves twists, turns, ups, and downs. We might feel "stuck" on the ride and aren't quite sure how to navigate getting off of it. Or we may find our “downs” might make us feel anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, or stuck. The "ups" might be exciting, but may also come with their own sets of stressors. We might want to get off the ride or take a gentler one, but not know how. And that's okay! Therapy can help. Life doesn't have to feel like you're going on a thrill ride every day - you can get on a gentler ride. Of course, we don't always know how to get off the ride or swap seats for a gentler ride (like the "kiddie roller coaster"). That's where I come in! I'm here to support you with the challenges you might be facing in life, offer you a space to reflect or process, plus find new ways to cope so you don't feel like you're on a thrill ride every day.
Our first appointment will be an opportunity to get to know each other and discuss what brings you in. My hope is that I'll be able to get a well-rounded snapshot of you as a person, your concerns, and what you're looking to get out of therapy. We will collaborate on preliminary goals and ensure we're on the same page about how to move forward together after our first appointment. I will also share a little bit about my approach, what you can expect from therapy with me, and address housekeeping items (like scheduling) during this session.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is meeting clients where they’re currently at in their mental health journey. For me, meeting a client where they are means honoring and respecting them where they’re at in their journey as opposed to where I think they “should” be. This allows you to have more autonomy over what therapy looks like, how it unfolds, and the overall pace of the process. As a therapist, I believe that clients are experts of their own lives and value your say in this process.
I work with clients who are experiencing life changes and find themselves overwhelmed, stressed, or are in survival mode. Clients often come to me when they feel like they're "barely holding it together" and realize how they've been coping isn't actually coping, but avoiding or putting a band-aid on the situation. Overwhelm, stress, irritability, feeling on edge, difficulty sleeping, changes in eating patterns, changes in substance use, pulling away from others, and having a hard time relaxing are common complaints my clients mention. Clients might notice their symptoms are impacting daily life and their ability to navigate it with the stressors seeping into other parts of their life. However, the clients I work with are action oriented and committed to making a change, they just don't know where to start or how to make those changes. And that's where I come in! I'm here to provide you with support and help you build your coping skills tool box.
Therapy is not "one size fits all". I tailor my approach to every client I work with. This means I use an eclectic approach, often combining treatment strategies from different methods to help you best. Common approaches I use are CBT, ACT, DBT, solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing.