Therapist Profile

My Approach to Helping

I understand that it is often a difficult decision to seek help from a professional in resolving your most challenging issues in life. It takes a great deal of courage to open up to someone about some of the most sensitive areas of your life. Whether you are choosing to seek counseling for the first time or are returning to work on new goals that you have set for yourself, I commend you for taking the first step towards achieving a life that is more personally satisfying to you. When beginning to work with a new client, I strongly believe in the importance of providing individuals with the opportunity to openly express their current life struggles in their own words. Each individual has a unique story to tell and there is not one person that is the same regardless of a particular symptom profile (i.e. Anxiety, Stress, Depression). In return, you can expect me to provide you with a counseling environment that is safe, caring and non-judgemental while we work together on a treatment plan that meets your individual needs. I primarily utilize the techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy to assist my clients in working through a variety of issues in their lives. Cognitive- behavioral therapy is most notably associated with the work of Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis in the 1960's. It is a short-term therapeutic model based on the premise that our perception of a particular situation or event determines our overall emotional health. It has been emperically tested for the treatment of a variety of psychiatric-related issues. As an example, imagine that you are a college student that has a severe case of test anxiety and your professor says, "We will have our first exam next class period." Your first thought to yourself may be, "I am going to fail the exam" followed by feeling nervous. As a result of these thoughts and feelings, the behavioral response of the college student in this example may be not studying for this exam, thus further raising the odds of failure. Working with a cognitive-behavioral therapist will help you to identify these distressing thoughts that affect your emotional health. The counselor will then teach you how to test the validity of your thought content with the goal of beginning to think more realistically about certain situations. I look forward to the journey of helping you work towards acheiving your goals in life.

More Info About My Practice

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor-Intern (LPC-I) in the State of Texas. This means that I have acquired a Master's degree with a minimum of 48 credit hours in counseling. I completed a 300 hour practicum experience (June-December 2007) in Dallas, Texas with a primary emphasis in the area of Pain Management Counseling. Additionally, I have earned a passing score on the National Counselor Examination (NCE) to obtain temporary licensure in the State of Texas. As part of the licensure requirements for the State of Texas, I am also currently fulfilling a 3000 hour internship under the direct supervision of a board approved Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor. I graduated from Dallas Baptist University with a Master of Arts degree in Counseling in December 2007. Prior to attending DBU, I studied Experimental Psychology at Texas Christian University where I was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in May 2004. During my matriculation at TCU, I also had the distict honor to serve as the President (2003-04) and Secretary (Spring 2003) of PSI CHI, The National Honor Society in Psychology. In addition to working in the area of Pain Management, I have had the privilege of providing counseling and other services to a diverse group of individuals faced with many different challenges in life. In 2005-06, I worked for Behavioral Innovations, Inc. as an Applied Behavioral Analysis therapist with children who have been diagnosed with Autism. During this time, I also served as a co-team leader assisting the treatment team with various tasks related to assigned clients. In March 2008, I took on the role of working as a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) with Metrocare Services in Dallas, Texas. My duties included facilitating assessments, treatment plans, case management, skills training and psychosocial rehabilitation for individuals who have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Depression. Additionally, I also have experience working with those affected by PTSD, Anxiety, Drug addiction and Alcoholism, Borderline Personality Disorder, Grief and Loss as well as Anger Management issues. I am currently working on a contract basis as a Licensed Professional Counselor-Intern in a private practice setting in the Dallas/Fort Worth area under the direct supervision of Randy Gibson, LPC-S.