John Dixon
I am a licensed clinical social worker in 7 states with years of experience successfully working with clients who want to grow and develop the skills that lead to a rewarding and successful life. Before becoming a clinician, I worked as a mental health administrator, facilitating changes in a variety of settings that led to better services for clients. This experience provides me with a unique lens on the systemic issues and day-to-day challenges that people and communities encounter.
First session
During our first session, I will be asking questions that allow you to tell your story and what brings you to therapy at this time. I will invite you to ask any questions you might have about therapy and our work together. We will cover both current and historical issues as part of identifying your unique story and needs. This will lead us to developing treatment goals that are specifically suited to what you want to get out of therapy. As part of this process, we will begin to get to know each other and assess our compatibility to work together.
Strengths
Our work starts with where you are and what brings you to therapy. Based on this and your treatment goals, interventions will be identified and employed that are best suited to achieving your goals. We will decide on these in a collaborative fashion. And identify the best means to capture and measure our progress. We will check in routinely to evaluate where we are and how you are feeling about our work.
Ideal clients
I have experience and success working with clients across a variety of issues. I am most experienced and best positioned to work with college students, men with work-life balance issues, active or former military, and adolescents, young adults, adults, couples, and 65+ clients who suffer from anxiety and depression. I am also well-versed in working with mandated and court-involved clients, as well as helping clients with poor self-esteem and who wrestle with negative self-talk.
Treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I was trained in ACT 2 years ago. I have routinely used it in therapy sessions to help clients increase their flexibility by accepting and reconciling difficult feelings. I have found it particularly helpful to teach clients skills that allow them to manage their experiences of anxiety and depression successfully. Clients who have been in therapy previously have found it to be a different and valuable intervention from what they experienced in prior therapeutic work.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
I have been using CPT in therapy for the past 3 years to help clients mitigate and eliminate the impact that past traumas have on their current lives. We will use validated assessments to measure our progress and make course corrections if necessary.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have used CBT in therapy sessions over the past decade. It has been an extremely effective intervention for teaching how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. Learning how to reframe negative thinking helps clients proactively manage feelings and lead to more helpful responses.
Compassion-Focused
Over the past decade, I have seen clients learn how the connections between empathy, compassion and kindness can mitigate anxiety and depression by keeping us in the present moment and helping others.
Couples Counseling
I have been working with couples for the past 6 years. By focusing on communication and developing effective communication skills, couples have learned how to work through their problems and have a healthy and happy relationship.
Location
Virtual sessions