It is my goal to be as real and connected as possible to those that are looking for my expertise to help assist in making better life choices. I feel that it is important for my patients to feel like they can speak their truth without judgement or prejudice. I am not afraid to encourage laughter and easiness in therapy sessions because sometimes, life just warrants it.
My experience has been with those who have experienced social awkwardness, social anxiety, and/or social isolation. I have found that many of these social issues are connected to those who overthink, over analyze, and over-achieve. Many people find that they have anxiety and depression and feel trapped with the diagnosis with no tools to escape the annoyances of the internal chatter the brain creates. I have learned from seeing so many patients with the same symptoms that it is really how the individual’s brain receives information and how it is interpreted based off of experiences from the past which thwarts him/her into the future to worry without stopping in the present to check reality. I also apply these principles when I work with couples and families.
Issues that I address in therapy are basic needs, basic wants, and how the individual finds satisfaction in both. Starting with this leads to the discussion of insecurities in relationships, trust and mistrust, and false beliefs picked up along the way.
Approaches: My approach is simple. I start out by creating a casual conversation, story-telling, if you will, and bring to attention possible reasons why the patient is having challenges. Every person I have treated have their own story. It is my job to listen to it and treat it as uniquely as the person who is telling it. I approach the story like it is changeable.
The three things I keep as reminders to my patients;
1) Nothing is set in stone.
2) Everything is possible.
3)Life happens no matter what. My job is to highlight your strengths.
If a more technical answer is warranted about what approaches I use in therapy, I would say the following:
CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help break down old beliefs and structure new beliefs
Interpersonal therapy – Let’s be real – everyone hurts, everyone loves, and everyone feels something. Teaching understanding of these things will enhance your perception to best suit your needs.
Conflict Resolution – My question will always be “How do you resolve conflict and what do the people around you want from you.” Are you someone who shuts down? Do you confront, yell and scream, or do you ignore and deflect tension?
It’s important to understand your approach so that you can understand how it influences interactions with others and how others feel about interacting with you.
What I have found in the years I have been treating people is that we all are looking for the same things– understanding of our purpose, how to get our needs met, and how to love and be loved. No matter what you come in for, these three things are rooted in our psyche. Everything else is merely symptomatic of the unknown.
The key components of the therapeutic alliance are trust and honest. My patients look to me to tell them my professional opinion. My goal is always the same for every patient: I am here to help you understand you better. When you understand you, then you have more power in your life and make better decisions in getting what you want out of it. It is very simple but very important. I will always be real. I will tell you that self-discovery is the most exciting part of life when you know you are doing it. When you are not aware of it, you feel confused, lost, empty, depressed, anxious…etc., all the things you go to therapy to resolve. What if it is as easy as changing your perspective from “the challenges in my life are crippling me” to “the opportunities that I’m presented with currently are showing me how to make better decisions based on what I can control and what I cannot. When I find my footing, I am able to see clearer and with purpose.’
My life and treatment philosophies overlap by utilizing the idea that every person has a purpose and ever person has a need to be valued. I teach people how to get their needs met by first becoming aware of them and second by recognizing how effective it is in getting those needs met. We all receive information and interpret the meaning by our experiences. If one’s experience is feeling devalued, information will filter through that belief before anything else. This creates an insecurity that may hold other people hostage. I work with my clients and these false beliefs to better their quality of life by their standards.
The most profound, interesting, and insightful thing I have learned from being a mental health therapist is how we internalize information. Information is communication and we all interpret it different ways. It is profound to me that we, as humans with emotions, get caught up in perceptions that we forget to simply ask each other “what do you mean by that?” so that assumptions and perceptions can be minimized, and happiness maximized.
The roles I play in my life are mother, sister, daughter, friend, companion, student, teacher, mentor, caregiver, and partner.
