LCSW, 8 years of experience
I'm Jeff, like it says on this page. I love games of all kinds and dogs of all kinds. I sit crosslegged on chairs when I can and enjoy kneading dough. I'm verbose and use words as if they were legos. I'm familiar with being awkward and have experience being the outcast. I became a therapist because there were many times earlier in my life where I needed support and guidance from someone who could understand me without being judgmental or controlling. Being a strange enough person already, I never quite found someone empathetic towards my situation until meeting my first therapist - literally life changing. I'm certainly not claiming that I'll change your life as a guarantee just because of who I am - a therapist helped me see that so much change came about by my own efforts over the years, change that you can also be empowered to pursue. I am the sort of person that will work in your interest and not my own, work for your health when it feels like sickness gets in the way. If you happen to be someone or know someone that often puts others before themselves at the expense of wants and needs for the self, then you may know me pretty well already. Transparently, I am not using AI in any form to write anything you read here about myself or my methods.
Our first session will include as much or as little small talk as you would like. We can banter a bit first or get straight to the task at hand with a detailed assessment of everything I need to best facilitate your path for change.
I deal with big ideas and small details within life stories from a powerful childhood experience to a daily quirk you want to change. If you need a listening ear and sounding board that offers a fresh perspective, you have come to the right place! In treating the whole person, I look at individuals that have felt ostracized from society largely due to their thought process or not feeling heard by others. I will help you question your biases, assumptions and feelings towards what your problems are in your life as you see them.
I'm not the therapist for everyone; I'm the therapist I would have wanted when some patience and care was warranted for navigating painful or uncertain times. If Where ever you are in your life right now, I believe there is always time to reflect on and improve your overall well-being, whenever needed. When do you set aside time for yourself? Let's talk about that. What is keeping you from living the type of life that you want for yourself and how do those obstacles dictate your everyday choices? These are only some of the questions I can help you answer for yourself in our sessions that focus on managing intrusive thoughts, building better relationships (with yourself and others) while also accepting your whole being as worthy of love, mainly self love. When you already don't fit in with the crowd and finally take the time, effort and money to seek support from a professional, it is a bigger risk for that person and I want to recognize that. I want to be respectful of your willingness to sit with some potentially difficult parts of your past or present by reciprocating with my own effort. How often do you hesitate in action or ruminate over a mistake you made yesterday, or even last year? It's common to get stuck on our paths and focus on mistakes - talk to me and we can begin drawing a map leading towards better understanding of your emotions, thoughts and how they dictate your everyday experiences. I primarily focus on younger adults, 20s and 30s, as well as older adults with a history of isolation, difficulty socializing and men or male identifying individuals of color, generally. Clients that already have some experience with receiving therapy usually benefit more from my style - it is more like therapy 201 or 301 when working with me. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I work with cerebrally inclined adults and teens, giving attention to their needs when “being stuck in my head,” is a daily experience and perfectionism distracts from attainable goals. With my experience in using evidence-based practices and building a comfortable space for you, my philosophical background will guide you through anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts and existential dread. We will use mindfulness, meditation and structured cognitive-behavioral prompts. Think of our time together as a study group on your holistic well being as the main subject and the quiz as your everyday life - let me help you get a high score. I'm offering the chance for us to go on t
Unconditional positive regard is a core tenet of my practice and how I treat all of my clients. Being all ears to your experience first before offering anything of my own is important. I am always on your side, no matter what has happened in your past or what circumstances you find yourself in while seeking support. This is one human being supporting another, full stop.
Finding the means to work within our own minds as they are and appreciating how your own thoughts or feelings can enable you to tackle difficulties standing in your way rather than avoiding them should be rewarding - this is much of what I have worked on with clients feeling out of control of their lives. ACT allows you to break free of black and white thinking with emphasis on mindfulness, the here and now. You are not your thoughts or your emotions - we can discover and cultivate that true self with a vision for living your best life.
Mindfulness as a diffuse concept has become part of many treatments I employ, including portions of ACT, DBT and somatic therapy. I like to teach meditation in a way that is immediately helpful and foundational for practicing effective means of self discovery via non-judgmental exploration. Life is always happening in the present - that is all there is. In my experience, mindfulness based practices, when well taught, can elevate therapy from what only seems like talking to a valuable, life enhancing commitment.
Sometimes problems are clear cut and we know what we're dealing with, which is where directed questioning and planning come in. Practicality, pragmatism and what we can work on to improve your situation right now is so important to me. Whether it's a job, someone in your life or just struggling to come up with a plan to confront your issue, we will work together in using optimism to see you through the specifics.
We all struggle with deciding between one thing and another, or even conceptualizing the choices in front of us as mutable, changeable. Making a decision is often more about what hardship you can accept over the immediate benefit of say, going back to school, switching jobs, leaving a relationship. Do not feel as though individualized choices should only be solved individually - you can ask for help as well!