Danielle West
Hi! I'm Danielle and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Pennsylvania. I received my Masters at Bryn Mawr College of Social Work and have been practicing for 7 years. For the past 5 years, I have worked full time in a school setting helping children who struggle with mental health issues, emotional regulation, and peer conflicts.
I love to use humor occasionally to break up the seriousness of what we may be discussing because therapy can be hard work and it’s important to laugh a little.
I am passionate about helping children and adolescents regulate their emotions, learn coping skills, and develop a positive self-esteem. I also enjoy counseling women as they navigate transitions, relationships, and discovering their identity.
First session
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges you're facing. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
Strengths
I create a safe and a non-judgmental space to identify your struggles and work through them. No one ever truly healed by negativity or shaming so I do not want that to be a part of our sessions. I love to use humor occasionally to break up the seriousness of what we may be discussing because therapy can be hard work and it’s important to laugh a little. I hope you’ll find working with me to be an encouraging and uplifting experience that will empower you to make healthy and positive changes in your life.
Ideal clients
I love working with children, adolescents, and women aged 18-55. All of these ages have different struggles and I enjoy helping people work through them and get to the other side.
Treatment methods
Attachment-based
A healthy attachment to your parent as a child has such an impact on your life moving forward. Unfortunately, not every person has a strong attachment to his or her parent but there are ways to heal from that. I like to help clients connect with their inner child and learn how to have healthy relationships.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Our minds can have such an impact on our mood. CBT can help clients identify unhealthy thought patterns and create more healthy ones.
Christian Counseling
I have been a Christian my whole life with hiccups along the way. I would never try to push my beliefs onto a client during a session but I know Christian counseling can be beneficial for so many. I like to combine biblical principles with counseling approaches during my Christian counseling sessions.
Strength-Based
It’s often easier to be negative and harder to see the positives but I think that lasting change comes when we address things from a strengths based approach. I try to utilize that in my counseling approach.
Psychoeducation
I love learning about mental health and the reason behind so many mental health struggles. I believe knowledge is power and I desire to empower my clients with information to help them be successful.
Location
Virtual sessions