LCSW, 20 years of experience
New to Grow
I am licensed in California with over 20 years of professional work experience, primarily as a school social worker and school counselor working with teens and their families. I’m excited to also branch out and provide therapy to young adults and adults. I have experience working with a variety of issues; from grief & loss, PTSD, ADHD, depression and anxiety to family conflicts, blended families, separation/divorce and co-parenting, as well as with issues impacting self-esteem, and confidence. I’m excited to work with clients to create an open and safe environment toward better self-expression, understanding & growth!
During the first session, we will cover confidentiality and its limitations (related to safety matters), informed consent, policies & scheduling, and an overview of the clients concerns, goals and any questions. The first session is primarily to discuss practical "therapy" housekeeping matters, and to get a sense of if we might be a good match in working together.
My strength as a therapist is that I work to combine a balanced approach of supportive compassion and empathy with efforts to impart a perspective of "what needs to change," and to gently challenge my clients to look at patterns that might not be serving their best interests.
I'm open to working with clients of all backgrounds and experiences, and to support clients through whatever challenges, pain, trauma or concerns with which they may be facing. I believe the therapeutic alliance is similar to any relationship...there needs to be a natural connection and syncing where the client feels seen, heard and comfortable to be themselves and open-up. Of course it might take some time to develop a bit of a rapport. But, if I'm not the right fit, I won't take any offense...as I want all clients to have a strong therapeutic connection with their therapist (even if it's not me).
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is focused on the interconnectedness of thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and how our thoughts influence our feelings and behaviors. The goal of CBT therapy is to help clients identify and move away from negative patterns of thinking and behavior and move toward more fruitful and positive coping strategies to enhance one's life and lead to more fullfilling interpersonal and relational outcomes. Recognizing negative self-talk and/or distorted thinking is an important part of the process, as well as working to reframe to more positive messages and thoughts.
EFT can be a helpful therapeutic approach to assist clients in understanding how their early childhood experiences with attachment can shape their emotions and play a role in how they approach relationships. By exploring underlying feelings based on unmet attachment needs, EFT can help clients to identify the root causes of negative interaction patterns. Through this awareness, the goal is to work at developing healthier patterns of managing and expressing emotions, improving relational communication and building more secure connections.
I rely on psychodynamic therapy as a core therapeutic tool to help clients explore how their thoughts, feelings, patterns and choices may be influenced and impacted by unconscious beliefs and/or past experiences. This allows clients to gain insights to help them move toward more effective patterns that better serve their best interest, and to improve overall well-being and interpersonal relationships.
A strengths-based approach is an integral component built into my work with clients. It's a key element in helping clients to identify and enhance their internal strengths, confidence, self-reliance, and resilience....resulting in enhanced coping skills, greater self-fulfillment and overall feelings of empowerment in managing life challenges.