I am a licensed marriage family therapist and professional counselor in Virginia. I have worked with youth, adults, couples, and families with diverse mental health concerns. I have worked in residential chemical dependency, intensive in-home family preservation, inpatient psychiatric hospital, juvenile and adult detention centers, K-12 schools, and university settings, in addition to community-based outpatient centers.
My approach
My approach to psychotherapy is to empower clients to take an active role in their treatment. I see individuals and invite couples and family work as clinically appropriate to reinforce progress and encourage practicing skills outside of sessions. I work with clients to increase their understanding of themselves and others, improve their communication and conflict-resolution strategies, and promote emotional regulation skills for healthier coping.
My focus
My ideal client is looking to improve the relationship they share with other people and themselves as individuals.
My communication style
I am rather direct in empowering clients to take an active role in treatment by identifying their needs/goals/priorities for that particular session and giving tangible skills or homework to reflect on in between sessions.
My journey to mental healthcare
It was in an interpersonal communication class during my early years of college that I was drawn to work in mental health as a therapist. I completed an experiential and humanistic program for my undergraduate and master's degrees that cultivated my passion for working to improve myself and help others improve the quality of their lives.
My goals for you
I work collaboratively with clients to complete individualistic goals starting with a baseline at the beginning of treatment and measuring progress objectively to reflect any increase or decrease in frequency, intensity, and impact on day-to-day life.
My first session with you
I usually conduct my first sessions with clients to be rather informative and conversational, ensuring that I am answering any questions they have for me as a therapist or the process of therapy and getting a sense of what their expectations/goals are for treatment.