Hi! I am an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) in Pennsylvania. I earned my masters degree in social work from Columbia University and have over 25 years experience in the field. I am a compassionate and strengths-based therapist and have an integrative approach to therapy, which means I utilize a variety of approaches to best support what my clients need. I can help with varied problem areas including depression, anxiety, mood disorders, ADHD, insomnia, trauma, grief, relationship problems, and life transitions.
In our first session, we'll start with brief introductions, explore what your specific goals are for therapy, and clarify what specific challenges you're facing. Gathering some of your history and background that you feel is important to share will help us create a tailored plan to work towards in follow up sessions.
I am an experienced therapist with a compassionate and strengths-based approach. I have training in various approaches including CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), DBT skills, trauma-informed treatment, hypnotherapy, EMDR and grief therapy. I am an empathic listener and a seasoned clinician who can provide strategies and support to help you reach your personal goals in therapy. I also think each of us has our own inner wisdom and values, and I like to guide and encourage you to discover those hidden answers within yourself.
I love working with clients who have good insight into their treatment needs, and can take an active role in the therapeutic process. I am happy to let you be in charge of getting what you need out of the session, and I am also willing to help shape that process so you can get the most out of your treatment such as with exploring and learning new coping strategies. With my ecclectic style, I appreciate when clients are open to learn more about how experiential practices like mindfulness, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, and trauma processing can help them with making progress towards their goals.
I have training in Solution-oriented hypnotherapy and utilize this treatment tool to work with clients on varied areas of change including managing chronic pain, improving mood/anxiety, and changing habits such as working on smoking cessation and weight management. Hypnotherapy is a state of focused awareness in which we collaborate to work on your identified goals and changes you want to make that may be rooted in long standing habits and beliefs. With hypnotherapy you will NOT be "put under" or do anything against your will and will always be in control and aware of what the therapist is saying during the session. I also enjoy teaching mindfulness based meditation and using guided imagery in sessions. Clients can utilize mindfulness and imagery between sessions as another tool for reaching your personal life goals. Please ask me questions about hypnotherapy. I am happy to give more information about how it can be helpful, and to allay any misconceptions and myths that people may have about hypnotherapy.
I have training in the HeartMath Institute mind body methods and am a certified trauma-informed HeartMath practitioner. This method is helpful for learning strategies to regulate the nervous system, increase resilience to stress, reduce distress, and to prepare to work on processing trauma. There is also a biofeedback component available through the Heartmath technologies that are offered on heartmath.com and can add benefit to seeing the physiological results of practicing heart coherence methods.
I have training in EMDR and have done extensive supervision with EMDRIA certified practitioner. I utilize guided imagery and resourcing to help strengthen qualities that individuals may need more of to better cope with current life stressors, and to prepare to process trauma. I utilize trauma processing in treatment to help clients connect present oriented and positive beliefs about themselves and decrease engagement with negative beliefs that may be connected to past adverse experiences and traumatic events.
I worked in end of life care setting and have training and experience in grief therapy. I utilize grief therapy to help individuals process their emotions and thoughts about grief, move through the stages of grief, and work towards acceptance of the loss. I also work with complicated grief, and grief related to life transitions such as divorce or loss of job.
I have over 25 years experience in the field of social work and psychotherapy and utilize an ecclectic approach that integrates varied treatment modalities to meet the needs of individual clients. I incorporate varied strategies including CBT, ACT, DBT, trauma informed treatment, experiential therapies (art, writing), and hypnotherapy.