LCSW, 4 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I’m Charlene, a licensed therapist specializing in helping individuals navigate anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. I use an integrative, evidence-based approach, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), to help clients build practical skills, increase self-awareness, and create lasting positive change. My approach is collaborative and compassionate, and I work alongside clients to empower them in achieving their goals and improving their emotional well-being.
In your first session with me, we will focus on getting to know each other and understanding your reasons for seeking therapy. I’ll ask you about your background, current concerns, and what you hope to achieve in therapy. Together, we’ll explore your goals and identify the challenges or patterns that may be keeping you stuck. I will also explain my approach to therapy, including the methods and tools we might use, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, or coping strategies tailored to your needs. You can expect a safe, nonjudgmental space where your experiences are heard and validated. By the end of our first session, we’ll have a clearer understanding of how we might work together, and you’ll leave with some initial insights or small strategies you can begin practicing right away. My goal is to make your first session informative, supportive, and empowering, setting the foundation for meaningful growth in therapy.
One of my greatest strengths is my ability to create a safe, compassionate, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard and understood. I am skilled at helping clients identify unhelpful thought patterns, manage difficult emotions, and develop practical coping strategies that lead to meaningful change. I take a collaborative and individualized approach, tailoring therapy methods to each client’s unique needs, goals, and personality. I integrate evidence-based techniques, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and skills-based interventions, to help clients gain insight and build lasting resilience. Clients often appreciate my ability to balance empathy with structure—I provide support while guiding them toward actionable steps that create real progress. Many find that this approach not only helps them navigate current challenges but also equips them with tools to manage future stressors independently.
I work best with individuals who are motivated to understand themselves more deeply and develop practical strategies for managing life’s challenges. My ideal clients are those experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, or stress related to life transitions, and who are open to exploring thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a supportive, collaborative way. I particularly enjoy working with clients who want to build coping skills, increase self-confidence, and create meaningful changes in their daily lives.
In my work, I begin by helping clients develop awareness of their automatic thoughts and the connections between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. For example, I may use thought records, mood tracking, or guided reflection to help clients notice recurring cognitive distortions such as catastrophizing, overgeneralization, or all-or-nothing thinking. Once insight is established, I use collaborative interventions to challenge and restructure these maladaptive thought patterns. This may involve Socratic questioning, behavioral experiments, or cognitive reframing to help clients test the accuracy of their beliefs and replace them with more balanced, reality-based perspectives. Behavioral strategies are also an important component of my approach. Depending on the client’s needs, I integrate exposure techniques, activity scheduling, or behavioral activation to support clients in facing fears, increasing motivation, and reinforcing adaptive coping. In sessions, I emphasize skill-building and empowerment, teaching clients practical tools such as relaxation exercises, problem-solving strategies, and mindfulness-based techniques. I often assign homework between sessions to help clients apply what they learn in real-life contexts and reinforce long-term change. Throughout treatment, I maintain a collaborative and goal-oriented framework, reviewing progress regularly and adjusting interventions to meet each client’s unique needs and readiness for change. My goal is to help clients develop a deeper understanding of themselves, improve emotional regulation, and build sustainable coping strategies that foster resilience and well-being.