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4 therapists available in Philadelphia
I am committed to ongoing professional development and supporting individuals affected by mental health issues, as well as their f...
About
I am committed to ongoing professional development and supporting individuals affected by mental health issues, as well as their families and loved ones.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 5 years of experience helping children, adolescents, and young adults navigate life’s challenges. I specialize in supporting individuals through career transitions, relationship struggles, dual diagnoses, and personal growth. My own journey of healing and self-discovery has shaped how I guide others today. I believe the best teachers are often those who were once students of their own healing.
I earned my Master’s in Psychology from Holy Family University. I take a collaborative, solution-focused approach, working with clients to identify strengths, address barriers, and set goals that lead to meaningful, lasting progress.
I provide a judgment-free space where you can feel supported in exploring your goals. Together, we will work through challenges, past traumas, or obstacles that may hold you back. My goal is to help you get to the place where you see and feel your best self.
Education and training
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As a queer therapist working from a trauma informed and social justice lens, I understand the importance of how our life experienc...
As a queer therapist working from a trauma informed and social justice lens, I understand the importance of how our life experiences and current contexts deeply impact our mental health experiences.
Nicole Lyman (she/they) is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor with 2 years of experience working with young adults, adults, and seniors. Nicole seeks to explore strengths and personalized goals to cope more effectively with life's challenges as well as move towards resilience and growth. Nicole's ideal clients experience a range of issues, often rooted in chronic stress or trauma, including anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, life transitions, trauma/PTSD, relationships, self-esteem, or grief. They also have experience working with clients identifying as LGBT+ and individuals assigned female at birth who are neurodivergent.
Nicole earned a Master’s in Counseling Education from Temple University. They help clients normalize their experiences and circumstances through examining the impact of life experiences and relational dynamics on daily functions and self-image. Nicole helps individuals gain insight into their behaviors and somatic symptoms.
The first step in growth is accepting the need for change and growth. Nicole will help clients learn more about themselves as well as make the changes they are looking for in a safe and nonjudgmental relationship. If a mindful and socially aware counseling relationship feels like a good fit for you, reach out to meet with Nicole.
I have 30 years of experience in various forms of therapy and am open to using any therapeutic techniques that would help....
I have 30 years of experience in various forms of therapy and am open to using any therapeutic techniques that would help.
MaryAlyce Rensa is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Pennsylvania, who has 30 years of experience counseling adults, teens, and children seeking help with anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and trauma.
MaryAlyce completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of MD, University College, and received her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Towson University in Towson, MD. She utilizes cognitive behavior approaches including rational emotive behavior therapy and other strength-based, collaborative, and solution-focused approaches. MaryAlyce specializes in the creative use of games, art, and music for helping clients to develop insight into their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, and she is flexible in doing “whatever works” to best meet the needs of her clients.
MaryAlyce often gives homework on self-help activities and encourages participation in the therapeutic activities in sessions. She seeks to establish an open-minded, warm, honest, and caring relationship with you in order to assist in helping you learn to cope with your feelings in healthier ways, to understand and adjust your thoughts to improve your self-esteem and confidence, to build problem-solving skills so you can better help yourself in your life long goals.
Mark is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who works out of an office in Philadelphia, and holds licenses in both Pennsylvania an...
Mark is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who works out of an office in Philadelphia, and holds licenses in both Pennsylvania and California. He has 20 years of experience helping children, adults, and families work through challenges that impact their health and happiness. He spent much of his career working at a nonprofit agency that continues to serve trauma impacted children and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was through this work that Mark grew to understand both the grave impact of trauma and the healing power of psychotherapy. Mark works from a variety of therapies to best match an individual's needs. Some of these include cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, and gestalt therapy. He also has subspecialties in parent training, behavioral intervention instruction, and play therapies. Regardless of the therapeutic orientation, he believes enriching an individual’s personal story is the key to change. When people can author strength based personal narratives, they are able to find the strength to overcome their doubts, fears, and worry. Mark believes every person carries within them the power to change and heal. He seeks to help individuals access this power through a safe, comforting, and expressive experience.
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When working with individuals with a history of trauma and trauma symptoms, I start with a comprehensive assessment. I explain to the client that working through trauma can be difficult; however, I help them understand that the therapeutic process will go at their pace when they are ready. During the intake, I make sure that the client doesn't go too much into the details of the trauma in order to preserve a sense of containment and safety. I use primarily trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and narrative therapy approaches to help the client reprocess their traumatic memories to work toward desensitization. I like to give the analogy of watching a scary movie. During the first viewing, the movie is frightening. With each subsequent watch, the intensity of the movie diminishes. Providing psychoeducation regarding trauma is an important part of the process, as it helps the client better understand and normalize their experience of trauma and then take the emotional risks necessary to reprocess their trauma.
Some of the tools I introduce include:
I know a client is making meaningful progress when they are consistently meeting therapeutic goals and objectives. For trauma-related conditions, goals and objectives are usually based on trauma symptoms such as “re-experiencing,” hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, or fear/avoidance of certain situations.
Skill integration is an integral part of recovery. Practicing skills learned in session in real time helps a client more effectively manage and tolerate trauma symptoms.
To prepare for their first PTSD/trauma therapy session, someone can take comfort in knowing that a trained trauma therapist will ease them into the process and allow the client to dictate the pace of trauma work.
At Thriveworks, Trauma/PTSD therapy involves dedicated efforts to address and navigate through past and/or recent traumatic events. Therapists specializing in trauma create a secure environment to process and heal from these experiences, aiming to reduce trauma-related symptoms and enhance overall quality of life.
Our Thriveworks providers use Trauma/PTSD therapy treatments like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing EMDR, CBT, and exposure therapy with the goal of helping clients process the traumatic events they have experienced so that they can to start feeling safe and secure again.
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can vary but often include:
The best way to overcome PTSD triggers is to seek the assistance of a professional therapist, such as those at Thriveworks, who can help you to understand and treat your PTSD triggers.
In most cases, a therapist who specializes in Trauma/PTSD therapy is the best type of mental health professional to address the symptoms of PTSD.
PTSD/trauma therapy at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
If a client is working through a single traumatic event that occurred as an adult, trauma or PTSD therapy may only take a few months, but in general, it can take a year or more to effectively treat trauma symptoms and PTSD. The duration of treatment is highly dependent on the client and the severity of their symptoms.
The success rate of therapy for PTSD depends entirely on the individual’s symptoms, commitment to attending sessions, and personal abilities.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Philadelphia is off of Ludlow Street and S 40th Street. We are near Smoke Shop Convenience and Locust Moon Comics.
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