What is your educational background that informs your practice?
Great question. Below is a timeline that outlines my academic degrees and yoga certifications:
2022 – PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision
2020 – 500 hr Certified Yoga Instructor
2018 – 200 hr Certified Yoga Instructor
2016 – MSEd in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
2014 – Bachelor of Science in Psychology
2012 – Associates of Science in Social Science
What age groups do you work with?
Since transitioning to telehealth, I work with teenagers, young adults, and adults.
Some therapists talk about having a specialty. Do you have a specialty?
You’re right. Often, therapists work better with some individuals than others, whether due to training, interests, or experience. I enjoy working with people who are curious and invested in making improvements. Those improvements might involve lifestyle, outlook, relationships, education, or other areas, but they are ready to work on changes that will enhance their lives in one way or another. This might mean working directly with anxiety, or it might include working with something less obvious, like improving the quality of their relationships, which just so happens to reduce their anxiety.
When I review therapists’ websites, many of them say they work from a specific "lens." What does that mean?
So true! Well, our “lens” usually refers to our theoretical orientation. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of many theoretical orientations that informs how therapists work with their clients. It influences the questions we ask, the clinical recommendations we offer, and how we make sense of our clients’ suffering or angst. You can start to see why we call these theories a “lens.” Just like sunglasses can have different tints, theories also help us see or understand our clients’ concerns slightly different than one another.
What is your lens?
I have an eclectic approach with an emphasis in cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused, and systems theory. These theories are discussed throughout our academic education and licensure process, or residency. I also have additional training in internal family systems and cognitive processing therapy. While our “lens” is important, research shows that the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of effective outcomes.