Treva Gilliard

My name is Treva Gilliard, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of New York. My years of experience working with individuals, children & families in child welfare, chemical dependency, and mental health has allowed me to partner with participants who have unique needs and goals. These experiences enabled me to narrow my focus by identifying models of treatment I believe are the most effective in helping participants cultivate life skills and effective strategies to improve their quality of life. I work with adults to help them define problems and learn skills to cope with the negative impact of anxiety, depression, and stress that perpetuate conditions that interfere with living the life they hope for.

My approach

My approach to helping participants is creating a safe space that promotes trust, curiosity, and partnership as you explore your life vision. What does a quality of life look like for you? What problems are getting in the way of this vision? Present awareness can empower you to identify your internal strengths that can be recognized to cultivate a mindset of hope. Over time we will build a therapeutic alliance where we will work together to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors that get in the way of building the life that you want. Encouragement and empowerment will be a prominent strategy to support your efforts in taking small steps toward your immediate goals. A variety of theoretical therapy frameworks will be used to guide you through challenging roadblocks and will help you nurture self-compassion and hope. Together we will identify multiple pathways to get through present roadblocks that could stall your growth as we journey towards your life vision.

My focus

Throughout the treatment journey, we can engage in conversations about uncertainty, doubt, and fears that ruminate through your mind keeping you stuck. Through the explorations of your strengths, we can partner to skillfully determine the best use of resources that could help you "ride the waves" during life storms. My focus is to integrate how Spirit-Mind-Body works together to enhance your overall wellness. Our ability to pursue a quality of life to the fullest potential depends on all of these aspects of self-working together to cultivate a mindset of hope.

My communication style

I tend to be direct concerning barriers to progress that interfere with your goals. It is my style to be encouraging and empowering. I am "down-to-earth" in the sense that I recognize my humanity and strive to be humble and open-minded to others' perspectives. I realize that no one has all of the answers. You are in control of your treatment journey and have the freedom to change your path at any time. You can count on me to guide you throughout the process. If I am not able to be helpful regarding any issue or concern I will help you find resources and information to ensure your concerns are addressed. I learn from you as my partner in treatment and welcome useful feedback. Humor is an integral part of my personality and helps me cope with life’s disappointments and challenges. It allows me to connect with others in non-threatening ways.

My journey to mental healthcare

My lived experiences have cultivated a curiosity about my identity and the resilience of humanity. It is my lived experiences that led me on a lifelong path of self-learning about my overall health, well-being, and resilience. My formal education in business administration and social work prepared me to become a clinical provider as a private behavioral health practitioner. There are several factors that influenced my interest in social work. Childhood exploration of my personal and family development, world events, individual differences, and how the impact of biopsychosocial aspects of life can strengthen or deplete human resilience. Over time I wanted to understand the dynamics of human beings interacting with the structures of society. I wanted to know what helped or harmed people in our pursuit of happiness (quality of life). My recent experiences as a neurodiverse adult have increased my insight, understanding, and perspective by personally learning to adapt to the challenges of navigating systems and structures of society that were designed for the mainstream (“normal”) population. I thought my education would make me an "expert" in understanding the complexities of life and then life taught me how little I know. This humbling journey led me to explore the influence of spiritual aspects that are left out of the mainstream biopsychosocial model. I have found that spirituality is often an unacknowledged resource to manage and cope with the uncertainty of life. Spirituality is a valuable framework to nurture hope and resiliency in individuals.

My goals for you

Understanding how life experiences have shaped your identity is an essential start to the change process. My goal for you is to define the problem that is contributing to your distress today. I will help you clearly identify areas of your life in the present moment where support may be needed. Once the problem(s) are identified you will ask yourself “how”, “why”, and what? How did this problem come to be? Why do I want to solve this problem at this present moment? What specific strengths and resources do I need to be an effective problem solver? Becoming an effective problem solver involves the effective use of time between sessions to intentionally practice present awareness (mindfulness) to help you self-monitor your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors that will help increase your self-awareness.

My first session with you

The initial phase of treatment is where we begin planting seeds for a strong therapeutic relationship. How we work together is the foundation we use to map out your pathways to change. The first session is more formal than follow-up sessions. We will begin to build on the boundaries that frame our therapeutic relationship by reviewing informed consent and best practices for Telehealth video-conferencing. I will verify your identity, and current location, and review other boundaries that will protect your privacy, confidentiality, and safety during video sessions. The rest of the session will be used to complete a comprehensive assessment which is a picture of your life and how you have developed. The therapist will ask questions to learn about the reason you seek help at this time, the events that contribute to your presenting problem, and inquire about areas of your life where you may need support. Any questions you have about your treatment or this therapist will be addressed by the end of the session.