My Approach to Helping
Hi! I'm Fran Bax, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York State with over 25 years of clinical experience in behavioral health counseling. I’ve worked with individuals dealing with chemical dependency, mental health issues, and co-occurring disorders. I work with clients with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, career challenges, OCD, and ADHD. I help people who have experienced physical trauma and emotional abuse. I work with athletes to help them improve their sports performance and mental framework.
My counseling style is warm and interactive. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion without judgment or labels. My approaches combine cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, motivational, and rational-emotive counseling. I also use collaborative and systematic approaches to help my clients.
It takes tremendous courage to seek a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards change. If you are ready to take that step, I am here to support and empower you. We can work together to develop your treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. You will find support and explore different ways of thinking and feeling.
More Info About My Practice
I am licensed in New York State as a Mental Health Counselor and certified as an Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor and have over 25 years as a clinician, a training supervisor, and an expert at case and care management. I utilize cutting-edge, evidenced-based, and eclectic clinical and instructional techniques in motivating clients to consider and practice behavior change while perpetuating the human service field through training, instructing, and mentoring aspiring counselors.
My career experience includes roles as a project and care coordinator striving for excellence through time-limited solution-focused interventions, strategic planning, and results-oriented actions including proven program coordination abilities through interaction with key community leaders and stakeholders.
I specialize in the use of and train other human service and medical providers in motivational interviewing techniques and evaluation through using DiClemente and Prochaska’s Stages of Change model.
My specialties in the Human Services field include supervision and mentoring aspiring counselors and social workers, clinical and systemic interventions, treatment planning, providing services to individuals with co-occurring addiction and behavioral health issues including tobacco addiction. I also have significant expertise in providing treatment, case management, and supervision of individuals referred from the legal system and state parole boards, especially those clients who are adjudicated or convicted of sexual offenses and other violent and non-violent crimes. I have invested time and experience in working with amateur and professional athletes in maximizing their mental capabilities to excel on the playing field.
I also lead workshops, training sessions, and taught undergraduate college courses on co-occurring behavioral health assessment and diagnosis, tobacco cessation and treatment, and the usage of resiliency and humor in the treatment milieu.
I earned a Master’s Degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from the Canisius College of Buffalo NY. I am a member of the American Counselor’s Association and the New York State Counselors Association.
Clinicians who offer sliding scale payment structures may offer lower or reduced fees based on an individual's ability to pay. Please contact this clinician for more details regarding their fees or sliding scale policy.