My name is Cassandra Gonzalez and I am a licensed clinical social worker in New York State. I have been in the field of social work for 8 years and licensed for 6 years. I have experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families in non-for-profit settings and a private practice. During these experiences, I provided group and individual psychotherapy services. I specialize in working with and not limited to, anxiety, trauma, adhd, self-esteem, life changes, and decision making. I enjoy working with adolescents, young adults, working professionals, and individuals who are seeking to address their inner childhood trauma. Through a variety of interventions and techniques, I assist my clients with addressing and working on their goals. I am extremely passionate about helping others and helping them be the better version of themselves. I love the work I do with my clients because I am able to assist with fulfillment in their lives and help them restore their daily functioning. Feeling disconnected, lonely, or anxious? Does the fear of being embarrassed, judged, or rejected make it hard to engage in ways that you really want to? Are you or your adolescent having difficulty with mood, confidence, and socialization? You might be trying to figure out how to face your feelings or changes that no one taught you how to cope. If you're tired of feeling held back by anxiety, confidence, or simply other limitations and you're ready to take a step toward change, then take the brave step to reach out and see how counseling can help you.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, I will conduct a biopsychosocial assessment (intake), approximately 60 minutes, to identify your presenting problem(s) and we will collaboratively develop a comprehensive treatment plan with identifiable goals/objectives. A treatment plan is necessary in order to give direction, articulation, and effective communication both to myself and my clients. Depending on the client's needs, I may also initiate a safety plan.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
During sessions, I help foster a safe environment for my clients to identify the root(s) of their problem(s), process their emotions, reflect on behaviors/responses, and develop a balance within their lives. As a provider, I want my clients to have the opportunity to heal and challenge maladaptive coping patterns through therapeutic interventions. I want my clients to have the capacity to make sense of their lives, create meaningful connections in their relationships and communities. I empower my clients to build resiliency, strengthen their self-esteem, make choices that will promote their healing and self-advocacy.
About Cassandra Gonzalez
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have treated clients with anxiety (social anxiety and panic disorder), depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, grief, stress, burn-out, compassion fatigue, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy, I help my clients identify how their experience(s) influence their thoughts and behaviors. I assist my clients with becoming aware of the connection between their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors through psycho-education. The goal is to change unhelpful thinking styles (e.g. cognitive distortions) and how behaviors (e.g. actions) are linked to emotional states.
Compassion Focused
I have treated clients with anxiety, mood disorders, poor body image, poor self-esteem, and obsessive compulsive disorder. By utilizing compassion focused interventions, I begin by exploring my client's mind and thought perceptions. We will assess your feelings, emotional learning, motives, body memories, compassion for self and others. Once these aspects have been identified and processed, we will examine your interactions between different emotion systems: threat system, drive system, and care-giving system. We will incorporate mindfulness and compassion focused imagery work to help foster the development of your compassionate self. The goal is to develop a care-giving system to be at peace with your own thoughts and be comfortable with being human.
Narrative
I have treated clients with grief, insomnia, attachment issues, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. By utilizing narrative therapy, the client is in the driver's seat while I am the passenger. As the driver and through assessment, the client provides me information about the problem, identifies the effects that the problem has impacted their daily functioning in a variety of settings, and the severity of how these settings were impacted. I have my clients retell their story and find new meanings to their experience(s). As I find the new meaning(s) with my clients, I provide them with psycho-education and tools to help them externalize. By integrating externalization, the client will separate themselves from their problem(s), making it easier to initiate change. We will identify areas that you are neglecting yourself (problem) and shift your narrative (re-authorizing). The goal is to separate the client from the issue and to externalize rather than internalize.
Trauma Informed Care
I have treated clients with sexual trauma, physical abuse, witnessed or experienced dating violence, and professionals with vicarious trauma. As a trauma informed therapist, I begin by cultivating a safe environment for my clients in order to build our therapeutic rapport and to successfully engage them in their own care. A safe environment is necessary to help mitigate any feelings of anxiety and avoid re-traumatization. We will assess your triggers, symptoms, and feelings. I provide my clients with psycho-education about trauma, functions of a traumatized brain, and trauma responses. We will explore instances of thought suppression and additional coping strategies. At my client's pace, I will expose them to their past trauma in a controlled and safe manner in order to help process, recover, and foster resilience.