LCSW, 5 years of experience
New to Grow
Greetings! My name is Mitchell. I have been providing mental health support and therapeutic clinical counseling for the past 7 years. For the past three years, my primary focus has been helping Military Veterans of all ages and their families within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Before my time at the VA, I worked with all manner of adults suffering from depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I have worked in forensic group homes, interdisciplinary medical settings, and substance abuse treatment programs. I am fascinated with the ever-evolving therapeutic processes that shape our understanding of the human brain, behavior, and emotional regulation. In other words, I enjoy learning how to be more effective in helping people. Please join me as we collaborate in finding your own clarity in purpose and navigating the difficulties that we as people encounter.
Our first session will be an opportunity for us to get to know each other. You can expect some questions about your reason for the appointment, your life, environment, support system, and whatever helps me get an accurate first impression of you. I believe the relationship between client and provider is the key to success so I want to know how I can dispel any reservations you may have about moving forward with a working relationship towards your goals. Some clinicians can be the perfect match on paper for specific issues or diagnoses, but I think it's difficult to know for sure until you spend some time with them. I do my best to facilitate trust, transparency, and compassion in every session. I hope this allows for a good first impression and strong foundation for which we can begin our work together.
The experiences that I have had in working with mandated counseling programs have taught me valuable lessons in nurturing a working relationship with clients despite apprehension or ambivalence. Those years taught me how to connect with others even when the motivation to participate is very low and their understanding of therapy is little. Another strength gained through these encounters is the ability to find commonality within a short window of time or information. Connection requires understanding and I find there cannot be success in this work without connection.
I tend to work well with individuals coming into therapy without any experience or understanding of of the process. If you’re struggling with drugs or alcohol, feeling lost or worried about life transitions, relationships, or just struggling with the understanding of what to do with complex emotions or feelings, I’d be excited to sit with you and talk about the possibilities.
The practice of aligning decisions with your values and remaining psychologically flexible in difficult moments are key aspects that can help address many issues. Helping people connect with their values and associate them more readily with their behavior and decision making through difficult experiences are key areas that I feel help people live happier and healthier lives.
People are their own experts in what ways work best for them to make lasting change. Motivational interviewing provides the tools for us to connect effectively with our clients and help guide them through their struggle with ambivalence leading to lasting change that works for them.
Solutions focused therapy uses tools that concentrate around the strengths of a client that may lead to psychological improvement rather than analyzing the cause of their suffering to look for answers. I have found that tools in solutions focused work help clients realize their hidden strengths that can provide direction for change and motivation. Tools like the miracle question and scaling questions have been helpful in providing perspective for us on what the client feels can provide the route for improvement.