I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in working with adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, insomnia, chronic pain and/or chronic illness. Other areas of focus that I can help you with include relationship issues, anger, stress-management, physical and learning disabilities including ADD/ADHD, life-stage issues and self-esteem. My professional career began as a certified American Sign Language Interpreter in 2001 and quickly progressed into earning a Graduate degree in Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. My training provided the experience needed to work in a community mental health clinic providing high quality mental health care to residents in Austin, TX for 6 years. My interests in whole health led me to San Antonio to work with chronic illness, transplant, and geriatric care for roughly 10 years. Along this journey, I have had the opportunity to work with multinational clients seeking refugee services, worked as the Associate Director for Student Accessibility Services at a private university and currently involved in a fulfilling career as a counselor to veterans of our Armed Forces. I enjoy staying busy. On my time off, I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my friends and family, always searching for my next adventure.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we will start with brief introductions, then dive into the intake assessment. Next we will discuss the specific challenges you are facing as well as create a tailored treatment plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions. You will be encouraged to come up with 1-3 goals you would like to focus on while in counseling. It might help you to think about the following question: “If I were to wake up tomorrow and I felt better, what would that look like? How would I know I am doing better? What are some helpful things I wish I could start doing? What are some negative coping behaviors I wish I could stop doing?”
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I prefer to work with evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address depression, anxiety, chronic pain and insomnia, Cognitive Processing Therapy to address trauma, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. These therapies are based on scientific evidence and have been shown to improve a variety of mental health conditions and overall well-being. Therapeutic approaches grounded in research have been found to work quickly and effectively, sometimes within a few weeks or months, depending on the nature or severity of your symptoms.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My strengths as a counselor include my fluency in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. My personal and professional experiences working with chronic illness, disabilities, end of life, veterans, and refugees have given me a well-rounded understanding of personal struggles allowing me to express empathy with genuine unconditional positive regard to those I work with.