My main desire was to help people and counseling felt like the best place to fill that desire. I am fascinated with the field and enjoy learning about it. I have dealt with mental health challenges of my own in the past and this has created more motivation to help people in their own mental health journey. This is genuinely my passion and I just want to see people get well. I know how hard it can be to experience mental health issues. I want to do everything in my favor to help people through the challenges they face.

I work best with adolescents to people in their middle age. I hope that the clients I see are motivated to a certain degree to work through their challenges. I believe this makes for an optimal therapeutic environment.

Everyone has the opportunity to be seen for who they truly are in the midst of their issues. Mental health can be so isolating and I truly believe that people deserve to have others see them and validate them in the midst of their issues. No one deserves to feel shame because they are dealing with mental health challenges. Therapy is the place to bring your issues into the light and get help.

The first session is about gathering information and filling out necessary paperwork. I believe this is standard for every first session. I just want to understand where the client is and what he/she is dealing with. I then want to identify what their goals are and what a proper treatment plan for them would look like. This would include talking about potential treatment modalities that might fit them. I want to understand what approaches they like and do not like. Changes can always be made though as time goes on. The first couple of sessions are also a way to see if the client and I are a good fit. I understand that sometimes it is beneficial for a client to meet with someone who has different experiences, training, and background than me.

The personal mental health challenges I have faced in my own life help me to relate and empathize with others who are going through challenges themselves. I know how hard it can be. I know how I would want to be treated if I showed up to therapy. I bring this with me when I practice as a therapist. Every client is a unique person who deserves respect and help for whatever they might be going through. I think respect and curiosity go a long way because it allows me to work with a wide variety of people and issues. 

The initial sessions are where I like to gather information and make a treatment plan. This is where I like to tailor therapy to each client's needs. I would talk with the client about certain therapeutic modalities that might be helpful and also get a gauge of what the client is comfortable with. This is a collaborative process. I might make suggestions but I will never force the client to do anything they do not want to do. I want the client to feel a sense of autonomy and control over the direction of counseling sessions. If you don't like certain theories or forms of therapy, then we don't have to use them! Therapy is about you. I am willing to adjust to whatever works for the client.