I started providing mental health services in the community in 2016 as a behavior technician. Once graduated I became a psychotherapy resident and later completed full psychotherapist licensure requirements with a specialty in marriage and family therapy. My therapeutic style is psychodynamic/psychoeducational, which means I help individuals understand the psychological underlying motivations for their behaviors impacting their mood shifts and precipitating symptoms and/or relational distress and impacts on our day to day activities. Relational distress is not confined to couples. Relational distress (mostly precipitated by depression and anxiety and as the cause of depression/anxiety in a never ending loop) includes connections in all existing contexts. Day to day actives impacted by mood shifts and symptoms of depression and anxiety can range from our daily personal hygiene routines to balancing (or rather neglecting to) a check book, to job performance, to dysregulation showing up in additive day to day behaviors (alcohol and drugs are not the only addition behaviors presenting as dysregulation). In my practice, I believe that therapy is a collaborative journey where the client and therapist work together. My work is grounded in mutual respect, empathy, unconditional regard, and trust. My goal is to provide a supportive and non-judgmental place where the individual can explore thoughts, feelings and stances impacting their interpersonal, intrapersonal, and day to day experiences with honesty and openness. To me, growth and change are deeply personal experiences and unique to each individual. A transformative process that unfolds carefully and mindfully over time. My role is to provide guidance and tools towards the path of healing and self discovery of insights and resilience as the individual, couple, or the family reach their desired goals.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session, and thereafter, you can expect to be encouraged to experience the session as a place where hope is restored. We will take things at your pace, as I listen and support you through the process. My goal is that you are comfortable and that you always feel seen and safe. This is going to be your space, and it is important that you feel comfortable and supported. And when you are not, you are encouraged to share with me knowing you will have all the understanding and unconditional regard and empathy no matter what, and that any needed adjustments will be provided in support of you.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Patience. And the understanding that while there are others much better than me, that only a few try as hard as I do, and even fewer as harder than me.
About Sandy Herek
Sandy Herek offers therapy covered by Kaiser Permanente - Medicaid and UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicaid in Virginia.
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Psychodynamic
Broadly speaking, this approach to psychology helps by giving emphasis to the systematic study of the psychological forces underlying human behavior, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate to early experiences. First goal is to have a solid understanding of how this components are influencing mood shifts and emotional dysregulations, which in turn cause distress and negatively impact functioning in our day to day interactions with our spouse, family, friends, co-workers, any and all other social connections as well as negatively impacting our efficacy in our day to day activities. Day to day activities range from personal care daily routines, balancing a check book, job retention, addictions, and many other habits and/or behaviors. Psychoeducation, cognitive behavior, body-mind, and other theories of change are engaged in a seamless psychodynamic process as strategies to effectuate motivation and solution oriented change emerge in each session. This is all done in a collaborative person centered process towards healing, where the individual, couple, or families are empowered in each step towards self regulation and self-efficacy while engaged as supportive agents of change for others in their various environments.