Asking for help is hard…admitting to yourself that you need help is even harder. I know. I’ve been in many dark, cold and scary places in my life and admitting that you are wounded and need help is a very real battle that so many people choose to ignore. The alternative is to “suck it up” and “press on” and “suffer in silence” …or at least at a volume that won’t disturb others.
Is there something that you’re avoiding or thinking about how to navigate? How to plan? How to tell? How to let go and say goodbye? Or how to say hello? Life is anything but predictable, and for many of us, living on auto-pilot can seem like a good option, until it’s not.
I challenge people to switch off auto-pilot, to be an active participant in their thoughts, feelings and perceptions as opposed being a passive observer watching life go by. I challenge people to actively engage their thoughts, feelings and perceptions, to ask hard questions, test assumptions and then summon the courage and gather the strength needed to judge their thoughts, feelings and perceptions and change them into something new.
The Bible provides some great insight into the therapeutic process in a very simple way. Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” I believe there is profound wisdom in that very simple verse. My role in helping individuals over the past 10 years has been to provide a safe and secure environment where individuals can begin to “examine” their ways, their thoughts, their feelings, opinion, assumptions and beliefs. The examination process is critical to understanding the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of any particular issue or challenge. Furthermore, the therapeutic environment I provide is a place where we “test” or challenge those thoughts, feeling, opinions, assumptions and beliefs and where you are given the opportunity to decide what action steps you want to take.
Therapy can be challenging. It is my joy to engage with individuals who are ready, willing and able to take the necessary steps to improve the quality of their lives. Reflection and problem analysis has its place and is important, however, clear and decisive action is what is required to create momentum towards change and learning to be patient with the process of change is the key to lasting change.
Lastly, I believe that your perspective greatly influences your confidence and ability to embrace personal change. Transformational power resides not in assigning blame, but in assuming responsibility. You need to be willing, ready and able to make the hard decisions necessary to courageously face that which you may have been running from. When the storms of life come and confusion hovers around you like a fog, correcting the course of your life can be a frightening and challenging task. My role is to help you make some course corrections in your life, so you can get to where you want to be.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Anger Management Treatment Specialist as well as a Certified Facilitator for Prepare/Enrich Ministry (Marriage Preparation). I specialize in all forms of addiction-related issues and subsequent problems (stress and anger control issues, conflict resolution challenges, trust and reconciliation difficulties etc.). I have been in the helping and service field for nearly 10 years, serving in a variety of capacities from clinical administration, supervision and mentoring to direct clinical psychotherapy serving non-profit organizations, correctional settings (Department of Corrections and County Jail) along with private practice, and currently with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
There is hope are you ready to get to work?
Additional areas of focus: Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Attachment issues, Blended family issues, Chronic pain, illness, and disability, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Divorce and separation, Drug and alcohol addiction, Eating and food-related issues, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Veteran and Armed Forces Issues, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders, Post-traumatic stress, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Self-love, Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
FL LCSW SW12912