Ryan Craft, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with 6 years of experience in providing therapeutic support to individuals struggling with a variety of mental health issues. He specializes in utilizing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as his go to modality in helping clients increase mindfulness while developing coping skills, emotional regulation techniques, and interpersonal effectiveness strategies. Ryan earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia, where he further fostered his passion for helping people in need. He became a “double dog” in returning to UGA for his Master's degree in Social Work, where he honed his skills in clinical practice and received further training in employing CBT, MI and DBT. Outside of his work as a therapist, Ryan is a self-professed cat and sloth lover and enjoys immersing himself in gaming and nerd culture. He believes that hobbies and interests outside of work are essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and encourages his clients to pursue their own passions as a means of self-care.
In the initial intake session client's can expect an exploration into their distant and recent past to help paint a picture of the contributing factors to their presenting problem. The client and Ryan will work together to identify their needs in treatment and talk through a plan of how best to meet these needs through a treatment plan.
Ryan's core experiences in conducting therapy have been grown through working in community mental health. His experience of meeting the needs of adult clients of all ages and diagnoses in this setting has given him a strong foundation for working with many different clients from all walks of life. In particular Ryan has had significant experience in working with clients with the following diagnoses and mental health concerns: Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Borderline Personality Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disorder.
I use DBT to assist clients in developing mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills as the building blocks for regulating and processing their experiences. These skills help clients form a solid foundation for tackling day to day stressors in addition to processing heavier subject matter.