My Approach to Helping
For me, therapy is a partnership, in that our rapport is of the utmost importance. It is a relationship of equals and in which both grow together. I am a licensed clinical social worker and have worked in behavioral health for 13 years. As a therapist for the past 8 years, I have diverse experience working with clients dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, and posttraumatic stress (PTSD). I enjoy working with individuals who are in grief or at a major transition in their lives, such as having lost a job, having been diagnosed with an illness, or the loss of a loved one. My clients who have the most success are those who come to therapy with an understanding that there is something about themselves they want to change (because you cannot change someone else) and they have a desire to work toward that change. For example, one might wish to become less angry, less afraid, or move past a recent trauma. I use six therapeutic interventions to treat clients: client-centered therapy (you talk, I listen), cognitive behavior therapy (thinking about how you think), mindfulness training (a way of focusing and relaxing), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (widely known as EMDR and used for the resolution of trauma), guided imagery (a way of using your imaginative capabilities as a coping tool), and sand play therapy (bringing what's unconscious into awareness). I enjoy working with individuals from many different backgrounds. I am also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and can provide pastoral care for those who would benefit from this. I am also able to use a spiritual resources approach. The pastoral counseling or spiritual resources approach is available to those who request it. In the spiritual resources approach, I encourage individuals to use their spirituality to cope with their mental health issues, whether this is through a formal religion (Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism) or an informal source of spiritual inspiration (poetry, art, or music). From this background, I am also able to work with those overcoming trauma caused by a religious background. I look forward to connecting with you and assisting in your mental health journey!