LCSW, 25 years of experience
Hola! If you are reading this you have stepped out of your comfort zone and are exploring who you can trust with your innermost thoughts and feelings. As a mental health professional, I have seen first-hand the plight of the human condition. Throughout the past 20+ years, I have gained incredible experience & insight that have uniquely prepared me for this work. As a licensed clinical social worker I have served diverse populations well, throughout the New York Tri-State area as well as in Florida's Southwest & Central areas since 2013 in various capacities. From my own curative journey I have borrowed a whole-person approach: mind, body, & soul. There is no "magic pill," or quick fixes when it comes to harnessing sustainable mental wellness. It has been my personal experience that this process can lead to deep restoration from the layers of adversity. Each layer will reveal itself in its own time. This is why therapy will look different for everyone at different stages of life. I would be honored to support you in exploring what hurts, frustrates, confuses, & a host of other emotions that come up when revisiting difficult childhood experiences, losses, grievances, life transitions, & postpartum. As a trauma-informed & trauma-responsive professional, I will hold a non-judgmental space, where you will be patiently supported and spurred on along your therapeutic journey. You will be provided with a safe place where you can explore your thoughts & emotions to manifest a shift in your perspective developing the clarity, growth, peace, & healing you so desire.
During our first session, we will begin getting to know one another, therefore, I will be curious and ask lots of questions. I invite you to bring your curiosity and ask the questions that are bouncing around in your head. This is a no judgement zone, meaning, you do not need to make anything sound pretty or sugarcoat. You can express yourself freely without fear of being judged or stereotyped.
My strengths are in my ability to help people feel seen and to understand themselves and how their brain works on a deeper level. The folks I have served often comment on how they feel better about themselves, their situation or experience some relief even during our first session. Another strength of mine is empowering people to reconnect with their truer Self; mainly through self-care practices cultivating self-forgiveness, self-compassion, self-acceptance, self-nurturance, and ultimately self-love. I find that we can give wholeheartedly to others only that which we can give ourselves.
Adolescents and adults who have experienced abandonment, emotional neglect, family conflicts, adverse childhood experiences, i.e, trauma and abuse, loss & grief, depression, coping with life transitions/changes, and post-partum depression.
With CBT we can explore automatic patterns of thinking, feeling and reacting. Understanding thoughts and feelings will be crucial in gaining self-awareness. You will be able to learn your trigger points and what to do to help yourself in the moment.
Exploring compassion for ourselves enables us to be kinder to ourselves, leading to increased self-care and more authentic relationships.
Incorporating DBT strategies to assist in applying mindfulness skills to manage intense emotions leading to improved communication & more satisfying relationships with self and others.
Together we can work through the grief process. Understanding this process is integral to allowing ourselves to mourn our losses. With my support, we will identify the steps you can take and the support you can invite from others to help you along your healing journey.
Trauma-informed care entails examining with non-judgment how our brain and nervous system work so that we can gain a better understanding of what happened to us. Once we have a baseline of this information then we can begin to take steps to address our personal response to trauma and begin to heal.