It can be difficult to come to therapy and even more challenging to find the right therapist. I am happy that you are taking the step to find a good fit. I graduated with my master's in clinical mental health counseling from Johns Hopkins University. I have been working in the Substance abuse and mental health field for about 5 years now (including an internship). My goal is to make my clients feel comfortable. It is hard to open up to someone new especially when you are doing most of the talking. My focus is on allowing you to comfortably open up and explore the areas of life that may be a challenge. My specialties include Substance abuse, Depression, anxiety, and grief therapy. We as people are often too hard on ourselves. It is so easy to find the good in others while we struggle to find the good in ourselves. I like to help clients find the positive and strengths within themselves, while challenging areas such as negative self-talk. My ultimate goal as a clinician is to create a positive, open space to allow clients to process areas of difficulty safely. I want to create the opportunity for clients to learn how to navigate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that upon discharge they will be able to use the skills learned in therapy to continue to grow.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
My clients can expect an active listener during appointments. Building rapport is so important to facilitate a good client-therapist relationship. After a few sessions, the goal is for the client to feel comfortable enough with sharing sensitive parts of their lives. When the therapist builds trust it allows the client to open up and receive the feedback they need to grow. As a therapist, I like to provide worksheets and activities to teach clients about symptoms they may experience and how to navigate them. Finally, I want my clients to have fun and find themselves again. Clients often come to therapy because they have lost themselves. They have forgotten what brings them joy and have experienced traumatic events that make it hard to navigate life.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
An important part of treatment for Depression and anxiety is CBT. CBT helps clients to reflect on the relationships between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. All treatment modules used include strength-based treatment because it is important for clients to be able to learn and focus on their strengths and positive aspects of themselves.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My areas of strength include Substance abuse, Complex grief, depression and anxiety. As someone who can understand the complications of substance abuse, clients often feel comfortable expressing their difficulty with addiction. I am also able to refer clients to local IOP and OP programs. Complex grief is something that many people experience and have trouble navigating. As someone who has experienced multiple losses, I can relate and recommend ways to help clients find themselves again.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
African american clients, LGBTQ, Clients with depression, anxiety and complex grief