Hello and kudos to you for prioritizing your mental health. Starting on this journey is often the hardest part as we learn to allow ourselves to accept help. I feel passionate about helping clients feel comfortable, safe, and in control of achieving their goals. I taught for one year as a teacher, and then went back to school for social work. 21 years has passed since I have worked as a social worker and I continue to feel just as passionate about mental health.
In our sessions, we will work on paying attention patterns and breaking unhealthy ones. We will also identify how core beliefs can determine feelings and behaviors. We will explore how to navigate relationships and understand healthy boundaries. I like to incorporate mindfulness meditation at times. Once rapport is built, we can work on processing trauma.
I feel confident with who I am and what I can do well. I thrive with building positive relationships and using cognitive behavior therapy concepts.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is my primary treatment method with clients. CBT is an evidence based practice that focuses on the connection between thoughts, behaviors and emotions. We work on identifying unhelpful thoughts and restructuring them to help change behaviors and emotions. Individuals benefit by learning coping skills and problem solving strategies that can help manage symptoms throughout their lives. A session typically includes time to for individuals to share about their presenting problems, psycho-education about CBT strategies, and reflection regarding effectiveness. My personal approach includes relationship building and meeting the individual where they are comfortable. I strongly believe that my role is to be a guide, and it is up to the individual to choose what is the best path forward when they are ready. I also like to incorporate mindfulness meditation into sessions to help relieve some of the physical symptoms presented by anxiety and depression. I am trained to have a trauma informed approach by exploring individual's histories nonjudgmentally. In addition to anxiety and depression, I have a lot of experience with individuals on the autism spectrum and with intellectual disabilities. I have led social skills groups for many years and have worked individually on emotional regulation and with understanding expected behaviors.