Your Story
The idea of starting therapy can be intimidating. As a society, conditioning exists around the believe that therapy is only for those who have “something wrong” with them. For many, that belief can lead to carrying feelings of shame, low self-worth, and frustration that they can’t move past it. As a therapist, I want to help you understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Rather, it is my hope that together, we can shift from asking “what’s wrong with me?” to “what happened to me?”
Credentials
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I am trained to approach every situation from a strengths perspective. This means that in our work together, I will help you highlight and identify your own resilience. Also, we will find the natural supports you have in place to help you move through your healing. Together, we will work to identify triggers, process through difficult emotions, and gain insight and clarity around unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. I provide a space where you feel safe to be fully seen, heard, and understood. My promise is to always show up in our relationship as my authentic self, with the hope that you will do the same!
Therapy Approach
An eclectic and tailored approach to therapy can help to meet your specific needs. My background consists of extensive training in various trauma-focused modalities. These include: Prolonged Exposure (PE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Flash Technique, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Trauma-Focused Integrated Play Therapy (TF-IPT). Informed in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and trained in Mindfulness, Narrative Therapy, and other play and expressive therapies, I also study Sand Tray and Art Therapy. In addition, I am currently enrolled in trainings for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Somatic Experiencing (SE).
I received my Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2017. In 2020, I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My experience includes six years of trauma-specific work with children, adolescents, adults, and families. I worked in a traditional outpatient therapy setting and an acute medical setting within the Emergency Department and Department of Pediatric Oncology. With clients and patients from all walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences, and at all stages of healing, I have extensive experience with issues of anxiety, depression, and grief and loss.
503-659-3480 ext. 27