LCSW, 20 years of experience
New to Grow
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I have over 20 years of experience helping adolescents, adults, couples, and older adults facing life challenges. I employ a wide range of therapeutic techniques, that include but are not limited to Cognitive Behavioral, Client centered and Solution focused therapies. Appreciation of the brain body connection helps to bring about change in a substantive way. To begin this change process, I encourage the use of mindfulness for the purpose of calming brain and body.
Philosophy is where we begin, examination of life and of life conditions. Our first session will be mostly information gathering. As your therapist I need to understand who you are what has occurred throughout your life. Socrates encouraged what I call “examined living”. In our work we will embrace this theme as we explore your experiences, choices, and interactions, with others. Questions that we start with are: “Who are you?” and “What do you want?”, "what happened?" and "how did I get here?" as well as "what possibilities can happen?" and "what do I want to do with my life?" Posing these questions, exploring the answers creates meaning, as well as bringing greater self-understanding to the individual as well as relationships with loved ones.
I believe that you as the person receiving treatment must be comfortable with the therapist you are working with in treatment. I am honest and direct in providing feedback. I am supportive, encouraging and provide unconditional positive regard to my clients. I assign homework and reading based on the issues that we are working on.
I work well with individuals who are motivated, and invested in exploring, identifying, and trying new skill sets. These Individuals are most successful in unlocking potential to reach goals. Areas that I have had a good deal of success: Older adults who are adjusting to the changes of entering retirement which has an impact on self-definition and relevance. Adults who are working on being sandwiched between children and caregiving to their parents. Young adults working on issues of redefining their role as an adult, as well as teens who are dealing with school and peer stress.
The importance of being present in one's life is a central to therapeutic practice. Individual clients are supported in the process of becoming aware of and calming feelings to best be able to then understand where feelings are derived, analyze choices, set goals, and direction of treatment. Further, to support calming reactivity to stressors as well as to learn skills to obtain life goals.
The structure of CBT allows for the exploration of thoughts and the impact that thoughts have on behavior and feelings. Exploration of thoughts allows the client to better understand themselves and how they relate to the world around them.