Licensed to practice in Florida and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in ADHD, Child or Adolescent, Trauma and PTSD and 10 more.
New to Grow
I approach mental wellness as a spectrum of being that will regularly ebb and flow for all people. We all have "good" days and "not so good" days; we all need someone to talk to and to listen to us when days are harder, and we all need a compassionate voice to tell us that we can work through this. Menatl health work is manageable when it is education and information based, which helps us to make our problems seem more manageable. I like to help my clients feel comfortable about talking through their thoughts and obstacles, and finding real, simple solutions to problems. I have worked with people of all ages; my youngest client was 3 years old, and my oldest client was 84; I am proud to say that I can adjust to meet clients' needs. This is due to my ability to listen and to collaborate actively with clients to help them have a say in their care and healing.
During our first session, my initial goal is getting to know you and the hearing about the overall "picture" of how you would like to be once therapy is completed. I want to hear about you and the circumstances that brought you to seek therapy, the expectations you have, and the different things you have tried in the past to work through your circumstances. I also want to help you feel comfortable with our meeting, so I encourage questions about my professional experience and my approaches to various struggles you may be facing.
I encourage all my clients to talk and feel comfortable with sharing their experience and perspectives on their treatment. I like to listen to each person as they describe not only their feelings, emotions, and the impact their experiences have on their mood, but also help each person to address their problems directly and respectfully. I enjoy helping clients build their confidence based on the strengths they already possess and encouraging them to apply these strengths as the foundation towards building lasting change.
I have had the pleasure of working with individuals of all ages. I have worked with children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse, as well as a specialty in working with the non-offending parents of children who have experienced sexual abuse. I have been trained in Trauma focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy to support clients as they address multiple types of trauma, including accidents, domestic violence, abuse, separation from family, and grief. For parents seeking parenting support, I help parents address varying types of behavioral issues with their children, including setting healthy boundaries, issuing appropriate consequences, and developing healthy communication with youth. These issues are most likely to be addressed following parental separation/ divorce and other familial transition issues. Adolescents/ teens experience a lot of changes during the middle school and high school years; the behaviors and interactions during this time are crucial to their long term social and psychological health. I work with middle- and high-school aged youth to discuss themes including, but not limited to, healthy relationships (friendship and romantic), setting healthy, clear boundaries with peers, communication, identifying needs, self esteem, and resolving conflicts with parents.
Other specialties
I identify as
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
For people seeking to improve their symptoms and develop better overall coping skills, CBT is a great way to start. I prioritize a combination of psychoeducation and reflection to help each client recognize when symptoms are coming on, noting the triggers for those symptoms, and finding the appropriate methods to manage those symptoms before they become overwhelming. The wonderful thing about using CBT is that people of all ages can benefit, and the skills you earn can be long lasting with practice and gradual adjustments made over time.
Psychoeducation
Knowledge is power! When clients learn that what they are experiencing has a name and learn to pinpoint what brings on those feelings/ symptoms, they have a better chance of gaining control over those symptoms. Psychoeducation gives clients the opportunity to learn about the symptoms they are experiencing and the events that trigger them. Through the trust and guidance of the therapy relationship, the client learns what their symptoms are, what may have brought the symptoms on in that particular moment, and learning to break those symptoms down in order to be able to better manage them.
Trauma Informed Care
When someone experiences a powerful event, it can change the way they see the world. No one's experiences should be minimized or compared to another's experiences, nor should the impact be ignored or pushed aside. Taking careful consideration of an individual's experiences and how the experience(s) impacts them in daily life is as important to the individual's healing as the methods for healing. Trauma informed care helps me to take multiple aspects of your experince into consideration as I tailor treatment to meet your specific needs.
Trauma-Focused CBT
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) is a wonderful methodology for helping individuals to learn the skills needed to manage their symptoms, learn about what specifically happened to them and how that experience is impacting their daily interactions and progress, and to develop skills and techniques to manage symptoms and feelings, all in the process of building healing and strength despite their experience. TFCBT is useful to individuals of all ages, with most participants seeing changes in mood and symptom management in as few as 6 weeks.
Play Therapy
For my younger clients, I use elements of play therapy in my practice to encourage children to talk about and understand their feelings, mood, and behaviors, and help them to develop skills to express and manage their emotions. I continue to attend in person and virtual trainings to grow my skills to share with clients and their parents.