Aliedjawon (Al) PeoplesLCSW

I did not necessarily choose to become a therapist, the profession sort of chose me. I initially went to graduate school to pursue a degree in Social Work at the graduate level but as I matriculated through my graduate program I realized that I had a passion for helping others & I realized that I love to teach as well. Being a therapist allows me to do both so I chose to take the Clinical route in Social Work my second year as a graduate student. and here I am 5 years later!

I am a very outgoing person therefore I really take the rapport building phase of therapy seriously. I put a lot of value on the fact that people are different, our backgrounds, the way in which we are socialize, culturally, etc. Therefore I do not attempt to use a single approach with one client. My approach is based on all of the aforementioned things and what a particular client is going through at the time, and where they are in the life stages journey. My training has thought me that all of these things can make or break the therapeutic alliance between client and therapist so I take them into considerations before working with a person.

Yes, I noticed that lots of people have unresolved trauma in their past. I have worked with people of various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds and the one thing 75-80% of them shared was a traumatic history. Trauma affects people in various ways, sexually, mentally, physically, emotionally, and it takes years to face it and deal with it. A lot of people do not realize that they are more than their traumatic experiences in life and this is what I have learned as a therapist who treats trauma. Existentialism teaches that people are more than their life experiences, and that they are capable of living up to other dreams and goals. Trauma sticks with a person for life but it does not have to define who a person is.

• North Carolina, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, C012805

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 4 plus years experience working with individuals with substance addiction and mental health disorders including, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, & more. In addition, I've worked with individuals experiencing various types of trauma, including domestic violence, sexual abuse, & traumatic loss, i.e. homicide/unexpected deaths/drug overdose, helping them to cope with & process their experiences. I have experience working in both in inpatient & outpatient settings providing therapy & psycho-education to patients & their families. I hold a Master of Social Work from North Carolina Central University, & an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Therapeutic models that I used are Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy & Narrative Therapy. I help people feel better, & live better one day at a time by promoting hope & positive expectations, using empathy, & teaching people how to recognize environmental triggers.