Hey there! I'm a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida and have been in practice for over 10 years. I received my Masters in Counseling Psychology in 2011, and I have had the privilege of helping individuals like yourself overcome life's obstacles since that time. My role as a therapist is to accept who you are while also challenging you to become the best version of yourself. If you would like to take advantage of a free 15 minute phone consultation to determine if we are a good fit, please reach out to me directly at Allison.havencounseling@gmail.com or text at 407-592-3041. I would be happy to schedule that for you!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, I will use this time to get to know you better. I will ask questions such as: "What brings you to therapy? What symptoms are you experiencing? What are your goals for therapy?" I will also ask you some questions about your history such as your childhood, education, relationships, current living situation and career. All of this will help me develop a tailored treatment plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions. I will also answer any questions you have for me.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I believe that humans are resilient and can overcome the obstacles before them with the proper tools, support, and mindset. I help motivated individuals like yourself openly explore what holds them back from experiencing a joy-filled life. Examples include negative core beliefs, past traumatic experiences and unhealthy lifestyles. I like to use a more holistic approach to treating mental health concerns so in addition to looking at your thoughts and feelings, we will also examine your nutrition, exercise, sleep habits and support network.
About Allison Petro
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts
Address
111 West Magnolia Avenue, Longwood, FL 32750, Suite 2004Appointments
Virtual & in-personMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I believe Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be helpful no matter what obstacles you encounter in life. It's a commonly used therapy for a reason. I use CBT to assist my clients in identifying his/her unhelpful thoughts and negative core beliefs to see how those thoughts and beliefs lead to unwanted emotions and behaviors. I mean, you are what you think, right?
EMDR
I am trained in EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and I have found it to be impactful for individuals dealing with upsetting events in his/her past as well as current triggers. I believe that to live fully in the present, you must first heal from the past. EMDR is a powerful therapeutic psychotherapy modality that helps people work through difficult traumatic memories, experiences or limiting beliefs in a rapid and effective manner. EMDR is a heavily researched therapy with over twenty years of scientific validation. It has been placed in the highest category of effectiveness for treating depression, PTSD, anxiety, panic disorders, and more.
Schema Therapy
Schema is a fancy term to describe maladaptive patterns of thinking that could cause someone to engage in unhealthy behaviors or struggle to maintain adult relationships. Schemas are thought to develop during childhood and lead to behaviors such as avoidance, overcompensation, fear of abandonment, entitlement, excessive self sacrifice, shame and others in adulthood. Through Schema Therapy, I help you identify your schema(s), change your unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors so that you can better cope with relationship challenges or emotions in healthy ways.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
As a therapist, one of my main goals is to accept who you are as a person (the good and not so good parts) while simultaneously encouraging you to change and grow as a human being. Whether it's healing from your past, changing unwanted thoughts and behaviors or regulating emotions, I enjoy coming alongside and supporting my clients. DBT was designed to help individuals learn and implement coping skills to avoid undesired behaviors. Through DBT, I help you learn and practice mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal skills.