Getting here is half the battle. Whatever compelled you to consider therapy….. WELCOME! I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Reciprocal Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I have 20 years of experience in the field of mental health. I’ve served as a mental health provider in multiple settings including residential treatment for chronic and persistent mental illness, inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment, alternative and therapeutic day school settings, and forensic treatment. For the last 8 years, I’ve served as a mental health clinician in the primary care setting, providing collaborative and wholistic care for wide range of patient concerns. We are the product of all of our collective experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of our experiences, especially during developmental years, shapes how we see ourselves, how we view the world around us, and our place in it. My practice is rooted in social work principles and aspects of positive psychology to guide treatment of the entire individual. I offer a person-centered, trauma-informed, strengths-based approach to assist individuals in realizing their own greatness, overcome perceived obstacles, and live a more adaptive life. If you are new to therapy, simply put, therapy is two people, in the same room, working together to sort something out. It’s a partnership, a collaboration. Making the decision to enter therapy is a big deal. You are entering into a relationship with a complete stranger, with hopes that this person will help you navigate through whatever challenges you are facing. Here’s the reality. I’m not the best fit for every client. It is important to know that YOU are the one that makes the decision to move forward with a particular therapist or not. If it doesn’t feel right, shop around until you find the right therapist, for you. Take an opportunity to ask questions about the process, including what approaches they take in helping people, their therapy style, what will be expected (homework/assignments between sessions), cadence and length of therapy sessions, cost of therapy, and how long therapy is expected to last (6 months, 1 year, longer?).
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session, we'll begin with brief introductions, and then dive into the reasons you are entering therapy. I'll be asking questions about symptom onset, duration, and the impact of symptoms on your daily functioning. I'll also ask about life history, including your upbringing, family dynamics, significant changes/adjustments, and any adverse events (trauma) that has occurred throughout your lifetime. We'll then discuss session cadence and availability for sessions, and begin a provisional treatment plan, to focus on goals you want to work on.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
The therapy process requires you to examine your thoughts, your feelings, and your behaviors, and learn to modify maladaptive patterns that just don’t work for you (or others in your life) any longer. Therapy can assist in identifying unhelpful patterns, the origin of those patterns, and creating a better relationship with all parts of ourselves. I am pragmatic in using one or combination of therapies. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). If any or all of these modalities are unfamiliar to you, I invite you to ask questions at your intake appointment. You can also do your own research, and see if any of these are appealing.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I strongly believe there are things the therapist must do to support the therapeutic alliance. 1 - Convey unconditional positive regard, empathy, and authenticity. 2 - Authenticity and awareness my own limitations, including acknowledging my own unconscious biases, personal issues that might manifest in transference or countertransference in sessions, clinical limitations such as insufficient training or experience to support your specific needs. 3 -Conveying realistic expectations, cultural competence issues, and when to refer a patient out if I cannot support the patient’s needs.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Adults, LGBTQ, Trauma, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), early adulthood, parents