LCSW, 4 years of experience
Hello! My name is Aleksandra Kordal, LCSW and I am based in Central New Jersey. I received my Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2021. I have been working in the mental health field for about 5 years and I've been working with children and adolescents for about 8 years. Although my background is working with children and adolescents, I have recently expanded to working with young adults as well. Recently, I became a Certified Trainer in the Nurtured Heart Approach® to provide both coaching to parents and teach workshops.
During our first session, I will be getting an idea of what is bringing you to therapy. We will be working on getting to know one another first before diving into the issues. My priority is for you to feel supported and comfortable with me.
Every client is different and may require a different approach. I believe my ability to adjust accordingly to the client assists me in being the best provider I can be.
I love working with children and adolescents. Often times, they might feel misunderstood and not heard. I work to create a better path of communication between the child/adolescent and their family.
I have utilized CBT in my practice for the past three years with children, adolescents and young adults. The primary focus that I use CBT for is psychoeducation. I am a big believer in understanding what is happening to your body and mind before challenging and changing these thoughts. Through CBT, my clients can expect to use to CBT triangle, explore cognitive distortions and work outside the sessions to address the distressful thoughts.
I have utilized psychodynamic approach with primarily adolescents and young adults in order to further explore past experiences and their impacts on the present.
As a child and adolescent therapist, I utilize a wide range of art projects, games and toys to assist in the therapeutic process. Often times, parents may ask, "Are you just playing in therapy?" The answer to this is no. Play therapy provides children and adolescents a safe space to communicate in a way that is not overwhelming. During these sessions, I can redirect, model behaviors, ask specific questions about the play or observe the behaviors that the child is communicating.