Greetings! I am a Licensed Professional Counselor based in New Jersey. I received my master's degree in Mental Health Counseling, and Organizational Management and Leadership in Human Services from Springfield College. I am a Certified Complex Trauma Specialist and Certified Clinical Military Counselor. I have experience working with children, youth, and adults with mental health, substance abuse and dual diagnosis (medical, developmental, and substance use) for 15+ years. I have provided individual, couples, family and group therapy in inpatient and outpatient settings such as the home, community, hospital, residential/group home, in-office, as well as remote. I am currently focused on providing therapy to ages 18 - 65 who are troubled with anxiety, depression, phase of life problems, relationship issues, chronic stress, existential crisis, and poor self-care. As your therapist, you will experience many realizations and deepen your self-awareness and insight to make informed wise decisions about what actions to take to solve your problems with the right knowledge, coping strategies and other resources that will empower you and help you to stay on track with effectively managing your life with confidence, self-agency and a solution focused mindset.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session, we will begin establishing rapport through introduction, and I will answer any questions you may have about the process and my background as a therapist. I want to learn more about the reason(s) you decided to seek therapy and your expectations. We will review the intake documentation for accuracy and clarification. All intake documents need to be completed before the initial session. During the clinical intake assessment, if it is indicated, I may need to administer additional clinical assessment(s) or questionnaire(s) to further evaluate your symptoms and the severity of them to ensure you are receiving the appropriate level of care; to make treatment recommendations and to develop your treatment plan with you. I will explain the therapeutic process and structure of sessions. I will review information about privacy/confidentiality, scheduling, communication between sessions, and how crisis is dealt with. Based on the information gathered, we will develop therapy goals that will keep us on track with what you want to accomplish in therapy. I will monitor your progress between sessions and provide clinical feedback along the way to enhance your therapeutic experience.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have been told by former clients who had a history of treatment that they learned and accomplished more with me in a short period of time than when they were in therapy with another provider for years. Individuals I treated, uncovered aspects about themselves that were an important piece of their life puzzle. I witnessed clients' personal growth and resiliency as evidence of them having started their own business, completed school/college, got out of toxic relationships, improved self-care, boosted confidence, felt good about themselves, increased assertiveness, comfortable setting healthy boundaries, experienced emotional freedom, relief from grief, gave up substances or practiced harm reduction, thinking and feeling realistically optimistic, (re)gained a sense of humor, verbalized a general satisfaction with their life and so many other benefits. I motivate, empower and provide useful resources. I will brainstorm solutions with you; the answer(s) to your problems lie within you. I deal with subconscious level material to get to the root or core of your issues so that you can move forward in your life instead of reliving similar problems.
About Christine Vaughan, LPC, MOML-HS, CCMC, Complex Trauma Specialist, Medical Reiki Master
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
The CBT method will help you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way. I use CBT to help facilitate change with thinking, behavior, decision making, mood (anxiety, depression, etc.), lifestyle and relationships. As a therapist, it is important for me to increase your self-awareness and insight about the problem(s) that bring you to therapy. Self-knowledge and self-understanding with self-compassion are essential to changing an unhealthy mindset and unhelpful habits that impact your mood, relationships and daily functioning.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
A problem focused mindset sees no way out or even a possible solution. This can cause distress, desperation and stagnation. My approach is solution - focused, strength-based and action oriented. I will assist you with generating probable options, opportunities and resources, and then work with you on devising a plan of action or a process to resolve or get through a tough situation.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT is an extension of CBT, but it focuses more on the social and emotional aspects of personal life. I use DBT by helping you accept the reality of your life, as well as helping you learn to change your life circumstances, including toxic emotions and unhelpful responses to situations. I teach the four core skills (mindfulness, acceptance & distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) that you can apply when you experience intense feelings and unhealthy relationships.
Trauma Informed Care
Past trauma can negatively impact a person's current life. Trauma informed care is an approach to care that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and promotes a space of healing and recovery. I seek to understand and respond to the signs and symptoms of trauma, and to avoid re-traumatization. I promote and emphasize safety and self-care in all domains (physical, emotional/psychological, social, spiritual, and professional). I provide psychoeducation about trauma so that individuals are informed and have the skills to manage their symptoms.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping, is an alternative therapy that involves tapping on specific points of the body to balance energy and reduce physical and emotional pain. It is believed to be helpful for people with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, stress, weight loss issues, and other problems. I provide psychoeducation, instructions and skills training of the EFT technique.