New to Grow
I have been a social worker for over 25 years in multiple settings. I have worked with young children, foster care, the court systems, residential treatment for adolescents, adults mandated to treatment due to forensic concerns, depression, anxiety, trauma, compulsions and sleep issues. I have worked with adults of all ages and people who have gone through many different life challenges. As long as you are looking for telehealth services, I am happy to support you. I currently work for NYS monitoring services for adults mandated to treatment due to having serious mental health concerns. Through telehealth, I am given the opportunity to work directly with people to help them on their journey towards a happier life. I find it truly rewarding to meet each and every person that would like services. I engage in person centered therapy to support you with your goals. Treatment is not just learning a new coping strategy. It is about self-discovery and learning to think and feel about your life in a healthier way.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
I am going to send you some basic forms to understand your thoughts, feelings, and mental health history. The purpose of this is to avoid having to ask you many questions in the session. This allows me to understand what you may want to get out of therapy before we even start. Some of the short question forms also allow me to measure the mental health concerns to see if it meets a clinical criteria necessary to bill health insurance. People that are looking for services with a specific trauma, I will not ask you to go into detail about your experiences. This can unfortunately trigger more anxiety. I encourage all people to share what they want to work on in therapy at the level of detail you are comfortable with sharing. As I have over 25 years experience, I am often able to see how the trauma has impacted you without having to ask for all the difficult and uncomfortable details. I am more interested in what you would like to get out of therapy and provide you with some basic persons centered coping strategy before the end of the first session. Most initial sessions will take 60-90 minutes. Please schedule additional time. We can certainly end sooner if that makes you feel comfortable, but I want everyone to have a chance to clearly state what they want from therapy and for them to visualize how I will help them develop their road map for improvement.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My greatest strengths are my ability to use humor and develop treatment plans that are person centered. I have seen many inexperienced therapists get their license and start their own practice from scratch. I have walked with people who have seen terrible trauma and helped them create the life they want. This was not done through a basic coping strategy. This was done by creating safety in the immediate environment, identifying formative experiences that impact how they think and feel today, and finally learning new ways to live life on their terms. This did not happen in 6 sessions. I was there with them for years through all of the ups and downs. I also have the ability to help people who are coming in with concerns that related to perfection which can cause anxiety. They are going to need less intensive treatment, but perfectionism is something that can impact people's lives in a significant way. Learning how to give up control is an important part of personal growth. This is something that is done by slowly building a therapeutic relationship, learning some new cognitive behavioral strategies, and using them in the real world. Parents often have significant concerns about how to manage their children. I helped develop services in the county clinic that I used to work in with all ages. I am currently only working with 12 and up in the telehealth platform, but I have extensive experience helping families come together to see that everyone is getting their core needs met in a health manner.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
My ideal client is someone who is looking for services in the evening or on the weekends in the morning. I typically provide services from around 6PM to 9 PM Monday through Thursday and 9-12 on Saturday or Sunday. I am hoping to work with people who have found that their current ways of engaging the world are not bringing them what they expect or want out of life. I provide a sliding pay scale for people that do not have insurance. Otherwise, I am happy to use your insurance. I prefer to communicate via text during the day to address immediate concerns and will reply to any concerns until 9:30. Anyone that needs immediate crises services is encouraged to call 988 or call 911. If you need someone who can get back to you in 24-48 hours, I can assist. My goal is usually to connect with you in 1-3 hours. I am very comfortable working with people who are struggling with suicidal ideation and depression. I will use tools such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS) along with clinical experience to help the person understand their current level of risk and to do everything I can to ensure their safety. Patients who have attempted multiple times to end their lives are most likely going to need in person therapy. I am an ideal therapy for anyone that is not sure about therapy. With my sense of humor and the use of telehealth from your own home, it takes away the anxiety that people often feel which stops them from coming to the first appointment. Once you have seen that I use a person centered approach that is culturally sensitive, my new clients want to schedule their second appointment. I am not an ideal therapist for anyone that is going through a custody dispute and will require a therapist to testify. I have done this for years and it requires someone who can be there in person at the time the court requires. This is not ideal for telehealth. I am also not an ideal therapist for someone coming right out of inpatient rehabilitation for substance use or leaving an inpatient mental health program with a severe mental health concern such as Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar Disorder. People with those mental health challenges will need in person services.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I help people identify what thoughts may be causing additional problems in their lives and help them to consider alternative options. I use a lot of humor to make this process enjoyable. Just because someone is considering a different way of thinking about their life, does not mean it needs to be a painful process. I have used this for people with trauma, anxiety, depressions, compulsive behaviors, and/or behaviors that may have brought them to the attention of their local police officers. I am very flexible with my approaches and adjust this for each individual client depending on their need.
Couples Counseling
I provide therapy to couples to help them improve their communication, understand their partners point of view, and most importantly to understand all the ways that both people can get their needs met. I am very comfortable providing this services for people with all different back grounds and experiences. Just like with CBT, I use humor to make this process more enjoyable for everyone participating. The goal is to see all of the similarities that brought two people together and to adjust patterns that are not supporting the relationship as intended.
Attachment-based
Bolby and Ainsworth have led the field to show how attachment happens in early childhood. Research has shown how unhealthy attachment patterns can lead people to a life that does not include consistent healthy relationships, risk taking, substance use, and constantly feelings of uncertainty that make life less fulfilling or empty. Everyone needs to have people they have a strong attachment to. This can be your family of origin or the family that you choose. I am happy to help you reconnect with your biological family to heal past concerns or to help you find the family that you choose and will choose you back.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Most therapy that is provided is about getting present with the moment. Dealing with trauma people will think about the past and it will cause emotional pain for them. The other challenge is that people will worry about the future too much of the time. Getting in the present and managing your current feelings is one of the strongest strategies that can be used to help people move from a painful emotional state to one that is more manageable. Being present in the moment t is also essential for people to appreciate or feel gratitude for what they have. This is a core part of improving the lives of people who experience sadness and don't find the joy in life that they see other people experience.
Motivational Interviewing
It is not the job of the therapist to tell you what to do. It is the job of the therapist to help you find your reasons for improving your life. Everyone has something that is important to them. This may be God, family, job, hobbies, nature or free time. Whatever it is that brings you joy is something that can be used for finding motivation. I will help you connect with your core motivation to achieve the goals that you are bringing to therapy. Please be aware that there are many other modalities that I am very familiar with. I have used play therapy, DBT, family therapy, group therapy, and CBT to help people to manage suicidal thoughts. I am simply not allowed to add any more on this platform.