I know that you would prefer a therapist who can understand your reality and what you experience during a regular day. As a therapist, I am interested in the mental health of healthcare professionals of all stripes, as well as their significant others. I have worked in these environments, and I understand the stressors which lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and breakdown in relationships. My unique experience has been supporting veterinary professionals, animal welfare professionals, and rescue or sanctuary volunteers and employees. As you know, these are difficult jobs both physically and emotionally, and your experience is often misconstrued and misunderstood. I was a professor of social work for 23 years, and I continue to supervise social workers toward their clinical licensure. I have guided at least 40 social workers in 3 states in this way, and so I am sometimes considered the "therapist's therapist." During my activities in teaching and supervision, I continued to provide therapy to clients with various concerns, so that I continually learned and became current in many approaches and techniques. I have taught, published, and presented at conferences a great deal in the areas of grief and bereavement as well as mental health in the healthcare field, especially that of veterinary professionals. I have also participated in and published about the impact and mental health concerns during and after natural disasters, including the current pandemic and several hurricanes. So if you are looking for a mature therapist who can empathically respond to your unique situation, I would love to meet you.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
I hope that you will give me information by filling out the intake form before our first session. From that information, I will gather a history about you and your challenges. We will mutually determine goals for therapy.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I take an eclectic approach in that I utilize a "gunny-sack" of methods and tools collected and learned over decades of counseling. Some but not all would include ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), grief counseling using various models, anxiety reduction techniques, bibliotherapy, and psychodynamic approach.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My strengths are my knowledge and my experience doing therapy and supervision as well as working within the healthcare profession. My teaching experience is also very helpful.