Hi, I'm Adam and I'm looking forward to meeting and seeing if we are a good therapeutic match. In my career I've worked with a broad spectrum of clients hailing from many different ethnicities, age groups, genders, levels of education, socio-economic status, sexualities and personal histories. I recognize that behavior and mental health occur in a context. Trauma is real. Oppression and injustice are real. Before I was a therapist I spent years in community organizing and social justice advocacy. Therapy that isn't grounded in the social environment in which one lives is incomplete at best. I understand this because I've been there and seen it firsthand. If you're looking for a therapist that gets this in their bones, I'm your person. My favorite thing about providing therapy is asking questions that unlock the insight and inspiration you need to solve your problems, manage your emotions effectively and become the self that you most want to be. When you work with me, you'll have the listening ear of someone with broad experience and perspective. You will find keys to open doors you may not even have been aware of, and you'll emerge with greater self-awareness and confidence. I have extensive experience working with people with serious mental illness, or "SMI" (e.g. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder etc.) and love witnessing and supporting people with challenges like these being and becoming more than they may have been told they could. That said, one doesn't have to have SMI to benefit tremendously from therapy. My experience working with the SMI community broadens my perspective rather than limiting my practice. I carry a deep compassion for all humanity and welcome the opportunity to work with anyone looking for something better out of life. NOTE: I cannot serve residents of Chesterfield County at this time.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
When we meet for the first time we'll spend some time getting to know each other and assessing if we are a good match. I'll review your intake paperwork, though that's really just a point of departure for our journey together. We'll collaborate to identify why you're seeking therapy in the first place, what you plan to achieve in therapy, and how you will know when you have achieved it. That said, nothing that occurs in our first (or any) session is written in stone. My goal is for the session to end with you feeling hopeful for the future and oriented to the path ahead.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I'm often told that I'm very good at listening in a way that makes one feel truly heard and understood. I'm also told that it's easy to feel safe and at ease with me. I have seen and done a lot in my life, which I believe provides me broad perspective on humanity and the many ways that people live their lives. Compassion for humanity, in all of its beautiful and flawed vulnerability, is what gets me out of bed each morning.