Children, Adolescents and Adults Counselor
About the Counselor:
I am a trained psychotherapist with several years of clinical experience. I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, and families in outpatient and residential mental health facilities. I specialize in working with children, adults, and families experiencing various mental health stressors. My work is focused on building upon strengths and accessing your true authentic Self to promote healing and change.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Nationally Certified Counselor and a member of the American Counseling Association, I am dedicated to delivering the highest quality of care to my clients. I also continue learning about the latest treatments and incorporating new modalities into my practice.
Children & Teens Therapy:
- Are you worried about your child’s or teenager’s choices?
- Are you concerned that your teen is unhappy or stressed about school? Do you worry that he/she is struggling with perfectionism and is too anxious with performance and overachieving? Or quiet the opposite, do you worry your child is falling behind and not able to focus?
- Are you concern about your child’s capacity to handle emotions or behaviors around other kids? Do you worry that your teen doesn’t have friends, has trouble keeping friends, or is hanging out with the wrong crowd?
- Or, your teen may be in the throes of high-risk behaviors (substance use/abuse, promiscuity, sexting, cutting, etc.)?
- Have your child or teen been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, depression or not but you suspect something isn’t right?
Parenting isn’t the easiest task, especially during these times.
Children and teens are facing different and new challenging everyday. So, for a parent can be difficult to navigate new issues and circumstances that didn’t even exist a while ago, and that continue to constantly change. This is where I come it. To help your child to sort out his/her emotions and help them build skills for a better present and future.
Sometimes it’s hard to sort out what is typical developmental kid or teen behavior from worrisome behavior.
While your child’s brain develops, there can be difficult times navigating his/her emotions, yours and, everything else. Learning and growing everyday can be a lot. However, making sure each stage of development is healthily completed (Erickson), is an important step for a healthy functional adult lately.
Feelings of isolation, sadness and hidden anxieties are normal part of adolescence, even when teens have a great support system. The beginning of developing and identity while beginning to face the world, can be daunting and create a lot of feelings that might be hard to process on their own or even with you. Teens sometimes might feel a little bit more open and comfortable with a counselor than with a parent and, it is not necessarily because your relationship is strained or anything. Or, if that is the case, counseling can hep with that too.
I can help your child/teen whether it is navigating school pressures, peer issues, feelings of depression and anxiety, anger issues, shifting family situations or something else.
I specialized in ADHD and helping with children in the Autism Spectrum. Moreover, I provide individualized counseling tailored to each kid and family situation. I balance your teen’s growing need for independence with the support that he/she might need. Using creative and empathic ways, I help them process past painful experiences that might be affecting their present. I help them to build their own inner strengths and capacity to reach out for resources, so they can better face life in the future.
I use a combination of talk therapy, mindfulness activities, sand tray, play therapy and expressive therapies techniques to connect with their world. When working with children, I find them to be most beneficial. Play is a child’s language of self-expression that helps them to express emotions, experiences, and achieve goals.
We know that therapy can be crucial for children and teens when they are going through a particularly rough time. The sooner he/she receives help, the better. I will work hard to build a solid relationship with your child or teen, while also involving you in a way that gives your child their space, but also gives you some peace of mind.
Adults Counseling:
Sometimes life’s challenges become overwhelming. I am passionate about helping others and empowering my clients through any difficulties that life might present. My Adults Counseling starts by providing a safe, non-judgmental space for each of my clients. As a therapist, I take pride in my ability to form a therapeutic connection with my clients through Adults Counseling.
I like to work with people that have gone through difficult experiences as well as people that might not be able to point out what is wrong but have the courage and desire to reach out so they can be their best selves. Therefore, I trained in a variety of modalities that can help people heal from the inside out and, get in touch with their true selves so they can live more authentic and happier lives. Regardless of the situation, I believe people are capable of healing and change. I am here and my Adults Counseling for you, whichever your journey is.
Adulthood is the time when big decisions and transitions about career and relationships happen. I am also a relational person by nature. So, helping people through Adults Counseling that improve their relationships with themselves and others is one of my passions during this important time in life.
My Counseling Education:
My education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling and a Masters of Art in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marymount University. I use a variety of therapeutic approaches. My toolbox includes Internal Family Systems, Attachment Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Mindfulness based practices. I have expertise and knowledge in treating a variety of issues.
Some of these areas include:
• Anxiety
• Trauma (Complex PTSD or Developmental Trauma)
• Mood Disorders
• Relationship difficulties
• Work stress and challenges
• Life transitions
• Grief and Loss
• Women’s issues
• Perfectionism
• Addictions recovery
• Autism Spectrum
• ADHD
My Personal Journey:
I was born and raised in small-town Pennsylvania but decided to take a leap of faith and move to the city for grad school. Although at times I miss living in a small town, I have grown to love the Northern Virginia area! In my free time, I enjoy spending quality time with my friends and family, doing outdoor activities and playing/listening to music. I too have experienced life struggles that led me to seek out my own personal counseling. I believe my experience has helped me to have empathy and compassion for others as well as a better understanding of how challenging it can be to seek counseling.
My goal is to build meaningful relationships with clients in the therapeutic process and journey. So, I will work with you as an individual adult self, your child, or your family to collaboratively identify goals and determine how to best achieve them. We are all capable of self-healing and change and I am here to help you with this.
