Bryanna EldridgeLMHC

As an individual, I am honest, genuine, empathetic, intellectual, organized, and a strong communicator. As a therapist, I am authentic to my individual personality. Throughout my career, I have found it crucial to be transparent with both my clients and colleagues to maintain the most trusting therapeutic relationships possible. In addition, I live my life and practice with two core beliefs: internal locus of control and innate strength. A belief in internal locus of control allows my clients to focus on that which they can control, facilitating positive change in their lives. A belief in innate strength allows my clients to feel empowered as they acknowledge the innate strength within themselves to help with their healing and growth. In therapy, we will work together to identify areas of your life where you can regain control and identify personal strengths. I therapeutically challenge my clients to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences – especially when they seem most difficult. As an intellect, I enjoy sharing my knowledge of counseling with my clients. I feel knowledge is power and I am always in support of empowering my clients. As an organized and strong communicator, I maintain a consistent schedule, appropriate documentation, and coordinate with other services providers (other therapists, psychiatrists, medical personnel, probation/parole officers) as my clients' needs may require.

Our first session will start with a review of your informed consent, which includes discussing expectations for the therapy process and answering any questions you may have for me. Next, I will gather important information to get to know you, elicit a brief history, and collaboratively set goals for your counseling journey. Our first session will also give you the crucial opportunity to get to know me and determine if we are the right fit for one another. It’s essential to establish a trusting therapeutic relationship in order for counseling to be most effective for you. In subsequent sessions, I will empower you to take the lead in processing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with my support and guidance.

The most profound, insightful, and interesting thing I have learned as a mental health professional can be summarized by the quote “growth is a journey, not a destination”. Early in my career, I had the misunderstanding that growth ended once you met your goals and successfully completed treatment. However, it very quickly became apparent, growth is never done. Often my clients initiate treatment due to current life circumstances. However, we are the product of all life experiences. It is very likely you will need to process various life experiences to achieve your goals. I provide unconditional positive regard, validation, and empathy to allow for client growth in a safe environment. I facilitate hope and encourage independence with the goal of my clients one day reaching a point in their lives, when they feel comfortable continuing their journey alone. I hope my clients always remember they owe it to themselves to continue to grow.

• New York, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 008671

My career as a mental health counselor began six years ago, working in a residential mental health unit within a maximum-security state prison. I was part of an interdisciplinary treatment team, collaborating with various professionals (fellow counselors, psychiatrist, corrections officers, the Office of Mental Health management, Department of Corrections counselors, nurses) to provide the best services for each patient. My job included individual and group counseling, psychoeducation, crisis management, assessing for suicide risk, daily rounds, and essential communication regarding mental health medication management. It was during these experiences in my career, that I became aware of the need for intervention in the community, outside of incarceration, to allow for the most effective therapy. I then pursued work as an addiction’s counselor, where I facilitated both individual and group therapy to individuals who were likely to be under community supervision after incarceration (county probation, state parole, federal probation, drug court). My previous work with incarcerated individuals was valuable in my new role, as I could empathize with my clients on a level that many of my peers could not. In 2017, I took a job at the forensic counselor at a non-for-profit agency in my local area. I spent 20 hours in the local jail, assessing client’s lethality, determining if there was a need for 24-hour suicide watch, while facilitating medication management with psychiatrists and tracking compliance with these medications. The other 20 hours were spent at our outpatient clinic, where I worked with the general population. I conducted intakes, facilitated individual and group sessions, engaged in crisis outreach within the community. My clients presented for a variety of reasons, including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, personality disorders, anger management issues, domestic violence (both survivors and perpetrators), sex-related offenses, relationship issues, and many more. Within the last couple of years, I became the program coordinator for several services offered in my local county. This allowed for my strengths of organization and communication to be used for the best support for my clients. I find these strengths to be significant components in building a strong therapeutic relationship and finding growth with my clients. I am continuously educating myself through trainings and experiences with other professionals in my field, while also improving my practice in various fields.