If there was one thing you wish people knew about the therapy experience who might be hesitant to try it, what would that be?
Therapy is the exploration of you and your strengths. A lot of times, people come to therapy thinking that their therapist has all of the answers and will tell them what to do. What people do not realize is the answers are already hidden in them. Often times, I find that my clients just needed someone to believe in them and support them in getting out of their own way to find those answers.
What do you view as a key component of the therapeutic relationship?
Acceptance and encouragement. I believe that when a client truly feels accepted and understands there is no bad part of them or no awful mistake made that they will be judged for in therapy, they are able to open themselves to full exploration of themselves in order to find the answers they need. I believe when a client is open, they can receive the support and encouragement to complete their therapeutic journey.
What does a first session with you look like?
In our first session, I want to get to know you. I do not just want to know what brought you into therapy, but I want to understand what is important to you and how you see yourself in the world around you. I want to understand where you want to go on your therapeutic journey and what you need from me to get there. I also want to spend that time understanding your strengths and the awesome things about you that keep you going.
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.
Adolescent mental health
Adolescent mental health focuses on adolescent-specific experiences including physical and cognitive development, social and environmental factors, sex, sexual identification and orientation, emotional processing, and substance use. Given the influence that parents/guardians have on adolescents, home life is a particularly important consideration.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a condition that is precipitated by a perceived terrifying event. This event need not occur directly to the person but may happen vicariously—having seen something terrible happen to another person. The condition may last months or years while symptoms include ruminating thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, intense anxiety when triggered, and potential substance abuse in attempt to cope.
Trauma
Trauma is the result of experiencing a perceived, extremely distressful event. Although the stress threshold for each person differs, meaning that each person considers and experiences trauma differently, it is an event that tops one’s threshold. It exceeds one’s ability to cope or emotionally process. Symptoms may include shock, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, feeling disconnected, mood swings, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
General Expertise
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.
Academic challenges
Concerns that impact school performance or academic life. Can include perfectionism, bullying, financial stress, academic transitions, test anxiety, balancing school with other responsibilities, discrimination, or harassment.
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.
Abuse/Survivors of abuse
Abuse includes any significant mistreatment along the lines of psychical, emotional, sexual, verbal, and neglect. Survivors of abuse may experience negative thoughts and feelings, flashbacks, distrust of others, social withdrawal, self-harm, and increased likelihood of developing mental health and substance abuse issues.
In-Network Insurance
Cigna
Fees
$130
First Session
$115
Family Therapy
$105
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Family Session
Individual Session
Clientele
Parents
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Adolescents (13-17)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Mindfulness Practices
Expressive Arts Therapy
Motivational Interviewing
Person-Centered Therapy
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Play Therapy
Training / Certifications
Certification in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Licensure
NC, LCMHC, 11965
Education
Masters in Art, Community Counseling, Louisiana State university
Masters Specialization in Play Therapy, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Work History
My clinical work has involved working with a diverse group of individuals living with an array of mental health issues including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, trauma, difficult life changes, stress management, anger management, etc. In the past 7 years of being a therapist, I have worked in various settings from providing intensive therapeutic support to rendering outpatient therapeutic services. Additionally, part of my work has involved building relationships with community resources as I believe my clients benefit from therapy that also connects them to natural supports in their environments to ensure ongoing support and growth well after therapy has ended.
Location
Remote Therapist, Charlotte, 28214, NC