LCSW, 4 years of experience
Hey there! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Kentucky. I began working as a therapist in 2020 after graduating with my Masters degree from the University of Kentucky, which I attended after earning my Bachelors degree from Eastern Kentucky University. I mainly work with children and adolescents but also have experience working with adults as well!
First sessions are typically always the scariest for everyone. The first sessions usually involve some basic assessments/questions, but I like to try and focus on building rapport for a big majority of the first session! Building a good rapport allows clients to feel more comfortable when meeting with a therapist, especially when it comes to heavy things like trauma, so I try to ensure that my clients feel comfortable talking with me before we get into too much!
Having worked with children/adolescents since starting as a therapist, I feel that I have been able to really build on my rapport building skills, as it can be difficult for children to begin to explore some of the things that bother them especially to a new adult! Like I mentioned earlier, I also like to meet clients where they are at which can look different for every client. So every client may need something a little different and I try to stay prepared for those differences!
I have the most experience in working with children/adolescents, however, I enjoy working with adults as well. A majority of my clients typically struggle with anxiety, depression and trauma as well. My goal as a therapist is to meet all of my clients where they are currently at, which sometimes means working our way up from the bottom which is totally fine!
CBT focuses on the idea that our thoughts, behaviors and feelings/emotions are all connected. CBT also looks at focusing on changing certain thoughts or behaviors, which can also help our emotions/feelings in positive ways, as our distressing thoughts and behaviors often influence our emotions/feelings.
Trauma focused CBT is a lot like CBT in that we are focusing on thoughts and behaviors but in relation to trauma/traumatic events that may have happened. This approach helps to explore and process the trauma/traumatic event while also working on learning different skills to help overcome different trauma related symptoms/difficulties.