LCSW, 33 years of experience
If you are interested in working with me, even if I am not currently accepting new clients, please get in touch with me to see if I can accommodate you. I entered the behavioral health field after seeking professional help for substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. I became a Chemical Dependency Counselor in 1995 and received my MSW in Clinical Social Work from Ohio State in 2002. I have been a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Ohio since 2005. I became a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania in 2014 and in Maryland in 2022. I have worked mostly with adults and some teenagers dealing primarily with depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. I have a holistic perspective of mental wellness and view counseling and other healthy life choices as a way to achieve personal empowerment and self-actualization. This includes family-of-origin work and working on letting go of ingrained thinking and behaviors that hold a person back from achieving the quality of life they want and deserve. If you are interested in working with me, even if I am not currently accepting new clients, please get in touch with me to see if I can accommodate you. I am trauma-informed and comfortable working with members of the LGBT+ community. I also have experience working with grief and loss issues. My primary modalities are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Counseling is a client-driven process, focusing on the issues and concerns the client wants to address and work on.
Complete a comprehensive evaluation to get an idea of your background, areas you want to work on, and goals you want to achieve.
Affirming strengths, validating feelings and emotions, and providing hope and encouragement for self-actualization. I do a lot of trauma work and working on dysfunctional family-of-origin issues. I work with several Trans clients on a variety of issues. I also work with people coming to terms with traumatic and negative experiences with organized religion. I identify with a non-religious, spiritual perspective.
LGBTQ+, Trauma Survivors, People with Relationship issues, and generally people with depression, anxiety, and mood issues.
Our thoughts influence our feelings, and our feelings, in turn, influence our thoughts. Learning to be more aware of the relationship between our thoughts and feelings can help us reprogram our thinking and achieve emotional stability.
I combine aspects of ACT, which is essentially learning how to live in the moment, with CBT. Learning how to be present in the moment makes us more aware of our thoughts and feelings.