Hi there, I'm David, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who serves clients and their families in Florida via tele-therapy and in-person at various locations near the beaches in the Jacksonville metro area. Do you feel pulled in a million directions, unable to fit it all in? Are you struggling to keep up with your relationships, work and health? Is it hard to be kind to yourself? I walk alongside clients with genuine curiosity and care, providing mental health support that draws from a variety of evidence-based therapeutic approaches and techniques so that clients can move from survive toward thrive. I also work with clients to build strong relationship foundations for marriage and parenting, for creating a new start after a breakup, or for embarking on second marriages. In addition, I offer help for clients working though ongoing problems, such as undesired changes in physical intimacy, emotional distance between spouses, parenting frustrations, career transition chaos, or grief from loss. In addition to relationship, marital, and family counseling, I specialize in working with men to avoid burnout and successfully navigate transitions in today’s world. My passion is to provide a safe space to heal and grow so that individuals, couples, and families can succeed in creating the whole mosaic their lives are meant to be. Let's work together!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During the first session, we will review the therapeutic relationship and spend time discussing the challenges and/or desires that have brought clients to therapy, and determine desired outcomes and discuss the perspective I bring to the room and treatment options to make sure I am a good fit. Sometimes this means exploring past problems and traumas, sometimes this is working through present challenges quickly. We will evaluate effectiveness weekly, not rehashing the same things over and over again, but finding a way to “get at it” on a foundational level, so that individuals, couples, and families can make the changes they desire to live more of the life that they want.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
My style of therapy is person-centered, proactive yet supportive, imaginative and solution-focused, primarily based in the tradition of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In customizing approaches for individual clients, I have also included tools from Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Systems Therapy approaches. For couples and families, I broaden to include appropriate strategies from Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, and SYMBIS. I try to be encouraging without pressuring, straightforward without being harsh, and curious to learn what fits best for my client's progress toward their goals.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I grew up in a small town in West Tennessee – a great community where everyone knew one another and I learned a lot of my values there. I then moved to St. Louis where I began walking with children, adolescents, couples and families, celebrating life's milestones and navigating life's challenges as a youth and family minister. Next, I went back to school and completed a Dual MA in both Professional Counseling and School Counseling, where I would broaden and deepen my ability to serve families with greater impact. Since 2011, I continue to build experience in and out of the mental health working with individuals, couples, and families to find success in their goals for their lives and relationships.