Melissa Morgan, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

When I first meet with my clients, I emphasize at the start that I am providing them with a safe, nonjudgmental space for our work together. I then listen carefully to my client’s concerns. Listening, in fact, is a very important component to the therapy I provide. Once I understand my client’s concerns, I carefully tailor my approach to their needs, offering the psychotherapy techniques that will help replace destructive patterns of thinking with healthy, alternative thought patterns. Throughout my many years of practice, I have found that a significant number of clients achieve positive outcomes with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a solution-based, structured form of therapy that directly addresses problems by offering a positive, pragmatic approach to shift negative emotions, behaviors, and thoughts to positive ones. Clearly, the more positive one feels, the more likely one is to accomplish one’s goals in life. During the initial evaluation, the client and I identify the emotional response to a problem (e.g., transition from: “I feel like a failure because my boss criticized my project,” to “My boss complimented me on my previous three projects, so I clearly have the ability to do well in this job.”). To achieve this shift in thought pattern requires work; cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on solutions to facilitate this. The main strategy I utilize is to create a personalized series of exercises to work on during our sessions, and for the client to complete at home. An ongoing assessment becomes part of every visit and will show the client’s progress. In conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy, I offer talk therapy. During our sessions, I strive to create a trusting relationship with my clients so that they feel comfortable discussing specific problems, whether big or small.