In what ways does your personality influence your approach to therapy?
I am very much a Type A personality, which I whole heartedly embrace, and feel it greatly influences my therapy style with clients in a positive way. I’m extremely outgoing and welcoming, creating a safe space for therapeutic work to take place. I am direct as not to allow room for miscommunication or misunderstanding throughout this important process. I utilize my sense of humor because laughter is the best medicine, and in times of distress it’s important to find laughter wherever we can.
What is your style/approach to therapy?
One size does not fit all in therapy. We are all unique individuals with our own story to tell and therefore therapy needs to be an individualized approach as well. My style and approach are very collaborative with the client, based on their current awareness, needs and goals. In addition, I am eclectic with different modalities of therapy such as CBT, Mindfulness, Solution Focused, and Strengths Based. I focus on the importance of overall wellness – in mind and body.
What does a first session with you look like?
First sessions are sometimes scary, so my primary focus is ensuring you feel comfortable and safe. My goal is to break down any misconceptions about therapy you may have and begin to form our therapeutic relationship. So much of therapy is finding the right therapist for you, so I encourage you to feel in control of this session, sharing what you feel is most important, or whatever you’re comfortable sharing right away. Such may include, your current coping skills, or lack thereof, how you want to be guided through this process, what your goals are and any questions you may have about the therapeutic process. We can then begin to form a treatment plan, together, which will always have room for updates as our time together continues.
Specialties
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.
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.
Medical professionals' mental health
Many medical professionals have extremely difficult jobs. When the result of one’s work is a matter of life or death, stress is typical. Medical professionals’ mental health is oftentimes impacted by experiencing vicarious trauma, working long hours, feeling underpaid or unappreciated, and believing that the well-being of others is more important than their own. This may lead toward distress, compromised performance, resentment, poor mental and/or physical health, and burnout.
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
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.
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.
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.
Fees
$160
Family Therapy
$160
Couples Therapy
$130
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Family Session
Couples Session
Individual Session
Clientele
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Seniors (65+)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Mindfulness Practices
Strength Based Therapy
Reality Therapy
Training / Certifications
ACHP-SW (Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker)
Licensure
FL, LCSW, SW 15377
Education
Master of Social Work, Social Work, Youngstown State University
Work History
Throughout my career, I have been able to guide people in a variety of different settings and situations, which is exactly what Social Work is all about. I began my career at an adult dual-diagnosis residential facility for substance abuse and mental health. From there, I took a giant leap and transitioned into a role with Hospice working directly with patients and their families. After three years in the Hospice field, I transferred over to the bereavement department where I now provide grief and loss support to the entire community as well as our Hospice patients and families. In my work I run many bereavement support groups, as well as other psychoeducation groups that I have created and developed. I am passionate about advocating and educating all things mental health and wellness. Two years ago, I opened my private practice, to continue to reach as many people as I can in multiple capacities. Within my practice I am focusing my work on the mind body connection and overall wellness. I recently became a certified yoga teacher and plan to integrate yoga within this therapeutic process.
Location
501 N. Goodlette Frank Rd., Unit C210, Naples, 34102, FL