Deborah Ridgeway LCSW

Clients can expect to feel a sense of direction after meeting with me, and an idea of what next steps will be. I work to provide immediate relief through teaching skills of mindfulness, an improved daily routine and self-care or other resources-- while also providing a context for working on longer term concerns and problems. I generally provide homework in the form of recommending mindfulness practice, a habit tracker to support daily routine, a reading assignment or worksheets to help the client think through and process feelings and actions.

I draw from CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) because it has long been recognized as effective evidence-based practice for anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. I employ mindfulness and the practice of gratitude as tools for clients. I practice strengths-based approaches always, looking for what is already going well and what is possible. I use journalling and narrative therapy to help clients tell their stories and process them. I utilize trauma-focused therapy to help clients move through and past prior traumas, to the greatest degree possible and to help them move on to a place of improved functioning. When working with substance use disorders, I employ harm reduction as well as abstinence as valid goals and outcomes. From DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) I employ key concepts and most especially radical acceptance as a way forward.

• Virginia, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, 904014094