LCMHC, 14 years of experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina. I have been helping people navigate their challenges for 13 years. I have worked in homes, community practices, schools, and a psychiatric hospital with adults, teenagers, and families. I am most experienced helping with anxiety, depression, adjustment and trauma, and eating disorders. I take an eclectic approach to therapy, using interventions and skills that are evidence-based and relevant to the particular client I am with.
In our first session, I will begin by reviewing the documents you submitted prior to ensure any questions are answered. I then like to get to know you by asking background information and learning what brings you to therapy. Time permitting, we may set goals and establish progress measures. We will also create a plan for follow-up sessions.
Foremost, I am a person-centered therapist. I believe that nothing can be addressed in a vacuum, so I like to get to know my clients as a whole person. That way, I we can focus on strengths and resources as well as challenges. Sessions with me often feel conversational as I seamlessly weave interventions into our talk. Although sometimes clients will find me enthusiastically sharing how our discussion relates to a theory or intervention that I find relevant. I convey to my clients that our sessions are a safe space, free from judgment and kept confidential. This results in people sharing things they have never told anybody before, which can really help with self-acceptance and growth.
Through my years and experience, I have found: Sometimes, we seek therapy because we need somebody to just listen. We need an unbiased ear and honest feedback, even if it’s hard to hear. Sometimes, we seek therapy because we are lost in our issues or our symptoms. We need help to find clarity and direction. Sometimes, we seek therapy because we have gotten too far away from what is important to us. We need to establish or values. We need accountability for self-care, whether is with healthy boundaries or lifestyle choices. Sometimes, we seek therapy because we feel out of control. We need help to challenge our thoughts or strategies to manage our overwhelming feelings. Sometimes, we seek therapy because something traumatic has happened. We need compassion and support. And often, when we seek therapy we find ways to connect the dots in our lives. We achieve personal growth. In my therapeutic approach, you are the expert in your own life. My job is to empower you to decide your goals and support you working towards them. I can offer you interventions and teach you skills from modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I commend your courage to seek help. I would be honored to support you as your therapist.
I educate on and practice finding the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I collaborate with my clients to decide which angle we can intervene from. Whether it's challenging thinking, modifying behaviors, or regulating emotions, we can facilitate change in all areas. I also like to work on finding "core beliefs" that are rooted in life experiences and values, which inevitably trickle down into our daily lives.
When you're struggling with overwhelming emotions, suicidal thoughts/self-harm, or having difficulty in your relationships, I use the evidence-based interventions of DBT. I like to describe these modules as 'simple but difficult' because practically they make a lot of sense, and one needs a good amount of support to implement them with consistency.