LCSW, 4 years of experience
Hello! I'm a licensed clinical social worker from Chicago, Illinois. I received my masters in social work from the University of Chicago in 2022 with a specialization in trauma-informed care. I work as a clinical supervisor at a community mental health agency on the souths side of Chicago. Apart from therapy, I am a musician, chicago resident, and a proud uncle.
During our first session, I will focus on building rapport and getting to know you. I will ask a series of questions for assessment so I can better get to know you and your past experiences in therapy. I aim to end our first session solidifying treatment goals.
I work to create safe place that matches individually to each client and their desires. I was drawn to this work in part by having a lot of therapists who I did not like and did not help me. Some weeks you might not need to engage in intensive trauma-work and that's okay.
I love working with folks who want to better understand themselves, and improve their lives. I have most experience working primarily with male-identifying individuals ages 12-43, but also have extensive experience working with single mothers.
Our trauma creates belief-systems and maladaptive behaviors which may have brought us to therapy in the first place. I pull from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to leave clients with a greater understanding of their thoughts and how it relates to their emotions and behavior. I also offering CBT coping skills to provide both short term relief and potential long term solutions to intrusive thoughts and intense, unwanted emotions.
I am EMDR trained and pull from EMDR methodologies to desensitize clients to better process trauma. I can engage client in complete EMDR/ EMD desensitization or can take bits and pieces of the modality to fit client needs.
It is essential that I equip all my clients with the language and knowledge of self to better understand their experiences. It is my responsibility to provide this education so clients - who are always the experts of themselves - can continue learning and growth on their own.
It is an honor to be a psychotherapist, and I want every client to guide their own healing journey. While I pull from a host of modalities, not every modality fits every client - and sometimes clients just need space for vent. I strive to create a safe space for clients which will enable them to take ownership over their healing journey, including what our sessions look like.
I am trained as a practitioner and supervisor in functional family therapy and multi-systemic therapy. I am open to assisting parents or holding sessions with caregivers, or family members or an entire family to build better cohesion, address disruptive behaviors and motivate the family to better function within their natural processes and hierarchies.