New to Grow
Hello there! I'm so glad you're here. I understand sometimes getting counseling can bring about mixed feelings but let me applaud your first step. Perhaps you are here to get your child or teen more support. Maybe it's school who say your child or teen needs help calming down, following directions, dealing with anger, anxiety, friends, etc. or maybe such conflicts are happening at home. It could be you are going through some tough changes or trying to cope with life adjustments, relationships, work, health, etc. Rest assure, you and your loved ones can learn better coping strategies and feel better. I am a Licensed Clinical Social worker with over 26 years of experience working and counseling children, teens, and adults. I am a certified ADHD Coach, teacher, and certified in essentALZ. I am also trained in University of Miami's Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C/A). I worked with Nova Southeastern University as a behaviorist, created Social Emotional Learning curricula and I counseled Special Needs and General Educations students at public and Hebrew schools. This gives me a unique understanding of how teachers/administrators and children interact. I also counsel families to help you learn how to use strategies at home and improve family bonds. As for adults, I understand how many of you maybe be experiencing unexpected painful and stressful life transitions that can lead to self doubt, anxiety, sadness, frustration, and maladaptive behaviors. For many years I worked at hospitals including oncology, cardiac, rehabilitation, and dialysis units. I also provided therapy for adults and seniors via telehealth. All these experiences and skills helps me be compassionate and understanding therapist.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
I will listen, respect, and build rapport with you from the start. I aim to really listen and understand what you or your child says, respect where you have been and what you desire and build a connection with you so that you feel comfortable identifying your challenges, uncover your strengths, devising a plan, goals, and try new coping strategies.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I care about helping you help yourself whether it be a few sessions or multiple sessions. I will help you or your child learn new ways to handle conflict, frustration, sadness, worry, impulsivity, acting out, etc. by using an eclectic array of therapy approaches. Children, youth and adults will learn how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected (CBT) and how this influence choices as well as Mindfulness/Holistic techniques to help you calm down, better control impulses, handle anxiety, frustration, sadness, anger, etc. I also use Behavior Modification techniques to help change children's' behaviors via function of behavior, reinforcements, token system, response cost, etc. and Client-Strength based approaches to improve one's confidence, esteem, and strengths.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I serve children and youth who have emotional behavioral challenges at school and home such as following directions, task completion, frustration, attention, worry, esteem, friendships, etc. I counsel and teach children skills such as emotional regulation, self control, decision making, anger management, frustration tolerance, pro social skills, self awareness, esteem building, and other coping strategies to help enhance personal, family, school and peer relations. I also counsel parents to help them better understand their child's circumstance and use behavior modification strategies to help them manage their child's needs. When working with and counseling adults who are struggling with distressing life transitions in relationships, families, work, finances, health, etc. I will help you gain awareness about yourself and circumstance, elicit motivational change, learn better ways to manage negative emotions, stress and mood, improve relationships, identify supports and strengths, enhance positive thinking, and much more.