Licensed to practice in California and accepts 7 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Crisis Intervention, Serious Mental Illness and 10 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
Hello, I am so glad you are here to start this journey with me! My name is Bailey Armstead, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I have been practicing for 8 years now in multiple areas of this field, with multiple populations and diagnoses. I have a strong background in social work, crisis intervention and case management while also having experience working in behavioral health hospital settings, community settings (non-housed shelters, temporary housing locations, medical hospitals), and forensic settings. I specialize in working with those who have mood disorders, thought disorders, ADHD, anxiety and depression.
In our first session I want you to feel at ease and safe. In my first session we will go over why you want to engage in therapy and how I can help to support you in this journey. We will review any history including family, medical, substance, mental health history and psychosocial history. We will discuss past history you have had in counseling and your expectations in a therapist and the therapeutic rapport.
I like being sarcastic and humorous with my clients; I want them to feel like they WANT to come to therapy and they enjoy the process. I always want my clients to feel as if they are gaining new tools and they are getting something out of the process every time.
I identify as
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is what I use in a "covert" way with my clients. It is very helpful in addressing depression and anxiety symptoms among a host of other symptoms that can cause impairment in functioning. During sessions, clients won't really know I am applying cognitive behavioral therapy interventions, and I like to do it this way because it does elicit some curiosity on their part and allows for an open conversation about how the interventions work.
Attachment-based
I enjoy using attachment-based theory as a learning tool for my clients. I primarily utilize attachment-based theoretical interventions as a way to provide psychoeducation.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I also enjoy employing DBT interventions and skills when dealing with symptoms of emotional dysregulation.
Psychodynamic
I utilize psychodynamic a lot in my practice with my clients to elicit discussions about past traumas, family narratives and dynamics.