Hi! My name is Vanessa Porea and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Michigan. I currently work full time in community mental health as a trainer and consultant, but enjoy doing direct work with clients after hours. I began my career working in a juvenile justice and foster care program in Detroit, Michigan before moving to Los Angeles to further specialize in addiction studies at UCLA. I have worked in both private and community mental health across several positions, ranging from case manager to Clinical Director of a residential treatment home. I have significant experience working with individuals struggling with severe mental illness, addiction, crisis, and those experiencing homelessness. I am passionate about helping those I work with to feel empowered in knowing they are more than their current situation and diagnosis, and that they can rebuild a full, satisfying life.
Our first session will be a brief introduction and get to know you - not diving right into the hard topics! We will complete a brief assessment that helps me to get to know you a little bit better and suggest some areas that may want to focus on, then discuss the goals you have for yourself. I am a big believer that therapy is a collaborative process and I want to get to know you and the reasons why you were motivated to show up so I can best support that.
I am a big believer in meeting people where they're at, but not leaving them there. I believe this has developed from my work in street outreach and with those who have severe mental illness, where you cannot simply show up and expect someone to change. It takes time, conversation, and trust to fully engage and help someone to reach new goals. Whether or not you have reached that level of struggle in your own life, there is something in you that desires change in order for you to show up for therapy, and I consider it a privilege to help you find your way through that change process.
I enjoy working with individuals who are willing to sit in the hard conversations that will produce change. Change does not happen overnight, but for those who are willing to show up, sit in the discomfort, and work to apply the insight they are gaining, I firmly believe that people can break cycles and reclaim their lives to meet the goals they've set for themselves.
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