I am a licensed clinical social worker and have worked in multiple mental health systems for over 25 years. These experiences include: private practice, public & therapeutic schools, wilderness therapy programs, group homes, in-patient psychiatry, partial hospitalization, adventure-teams courses, out-patient community mental health, and residential treatment facilities. I earned my Masters degree in social work at Loyola University of Chicago, I am a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Georgia and a member of the National Association of Social Workers.
I have successfully worked with middle school aged children, adolescents, adults, and families. I use a variety of therapeutic frameworks such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution focused, reality, and experiential approaches to therapy. I look at each person from a strengthens perspective and believe that people are not resistant to change, but that they often need help becoming ready to change or develop a better understanding of why change would benefit them. I place an emphasis on looking at how an individual relates to the environment around them and how they interact within their family. Believing it is important that people drive their own treatment, I help clients identify, understand and change negative behaviors, then work with each client to establish healthy patterns that have positive and lasting impacts on their well-being and everyday life.
When working with teens and young adults, I believe that uncovering social and emotional problems is necessary for the best outcomes. Recognizing that each young person has strengths and the potential to thrive, I place a priority on helping young people develop the skills they need to manage their challenges so that they can succeed in their own way.
Finally, I have also had success with individuals and families that have struggled to connect in traditional therapy settings and who have had challenging or problematic experiences with therapy in the past. My approach is to ask, “How can we do it different this time?” I believe it is important to support clients in driving their own treatment through self-determination.