I am a licensed clinical social worker who is passionate about working with individuals from various backgrounds with a culturally sensitive approach to supporting my clients through challenges to experience healing and growth in their lives.
My approach
My approach is client-centered; I will meet you with compassion, empathy, and open-mindedness. I believe in working collaboratively with my clients to identify treatment priorities and create a safe environment for them to discuss important matters to them, utilizing cognitive behavior therapy and person-centered therapy mostly.
My focus
I typically work with individuals with various mental health issues, including; serious mental illness (Major depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorders, etc...) and individuals with personality disorders (borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality, etc..).
My communication style
I listen to my clients, engage honestly and tell them the things they need to hear. I also occasionally assign homework to help my clients to continue to work on developing more positive coping skills to help manage/cope with their issues/concerns.
My journey to mental healthcare
What attracted me to a career as a therapist is that I, at a very early age, realized that people gravitated toward me and allowed felt comfortable talking to me about everything and anything. I realized that I had a knack for being a good listener and offering some good advice. What drives me to continue my work as a therapist is the never-ending people in need of someone to talk to and someone to listen to them; I truly enjoy being available to help others resolve their issues/concerns.
My goals for you
I like to work with my client in setting goals, after much discussion about what an individual feels are their greatest issues/concerns, I will present what I have heard are the individuals issues/concerns and ask if I am correct, and then ask them for any additional input to setting goals. Clarification, understanding and commitment are important to my goal setting approach.
My first session with you
What you can expect from our first session together is for us to spend the majority of our time talking about how you've been feeling recently and for me to ask questions to better understand some of why you may be feeling that way. The first session is about us building an initial connection and helping me get a sense of where we should go from there. Each individual is different, and I like to listen first before assuming I know what will work best for you moving forward.