LCMHC, 10 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I'm Lindsay. I have been working as a therapist for over 10 years, but when I take my therapist hat off, I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, an aunt, and a momma to fur babies. Needless to say, I am a major animal lover. I am also a proud Harry Potter adult. I love reading, last year I read 122 books, and my favorite genres are mystery/suspense and fantasy. I also love running, I’ve run five half marathons and would love to run a full marathon one day. My favorite thing in the world is taking my puppies, Nola and Frank, on puppy runs with me (she’s 9, he's 1). If I’m not working, reading, running, or playing with dogs, you will find me fully invested in true crime.
Because I prioritize the therapeutic relationship, the first few sessions will be about building rapport. I want to get to know you and I want you to feel comfortable talking to me. The first few sessions will be all about getting to know you, what your goals are for therapy, what you like, what you dislike, what has worked for you in the past, what you like to do for fun, etc. I don't want you to feel pressured to talk about "therapy" things until you are ready, although if I feel you aren't feeling comfortable with me, and we aren't progressing, I may try and gently nudge you along.
My greatest strengths is my ability to make you feel comfortable and at ease with the therapeutic process and my diverse approaches. I have worked in so many different areas of mental health, with people who I have very little in common with, and I have learned how to find commonalities and also find unique approaches to work with people. I also have a little bit of knowledge about a lot of subjects, so there is not much that you can bring up that I won't have something to contribute.
I enjoy working with adults and older adolescents who are going through major life changes, such as going to college, empty nest, new jobs, marriage and/or divorce, new babies, and other stressors. I also do a lot of work with women, in particular, who are dealing with perfectionism, over extending themselves, and imposter syndrome. I enjoy working with clients who struggle with depression and/or anxiety. I started my career working in substance abuse, and I am a licensed clinical addition specialist associate. I do enjoy working with people in recovery and family members of those who struggle with addiction. I have also worked in jails and forensic hospitals and enjoy working with those who are involved in the legal system or have family members in the legal system. I am also trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and use this type of therapy to help those who are suffering with the effects of trauma and people who are struggling with phobias. While I do offer virtual sessions, for EMDR, I find it to be more effective in person. My approach to working with clients is very individualistic. Just because something has worked for me or for someone else, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. I want to learn what makes you tick, what triggers you, what makes you happy, what you enjoy doing, and what you dislike, so we can formulate a plan together. I use cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and relational therapy techniques to find what works best for you.
I believe that in order for any type of therapy to be successful, it is important that the therapist and the client have a good therapeutic relationship and the clt feels comfortable opening up to the therapist.
When discussing relationships, it is important to recognize attachment styles and how they can impact our decision making process.
I use cognitive challenging, cognitive reframing, behavioral activation, mapping, and other CBT techniques to challenge thoughts and behaviors that may be maladaptive to the clt.
I am trained in EMDR through an EMDRIA approved program and use this technique when working with those affected by trauma and have also seen some success in working with phobias.