What was your path to becoming a therapist? What inspired you to choose this profession?
From as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a teacher. I use to play "school" with my childhood best friend and stuffed bears. Homework was even assigned. This dream continued until I took my first psychology class as an undergraduate student. During that semester I struggled with the desire to change my major. What happened to make the decision is that I realized that despite my own struggles I was experiencing that semester my college friends still continued to come to me to talk when they had a problem. I realized through this that counseling was my true passion. As a result, I changed my major to psychology. During an internship in my junior year, I talked with my field supervisor about the various options to achieve this goal. He encouraged a degree in social work which I agreed with after discussion. This led me to applying and later obtaining my masters in social work.
What do you view as a key component of the therapeutic relationship?
As in any relationship, I believe honesty is a key component of the therapeutic relationship. I only know what you tell me. If you tell me information that is not correct I will be hindered in my ability to help you. Therapy is a judgment-free zone. As such, I know it can be scary telling someone something you find embarrassing or feel a lot of guilt or shame about but in sharing these things the healing begins.
Specialties
Depression
Depression often causes people to feel sad, empty, or hopeless, and can cause a lack of interest in life. It can also affect a person's thinking patterns and physical health.
Anxiety
Anxiety can mean nervousness, worry, or self-doubt. Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
Caregiver stress & support
Caring for a friend or family member (paid or unpaid) includes emotional support, housework, help with finances, medication management, and shopping. Can be stressful, making caregivers more vulnerable to things like anxiety, isolation, and fatigue.
Life transitions
Positive and negative change can be difficult, including things like moving, breaking up, adjusting to parenthood, or changing careers. It’s normal to feel stressed, however, life transitions can inhibit people from living healthy lifestyles.
Coping Skills
Coping skills are tools and techniques one can learn, practice, and use to handle difficult emotions, decrease stress, and establish or maintain a sense of internal order.
General Expertise
Careers
Designed to help people choose, change, or leave a career at any stage of life. Careers are often wrapped up in people’s perceived identity, therefore, any change can cause anxiety and/or depression.
Work Stress
Workplace issues are a common source of stress and can include interpersonal conflict, communication problems, gossip, harassment, discrimination, low motivation and job satisfaction, performance issues, and poor job fit.
Loss/Grief
Grief is a reaction to an emotionally significant loss and often comes with symptoms of depression or anxiety. These symptoms can remain intense and last for a long time after a loss, making it difficult to move forward with a healthy lifestyle.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety or social phobia is fear of social situations or a fear of interacting with people other than close friends and family. Social anxiety can be persistent, intense, and debilitating, greatly affecting daily life.
ADHD
ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) causes a hard time focusing attention and controlling restless or impulsive behavior. People with ADHD might have emotional outbursts, be forgetful, and/or find it difficult to stay organized.
Fees
$75
First Session
$75
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Individual Session
Clientele
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Seniors (65+)
Children (5-12)
Adolescents (13-17)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Mindfulness Practices
Art Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Eclectic Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Motivational Interviewing
Positive Psychology
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Play Therapy
Licensure
GA, LCSW, CSW006101
Education
Masters of Social Work from Valdosta State University
Bachelors of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology from Brewton-Parker College