Over my time as a counselor over the last nearly 2 years and board-certified music therapist over the last 7 years, I have had the pleasure of working with lots of people with a variety of issues, ranging from addiction to developmental concerns, from grief to gifted students, and all while trying to assist clients in regulating anxiety, emotions, and increasing coping. I have experience conceptualizing client issues with developmental, behavioral, existential, and cognitive lenses; in short, this means, I can help clients by working to see the bigger picture.
I strive to look at the people I work with as a whole picture; there are reasons people are the way they are and do the things they do! I start from a place of self-compassion, self-understanding, and ultimately self-acceptance; I believe we are capable of holding these things AND still working, changing, and growing to better live into our values. If anxiety is present, I assist clients in acknowledging and accepting how their anxiety has affected their lives, and provide coping skills to help you get through the worst moments of anxiety without feeling like you’re falling apart.
With substance abuse, I have working in residential and IOP programs before and want to help you continue your recovery journey; above all, I have a passion of helping clients gain confidence in their competency, or simply put, believe that they are truly capable and equipped to get through life in a way that respects their long-term values.
A session with me can vary based on your preferences. I will ask you what your preferences are and like to spend a good amount of time making sure the sessions are working for YOU. I have had some clients say, “please don’t use metaphors with me” and others say, “I love metaphors, they help me, so use them all the time.” I have had some clients who want to speak slowly and methodically and have sessions with silent periods while I have had others who wanted rapid-fire questions, almost like a banter. I find that I use humor and thrive in rapid-fire sessions but can also quickly shift gears and prompt you to pause when you need it. What does not change: while I will be authentic and direct, I also will be kind and compassionate.
The feedback that I have gotten from other clients, even clients that are court-ordered and did not want to spend time with a therapist, is that they can tell that I care, that I’m keeping up with what they have to say, and that they know I don’t do this work merely for the paycheck. Clients come back because they feel heard, respected, and like I can help them piece together what they want to out of their lives. Clients also have expressed comfortability in telling me when things aren’t working for them; I am happy to change directions if necessary and work to respect that while I may be the expert in the room on mental health, my clients are the experts on their lives and will know themselves far better than I ever could. I think our best work is done when we combine our expertises in sessions so you can get to where you want to be in YOUR life.
