LCSW, 13 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I'm Elena. I've been a therapist for 13 years, and a person navigating the world for much longer. Of course, in this context, the therapist part is the important part, but I want you to know that I am an empathetic and compassionate person first and foremost, which greatly influences my style of therapy. The things that made me an "overly sensitive" kid now make me a patient, dedicated therapist, with the important addition of boundaries and balance. My social work background and personal values system orient me toward an unwavering view of compassion and dignity for all. These are challenging times to be someone who cares about people, but I proudly do my best to be welcoming and inclusive. These are points of pride and strength, not weakness.
A first session with me can feel like an extended getting-to-know-you conversation, with an emphasis on letting you tell your story. Whether you come in knowing exactly what you want to talk about or if you need some guiding questions from me, I will prioritize learning what you want to get out of therapy, including what goals you have and what has worked for you in the past (and what has not!). Together, we will come up with a plan to move ahead toward the kind of positive change you want to see in your life.
The feedback I hear most often is that I am patient, a trait that has always come easily to me, and that I have a calming presence. This is useful when helping people learn how to regulate their nervous systems in times of high anxiety and stress, something you'll hear more about if you work with me. I also prioritize keeping an atmosphere of non-judgment. Everyone has a past - and therapy is no space for judgment of this. Lastly, I like to use humor in therapy when appropriate. I like to think I'm pretty funny, but you can decide that one for yourself.
I work most often with people who struggle with anxiety and people-pleasing, which tend to go hand in hand. If you frequently find yourself preoccupied by what others think of you, how others will respond to you, or how best not to disappoint others, I may be a good fit for you. We can work together to get to the bottom of where these patterns came from and how to move away from them. I also enjoy working with people in long-term recovery from substance use. I spent many years early in my career in an outpatient substance abuse setting, which gave me a strong foundation in and compassion for supporting people with addiction and substance abuse struggles. I am a good fit for someone in the maintenance stage of recovery who would benefit from a knowledgeable, compassionate therapist.
I use interventions and concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you challenge unhelpful thinking patterns that may be leading to unwanted feelings and behaviors. When we can identify what lies under our unhealthy patterns that result in anxiety and other discomfort, we have an opportunity to improve how we feel.