LCSW, 20 years of experience
New to Grow
I am a licensed clinical social worker and have worked in the social work field for over 20 years. I have worked in psychiatric mental health units, schools and universities. I have experience working with the aging population (gerentology) but also with children and families. Besides being a mental health clinician I am also a licensed yoga teacher and believe that wellness is about balancing our minds, bodies and spirits. When one of this is "off-balance" we suffer from distress. I believe that we all have the capacity to heal ourselves, with the support and/or guidance of others such as therapists, doctors, pastors, trusted friends, 12 Step groups, and faith-based communities, to name a few. One person cannot do it alone. There is much support out there and you just have to be open and willing to receive help.
Our first session will consist of learning what the you (the client) wants from therapy and your expectations. I want to be able to support you in whatever concern or goal you have identified. I want you to feel hopeful about the present and future when you leave our first session.
My strength as a provider is that I am bi-cultural and bilingual. I understand how it is to navigate one culture while living in another. I am trained in trauma, brief therapy, cognitive behavior therapy and narrative therapy. I work well with people experiencing grief- not just the loss of a loved one, but also any sort of loss i.e. job, opportunities, a relationship, etc. My training in yoga, mind-fullness, meditation, and EMDR has shown me the importance of including the mind-body connection in my work with children and adults.
Clients who have a desire to help themselves and to be vulnerable. I am the child of immigrant parents, so I have a special affinity with working with immigrants or children of immigrants. People who are in a transition in their lives are folks I enjoy working with. Whether they are considering a divorce, a move, have experienced a loss such as grief (a loved one, a job, a separation)- we can process what you are experiencing and learn tools to move forward.
As a trained clinical social worker, I work from a strengths-based perspective with clients because I believe that clients can learn to identify and tap into their strengths to help them heal. Identifying the strengths that an individual has can be powerful because it shows people that they already have the "ingredients" inside of them to reach their goal.
I was trained that thoughts influence our behavior and vice-versa. In my work with children and adults, examining how we think and how that impacts our behavior is very helpful. And, learning HOW we can control our thoughts and HOW we think puts us in a position of power. I help clients learn how to observe and evaluate their thoughts so that they can problem solve.
I am also a licensed yoga teacher and trained in Transcendental Meditation. These 2 orientations are helpful when people suffer from anxiety, depression or mood disorders. I use yoga techniques, meditation and mindful-awareness with clients depending on what works for them and what they enjoy.
I have been fully trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. EMDR can be used for "little" traumas or "bigger" traumas to help re-calibrate the brain and relieve (somatic) symptoms. It can be used with anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other mental health experiences.