New to Grow
I have been working individuals with behavioral and/or mental health challenges for 20 years. My experiences have continued to inform my clinical approach which includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as well as Solution-Focused approaches. My true strength lies in my ability to forge quality therapeutic relationships with my clients. This allows me to understand my clients' needs in a manner that informs how I will use different aspects of my clinical approach to seamlessly formulate a pathway to achieving treatment goals. Clients tell me that they enjoy how much I interact with them in their sessions and use real-life examples to illustrate ideas, strategies and skills.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
During our first session, I always start with encouraging my clients to ask any questions that they may have about what we will do and how it may be done. I review with my clients any documentation that they have signed to make sure that they understand what it is and why it needed their attention. I then ask my clients to give me a more detailed understanding about what is happening in their lives that caused them to want to seek therapy at this time. With this information, I discuss with my clients how we will move forward and what specific approaches we will use to address their challenges and achieve their treatment goals.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Clients have reported to me that they have been concerned that a therapist will expect them to talk the entire time of their session while the therapist sits and takes notes, offering little. It is often a relief for them when I indicate that I am very interactive in my work with clients and that I see this interaction as being a core part of my work with clients. The pivotal psychologist Carl Rogers famously stated that "it is the relationship that heals", and I have incorporated this idea into the work that I do with my clients and I cannot work any other way.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
My ideal clients are individuals who have made a decision to move forward with addressing challenges that are keeping them from finding contentment and happiness in their daily lives. My ideal clients may be encountering challenges with their mood, relationship functioning and/or other specific challenges and circumstances that are requiring a problem-solving approach. I am looking for clients who are ready to engage with me in their sessions so that we can work collaboratively to find a path to that happiness and contentment that they may be missing.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I am very comfortable with this clinical approach and I am able to assist clients with understanding how their emotional experiences are linked to their self-talk and perspective. I work to not only teach clients how to manage their self-talk and regulate their emotions effectively, but also to help clients understand how their experiences in life have contributed to the current challenges with emotional dysregulation and the unhelpful perspectives that appear to support that.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Many clients approach therapy with a specific challenge or set of challenges that they are encountering. My strength as a therapist working to provide a solution-focused approach is to help clients see their challenges as manageable and then to develop a rational and logical plan for addressing these challenges. I have had great success in my experience with assisting clients with developing their problem-solving skills and their ability to approach future challenges with confidence.
Trauma-Focused CBT
My training in trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy informs how I work with clients who have experienced trauma and other challenging circumstances in life that continue to impact functioning. I work with clients on developing their understanding of what trauma is and how these experiences impact the individual. I work with clients on developing a narrative to assist them with having a more manageable understanding of their experiences and with developing strategies to cope with the lasting impacts of trauma.
Interpersonal
Clients often approach therapy because the challenges they are experiencing are also impacting their functioning in their relationships. I work with all of my clients on developing an understanding of how relationships work. We then use that framework to understand challenges that are appearing in their relationships and to work towards resolving these circumstances.