What does a first session with you look like?
In our first session, I allow my clients to do most of the talking. I do not ask endless questions or gather a full life-history, rather I allow you to tell me your story. I have found over the years that people just really want to share what is on their minds, especially during the initial session. I will help guide you in order for us to lay the foundation for future sessions while developing attainable treatment goals.
How do you determine therapy goals with clients? What does that process look like?
My approach is about finding the motivation behind our choices. Are we reacting to a situation based solely on an emotional reaction, and if so, what is driving that feeling? If however, a client is presenting with less situational symptoms, then perhaps choices become less about reacting and more about coping with signs our body is giving us that something is not right on the inside.
In what ways does your personality influence your approach to therapy?
I believe in a reality-based approach to therapy. While we must never negate our feelings, we must also never allow them to make decisions for us. There is always a solution to an issue we may be experiencing; however, perhaps it is not the one we were hoping for. I quite often hear myself saying - it is what it is - meaning we eventually need to accept reality in whatever form it comes in while developing healthy and effective coping skills to keep moving forward.
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.
Autism spectrum disorder
A developmental disability that impacts communication and behavior. Onset typically occurs during early childhood, but an individual may be diagnosed at any point in life. Severity of the disorder varies along a spectrum. Accordingly, challenges associated with verbal and nonverbal communication, interpersonal interactions, and restricted/repetitive behaviors vary as well.
Bipolar disorder
Characterized by alternating symptoms of depression and mania. During more extreme episodes, depression may lead to the point of suicidal ideation and attempts while extreme bouts of mania are marked by impulsive behavior, lack of sleep, elevated esteem, and even psychosis.
Mood disorders
Mood disorder is a broad term used to include the different types of depressive and bipolar disorders, all of which affect mood. With a mood disorder, your moods may range from extremely low to extremely high or irritable.
General Expertise
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.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the degree to which a person feels confident, valuable, and worthy of respect. Feeling low self-esteem can influence overall well-being and be linked to anxiety and/or depression.
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.
Anger management
It's normal to experience anger at times, but for some, it becomes so frequent, intense, or difficult to control that it negatively affects their life. Anger management is a structured therapeutic approach toward reducing one’s anger to a point where more appropriate coping and/or conflict management skills are used. Beliefs and thoughts leading toward anger outbursts are explored while healthy coping and interpersonal skills are put into practice.
Fees
$120
First Session
$120
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Individual Session
Clientele
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Person-Centered Therapy
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
Training / Certifications
Behavioral Specialist License
Licensure
PA, LPC, PC011192
Education
Master of Arts in Community Counseling
Work History
I began my journey in the field of mental health starting in 2007. My professional career has taken me from community-based mental health assisting the chronically ill population, assisting students and families both in the school and home setting(s), becoming a licensed consultant in behavioral health with a specialization in Autism & Intellectual Disabilities. At current, I work for a private practice delivering therapy services for those self-pay and privately insured clientele.
Location
525 Bedford Street, Windber, 15963, PA