I chose to become a mental health therapist because human behavior fascinates me. The joy of connecting emotions and behaviors so that others can become aware of the “whys” of the world is stimulating and satisfying. People want answers. I like to find them, explore them, and change them so others can live a freer life.
My experience has been with those who have experienced social awkwardness, social anxiety, and/or social isolation. I have found that many of these social issues are connected to those who overthink, over analyze, and over-achieve. Many people find that they have anxiety and depression and feel trapped with the diagnosis with no tools to escape the annoyances of the internal chatter the brain creates. I have learned from seeing so many patients with the same symptoms that it is really how the individual’s brain receives information and how it is interpreted based off of experiences from the past which thwarts him/her into the future to worry without stopping in the present to check reality. I also apply these principles when I work with couples and families.
Issues that I address in therapy are basic needs, basic wants, and how the individual finds satisfaction in both. Starting with this leads to the discussion of insecurities in relationships, trust and mistrust, and false beliefs picked up along the way.
Approaches: My approach is simple. I start out by creating a casual conversation, story-telling, if you will, and bring to attention possible reasons why the patient is having challenges. Every person I have treated have their own story. It is my job to listen to it and treat it as uniquely as the person who is telling it. I approach the story like it is changeable.
The three things I keep as reminders to my patients;
1) Nothing is set in stone.
2) Everything is possible.
3)Life happens no matter what. My job is to highlight your strengths.
If a more technical answer is warranted about what approaches I use in therapy, I would say the following:
CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help break down old beliefs and structure new beliefs
Interpersonal therapy – Let’s be real – everyone hurts, everyone loves, and everyone feels something. Teaching understanding of these things will enhance your perception to best suit your needs.
Conflict Resolution – My question will always be “How do you resolve conflict and what do the people around you want from you.” Are you someone who shuts down? Do you confront, yell and scream, or do you ignore and deflect tension?
It’s important to understand your approach so that you can understand how it influences interactions with others and how others feel about interacting with you.
What I have found in the years I have been treating people is that we all are looking for the same things– understanding of our purpose, how to get our needs met, and how to love and be loved. No matter what you come in for, these three things are rooted in our psyche. Everything else is merely symptomatic of the unknown.
The key components of the therapeutic alliance are trust and honest. My patients look to me to tell them my professional opinion. My goal is always the same for every patient: I am here to help you understand you better. When you understand you, then you have more power in your life and make better decisions in getting what you want out of it. It is very simple but very important. I will always be real. I will tell you that self-discovery is the most exciting part of life when you know you are doing it. When you are not aware of it, you feel confused, lost, empty, depressed, anxious…etc., all the things you go to therapy to resolve. What if it is as easy as changing your perspective from “the challenges in my life are crippling me” to “the opportunities that I’m presented with currently are showing me how to make better decisions based on what I can control and what I cannot. When I find my footing, I am able to see clearer and with purpose.’
My life and treatment philosophies overlap by utilizing the idea that every person has a purpose and ever person has a need to be valued. I teach people how to get their needs met by first becoming aware of them and second by recognizing how effective it is in getting those needs met. We all receive information and interpret the meaning by our experiences. If one’s experience is feeling devalued, information will filter through that belief before anything else. This creates an insecurity that may hold other people hostage. I work with my clients and these false beliefs to better their quality of life by their standards.
The most profound, interesting, and insightful thing I have learned from being a mental health therapist is how we internalize information. Information is communication and we all interpret it different ways. It is profound to me that we, as humans with emotions, get caught up in perceptions that we forget to simply ask each other “what do you mean by that?” so that assumptions and perceptions can be minimized, and happiness maximized.
The roles I play in my life are mother, sister, daughter, friend, companion, student, teacher, mentor, caregiver, and partner.
I chose to become a mental health therapist because human behavior fascinates me. The joy of connecting emotions and behaviors so that others can become aware of the “whys” of the world is stimulating and satisfying. People want answers. I like to find them, explore them, and change them so others can live a freer life.