LCSW, 7 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi there! I'm Rikki Lyn. I'm a licensed clinical social worker and doctor of behavioral health here in central Jersey. It's my job to offer innovative, person-centered, and customized treatment plans to all my clients that are science-supported with a comfortable twist. No leather couches here! Clients of mine are invited to a consultation to discuss any sort of obstacles, big or small. I'm happy to answer questions and address concerns to ensure you're ready to start therapy. Along the way, you might even find your next creative outlet or mindfulness practice. It would be my privilege to serve you.
A first session with me comes with learning about my client first. It can sometimes feel like a lot of questions, but I want to make sure we hear it from the expert- you! First session attendees also get a few pointers on how to immediately address concerns in 'bite size' ways for in-between sessions. It's also super important that my clients begin brainstorming about treatment goals for later so we can create a custom plan and chip away at progress with each visit.
Part of what makes my work stand out at Verdant Therapy is that I get to offer health and trauma-informed care into all my clients' cases. I have a full creative space studio with the more traditional sitting room environment in-person, in addition to the modern amenities of virtual care options. Collectively, my services are strongly ADA accessible. Although not required, it is always a pleasure to help others heal through creative means if they like. I love getting the chance to help someone with their mental health needs knowing that their creative-cognitive strategies are excelling and their physical health may improve too. It is a truly whole-person approach.
Here at Verdant Therapy, clients are diverse and come from all walks of life. My doors are open to anyone seeking improvements in life: this can mean behavior, mood, or resolving thoughts. For some, this could mean confronting lasting traumas while for others this could mean catching a habit before it gets too serious. Some of the goals we see in therapy include finding new coping skills, adapting to life challenges, configuring ways to achieve or accomplish personal goals, or process and develop closure for longer-term exposures to stressors. My ideal clients can come skeptical or open-minded and anywhere in between :)
Being trauma informed means that I take into account your experiences in life that lead up to this point. It helps normalize experiences and establish how to confront and heal from them in a safe and nonjudgmental way- without blame or shame.
Humanistic therapy simply means we treat people like people- not like diagnoses. You'll see humanism in moments like offering tea or tissues for intense moments, invitational language, and no pressure conversations.
This is where the fun of therapy lives on paper: we use positive psychology in things like gratitude, finding the positives in each day, and building empowered narratives that focus on the good while still acknowledging the challenges.
Psycho-ed is my way of making sure clients understand their paperwork, why treatment works, and what might be the cause. I use psychoeducation to build self awareness and so that clients can articulate themselves and their needs with ease and precision.
Mindfulness is the core of all expressive and experience-based interventions. The goal is always to offer clients a wide array of opportunities to immerse in free-expression like drawing or even weaving, in hopes of exploring and achieving flow and awareness of the body and mind.