My Approach to Helping
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I received my Masters in Social Work from Columbia University. I have experience working with individuals with mood disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), anxiety, phobias, personality disorders, substance use issues, anger issues, relationship conflict, grief, low self-esteem, spirituality issues, sexual dysfunctions, life transitions, PTSD, and various forms of trauma. I work with adolescents and adults. Individuals of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, abilities, family statuses, and political beliefs are welcome.
My goal is to help you feel empowered so that you can overcome the barriers that have prevented you from reaching your full potential. I value developing a trusting therapeutic relationship centered on compassion, empathy, acceptance, honesty, and genuineness.
Talking to a therapist can be hard. I will make sure that you feel comfortable and allow you the time you need to develop trust within our therapeutic relationship. I am dedicated to help you invest in your emotional health and personal growth. I believe that you have the ability to change your life.
Important Factors for Choosing a Therapist
Those things that you have been holding in and not telling anyone about are bringing you stress. You want someone in your life that is not going to judge you so that you can feel a sense of belonging and safety. You want to feel like you are still worthy and that things can get better. You want to be understood. Trust is an important emotion to build when forming a relationship. The same is true within the therapeutic relationship. With patience and an environment that promotes authenticity, trust can build between you and your therapist. This is when transformation happens. The American Psychological Association discovered that the type of therapy a person received made less of an impact in client's success compared to the strength of the therapeutic relationship.
How do you build trust in therapy? With just about any other relationship, there must be a connection between two people. You need to like one another and be willing to work together. Respect between the parties is vital. The therapist should provide you with support and validation. Your therapist should inform you of what services they can provide, the cost of services, their policies, boundaries that need to be maintained, limits to confidentiality, and answer any questions that you may have. Understanding that there is a code of ethics that the therapist needs to abide by is important as well.
Before you choose a therapist, you may want to make sure that they are a right fit and that they make you feel comfortable and emotionally safe. Here are some things that you might want to find out when you are looking for a therapist:
What licenses or certifications they have?
What kind of issues have they worked with in the past?
Do they give homework?
Do I need to do anything before session?
How much do they charge?
Do they take insurance?
Do I feel heard and understood when I speak to them?
The bottom line is, if you want to find a therapist you can trust, you need to ask them questions to see if they are a good fit for you. Are you nervous confiding in a stranger? That is normal. But once you get through those initial feelings of discomfort, the real work can begin. Are you ready to change your life?
Contact me today so that we can see if I am a good fit for you!
