My name is Aleida, welcome to my profile. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes a lot of courage. I want to be the first to commend you for taking this step as I know it is not an easy one. I look forward to getting to know you and forming a strong therapeutic alliance. A little about me, I am a Bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker (State of Texas). I am also a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor-Intern, and a Certified Anger Resolution Therapist. I have 9 years of professional experience in mental health, and 20 years overall in medical and mental health case management, training, and education. I have ample experience in helping clients with depression, stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem issues, addictions, trauma, abuse, and anger management among many other mental health issues and disorders. I am very empathetic and my top priority is to create an open and safe environment where my clients can share thoughts and feelings without fear of judgement. I consider myself to be very approachable and easy to talk to, and in my professional interaction display cultural awareness, competence and humility with each and every one of my clients. I recognize and acknowledge my clients as unique individuals, with diverse backgrounds, who may not share commonalities with me. I am always open to learn about my clients background, and by no means will appear to be the expert in their life experience. I want to have my clients feel welcomed and supported through their diverse life stressors. I do not take a cookie-cutter approach to therapy, but instead, focus on my client as an individual, and tailor a therapeutic intervention that will best help my client in feeling supported and heard, while working on achieving their therapeutic goals.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In an initial session with me, clients can expect to be met with an empathetic, supportive, and caring mental health provider who understands that it is not easy to speak to a complete stranger about their life and their problems. Many individuals spend a lot of time avoiding speaking about themselves, or being a focal point in a conversation. I want my clients to feel at ease and understand that they are in a safe and nonjudgemental space. You, as a client, have already completed the hardest part, which is taking the first step in seeking help in obtaining a healthier and happier life. In our first session, you can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and as the expert of your life experience.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Some of my greatest strengths as a mental health provider is my openness and ability to connect with my clients by providing an atmosphere of acceptance, compassion, care and empathy. I am a great listener and treat others with the dignity and respect they deserve. I treat the therapist/client relationship as one of alliance and collaboration and do not position myself as the expert of their life experience. Providing a welcoming and safe environment is one of my greatest strengths as a provider, and one I pride myself in. I also believe providing psycho-education on different mental health issues and disorders is key to helping clients empower themselves. I am not only a licensed clinical social worker, but also an adjunct professor for Stephen F. Austin State University and teach graduate level Social Work students.
About Aleida Chavez, LCSW, LCCA, LCDC-I, CART
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common evidenced-based type of psychotherapy and is one of the treatment modalities I offer in my private practice. CBT helps clients become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so that they can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.
CBT is a useful tool to address emotional challenges. For example, it may help clients in the following ways:
Manage symptoms of mental illness,
Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms,
Treat a mental illness when medications aren't a good option,
Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations,
Identify ways to manage emotions,
Resolve relationship conflicts and learn better ways to communicate,
Cope with grief or loss,
Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence,
Cope with a medical illness,
Manage chronic physical symptoms.
Mental health disorders that may improve with CBT include:
Depression,
Anxiety disorders,
Phobias,
PTSD,
Sleep disorders,
Eating disorders,
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
Substance use disorders,
Bipolar disorders,
Schizophrenia,
Sexual disorders.
Compassion Focused
Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a therapeutic approach that aims to help those who struggle with shame and self-criticism, often resulting from early experiences of abuse or neglect. CFT teaches clients to cultivate the skills of self-compassion and other-oriented compassion, which are thought to help regulate mood and lead to feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. The technique is similar to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in that it also instructs clients about the science behind the mind-body connection and how to practice mind and body awareness.
Attachment-based
Attachment-based therapy is a brief, process-oriented form of therapy. The client-therapist relationship is based on developing or rebuilding trust and centers on expressing emotions. An attachment-based approach to therapy looks at the connection between an infant’s early attachment experiences with primary caregivers, usually with parents, and the infant’s ability to develop normally and ultimately form healthy emotional and physical relationships as an adult. Attachment-based therapy aims to build or rebuild a trusting, supportive relationship that will help prevent or treat mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidenced-based type of psychotherapy. It’s based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but it’s specially adapted for people who experience emotions very intensely. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is especially effective for people who have difficulty managing and regulating their emotions.
DBT has proven to be effective for treating and managing a wide range of mental health conditions, including:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD),
Self-harm,
Suicidal behavior,
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
Substance use disorder,
Eating disorders, specifically binge eating disorder and bulimia,
Depression, and
Anxiety.
It’s important to note that the reason DBT has proved effective for treating these conditions is that each of these conditions is thought to be associated with issues that result from unhealthy or problematic efforts to control intense, negative emotions. Rather than depending on efforts that cause problems for the person, DBT helps people learn healthier ways to cope.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered therapeutic technique that aims to help people change their behavior by exploring and resolving ambivalence. It's based on the idea that people are motivated to change from within, so the therapist's role is to draw out the client's own ideas and motivations. MI is characterized by a partnership-like collaboration between the therapist and the client, where the therapist is empathetic and accepting of the client's needs and experiences. The therapist doesn't impose their own opinions or act as an expert, but instead uses specific techniques to help the client find their own wisdom and ideas for change. These techniques include: Reflective listening, Shared decision-making, Eliciting change talk, and Open questions.
