LCSW, 13 years of experience
I'm a CT native, who went to grad school in Wilmington North Carolina. I have worked in many different areas of mental healthcare, from mental health hospitals, to military prisons, community based mental health, military bases, and private practice. I have a letter of commendation from SECNAV for responding to the Navy Yard Shooting in 2013. I am trained in Solution Focused Therapy, (trauma informed) CBT, DBT, ACT, and Motivational Interviewing I am a mom to an amazing kid and 3 corgis, and my self care activities include cooking, gardening, going for walks with friends and my pups, knitting, movies/series, and working with my local Special Education PTA. I also have a podcast where I talk about 2 of my passions; movies and mental health. I value being transparent and coming from non-judgement and empathy with my clients and helping them achieve THEIR goals. I enjoy learning and have been spending the past couple of years trying to learn from lens that increase knowledge with variety of cultural competencies.
We will talk about any questions you have about my approach or professional experiences. We will review the limitations of confidentiality We will talk about what brings you in and what your goals are We will look at historical and medical information to have a well rounded assessment and at the end we will talk about things that I am seeing in session, treatment options, any referrals that are appropriate, and lastly if the client feels that this is a good fit with me (I never ask a question that i'm not ok with whatever answer comes back to me. If I am not the right fit, I'm so happy that you recognize that, and I would love to assist in any way I can to get you to the person that is the right fit).
I value humor, and love to create a space for people to speak openly, including profanity... after working with Sailors and Marines, you learn the appreciation and value of (dark) humor in times you feel vulnerable and creative 4 letter words. I am someone who believes in accountability and self advocacy and helping people learn to be comfortable in handling conflict or discomfort is something that I love to be a guide and cheerleader for my clients as they take on those skills. I utilize Solution Focused Therapy as a default modality, but I also like to use a variety of approaches because I believe that the modality and method should fit the person, and not forcing a person to fit a modality. I am a therapist that comes to the table with a lot of analogies that help cement the work that we are talking about and to make it digestible for all my clients.
I have been working within the mental health field for 21 years and as a social worker for 13 years, I have worked with people from ages 6-65, and I have learned that I love working with adults on helping them move forward in their lives to be their most authentic self. I love working with clients that are open to exploring being who they want to be, to help them see that they don't deserve to self limit themselves or self select out of opportunities. I love working with clients that recognize that traumas are a part of them but don't have to be the main character in their life or perspective and are ready to work towards having the life they deserve.
What do you want to be better and different in your life? Exploring what your strengths are, you post traumatic growth, how you are more resilient than you give yourself credit for is an important part of Solution Focused Strength Based Treatment. You are the expert of you and i'm happy to help you figure out how to put that expertise to work best for you.
Feeling disconnected from your body? Does your stress manifest in physical ways? Looking at the mind body connection is an important part to change and improve your life. Looking at emotions, thoughts, behaviors through the lens of how our brain and mind impact how we function and how we can improve functionality is crucial to the mind-body approach
Trauma Focused CBT is a more specified version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to utilize trauma informed language to address the impact of trauma on ones life. I have used this model with those in the Sandy Hook community and when working with active duty and veterans. I am trained in EMDR, but not comfortable with utilizing EMDR virtually so this is an option that I have found that is evidence based and can be utilize effectively with telehealth
I am trained in a lot of different methods for treatment, but belief that its not therapeutic to try and shape and force the client into the method, rather than to utilize multiple methods and treatments to provide a personalized experience for your wellness and healing