Hi there! My name is Alexandra, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. I have over 7 years of experience working with adults, adolescents, and children in a variety of settings; with specialized experience working with Veterans and those currently serving in the military, including active duty, Guard and Reserve components; as well as survivors of domestic violence. I currently offer individual therapy, focused on helping clients navigate feelings of anxiety, depression or overwhelm, life transitions or other ongoing stressors, as well as working through traumatic experiences. I have a particular focus on helping people cope with the emotional and psychological effects of difficult or traumatic events. I am committed to providing compassionate and effective therapy, in a safe, supportive, and nonjudgemental space. My goal is to support my clients in developing greater self-understanding and growth, supporting change, and fostering healing. If you are struggling with the effects of stress, depressed mood, anxiety, or trauma, or just want to be able to talk to someone in a supportive and nonjudgmental space - I encourage you to reach out for help, you do not have to face these challenges alone. Life is often full of an incredible mix of significant positives and profound challenges, often these challenges are filled with anxiety, overwhelm, or distress, that can at times, feel impossible to navigate. My goal is to help and support you, while you learn to navigate these challenges and work toward healing, happiness, and growth. Please remember, as you are taking this step to connect with a therapist, while it may not have been the easiest of decisions, the decision to seek help is a sign of profound strength, never one of weakness. You deserve to feel happy and well.
Our first session will be focused on getting to know each other, exploring what brings you to therapy and your goals for our time together.
I offer a compassionate and collaborative approach focused on helping you navigate the challenges, feelings, or experiences that have brought you to therapy and your journey forward. I believe in the power of empathy and understanding, creating a safe healing space where clients feel heard, understood, valued, accepted, and supported—a space where you can share and explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences without fear of judgment. A strength of mine is the ability to meet a client where they are, utilizing a collaborative approach to identifying and developing goals and effective strategies for meeting those goals. I have additional training and focused experience working with survivors of domestic violence, Veterans and members of the military community. My approach to therapy is holistic, strengths-based, and trauma-informed; providing supportive talk therapy while drawing on various therapeutic modalities as appropriate. My approach centers around meeting clients where they are, utilizing a collaborative approach to identify areas of need and developing insight. We will take time to develop achievable goals for therapy and the future; together we will work toward building the skills and strategies to realize those goals. I work collaboratively with my clients to identify and further develop their strengths and resources; developing coping and problem-solving skills that will enable them to successfully navigate and manage their symptoms and live a full and meaningful life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be useful in looking at the connections between our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Through CBT we are able to explore our thoughts, identify those thought patterns that are unhelpful, maladaptive or skewed in some way and work towards challenging and reframing them into more helpful and accurate thoughts, which then can influence our feelings and behavior. CBT can often be very effective in helping navigate symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as PTSD, insomnia, work-related stress.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based therapy that is considered to be very effective in alleviating symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD). CPT, as a type of cognitive behavioral therapy, centers around the idea that our thoughts affect how we feel and act and traumatic experiences can lead to developing certain thought patterns that cause or reinforce distressing thoughts, feelings or behaviors. Through the use of CPT, we can learn how to challenge and reframe unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs related to the trauma. Processing these thoughts can in turn assist in alleviating symptoms and foster healing.
Supportive therapy focuses on creating a safe, supportive, nonjudgmental space, in which to discuss whatever is causing concern or distress. Through supportive therapy, the therapist will often provide emotional support, encouragement, and validation during difficult life circumstances or psychological challenges. Supportive therapy can be helpful when navigating current life stressors and self-esteem issues as well as anxiety, depression and PTSD. Supportive therapy can also at times be a helpful way to "dip your toe" into therapy, providing an opportunity to explore the idea of therapy and establish a therapeutic foundation on which to transition into other more structured therapies such as CPT or CBT.
Mindfulness-based strategies are often a very useful addition to the therapeutic process, and can be helpful in gaining further understanding and awareness of one's mood, thoughts and feelings, learning how to navigate these without judgment. Mindfulness-based strategies can help build and further reinforce the development of coping skills and grounding strategies to use in times of stress or distress.