Welcome
Welcome to Living and Growing Counseling LLC. I am a licensed Clinical Social Worker and offer Telehealth psychotherapy services via a secure HIPPA compliant platform. Before we can work together, it is important for you to know if I am the right therapist for you – and if my professional background helps you with the reason(s) you are starting therapy. Why? Because psychotherapy is a collaborative relationship between client and therapist, so working together with your therapist is key towards improving your emotional well-being. Before you decide to schedule an appointment with me, I am offering you a 15-minute consultation at no cost to you. During this brief consultation, we can talk about what brings you to therapy and your expectations about this process – you will also have an opportunity to learn more about my professional style and my therapeutic approach.
Remember when I said that psychotherapy is a collaborative relationship? My hope is that after our 15 minute consultation, you will have a better sense of who I am and whether my personality and professional experience feel helpful to you – the goal is that you feel encouraged and supported to develop the necessary trust and comfort so you can start your therapy journey!
There is one more thing we need to figure out together, and that is if my training and work experience is right for you. Yes, although I have many years of experience as a therapist – and I absolutely love what I do – there are still many areas where I do not have any expertise! We can talk about my experience and my areas of expertise, so please ask me any questions you think may help you decide if I am the right therapist for you.
If after we complete our initial 15 minute consultation, we decide that we are not a good fit, I still want to help you! How? I will suggest using other directories and/or refer you to a colleague(s) that offers the type of therapy and expertise working with your presenting struggle. Does this sound helpful to you? If so, then I invite you to keep reading and learn more about me and the type of therapy approach I offer.
Why choosing to start Psychotherapy?
Taking care of your emotional health is as important as taking care of your physical health. There are many things you can do to improve your emotional well-being, one of the most effective ways is psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy, or Talk Therapy as is often called, is an amazing resource in helping us find confidence, restore our sense of emotional fulfillment, and improve the quality of our relationships.
We all can benefit from it! Psychotherapy helps us develop and maintain loving, intimate, and nourishing relationships with others. It also helps with managing emotions and reactions to stressful situations and life events, and promotes self-improvement, personal growth, and positive change.
To be effective, psychotherapy needs to be a collaborative relationship between client and therapist, so finding a good match is important! You will thrive when you and your therapist work together towards improving the quality of your emotional well-being.
If you, or someone you care about, experience emotional struggles related to either stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, substance misuse, grief and loss, difficulty with relationships, self-esteem, or adjustment to major life transitions –and despite your efforts to cope with the ups and downs in life, you still find yourself feeling overwhelmed – psychotherapy may help you.
My Clinical Approach:
I work from a Trauma-Informed and Patient-Centered approach. I provide Psychodynamic and Strengths Based Therapy – which is my passion. Psychodynamic therapy is based on the idea that past experiences, particularly childhood experiences, influence our feelings, emotions, and behaviors.
If you are struggling with the long-term effect of trauma, and if it is clinically recommended, I use Eyes Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) –an Evidenced-Based therapy for the treatment of trauma and PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use. Not only is it EMDR scientifically proven to be effective, but it is also fascinating!
I also use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This approach is an evidence-based therapy that focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking patterns that affect our feelings, emotions, and behaviors.
About me:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Pennsylvania and Nevada with over 25 years of experience providing psychotherapy to adults.
I earned my master’s degree in Social Services and Social Research in in 2007 at Bryn Mawr College. I previously obtained a BA degree in Psychology in 1992 and completed a post-grad program in Clinical Psychology in 1995.
I work from a Trauma-Informed and Patient-Centered approach. I completed my training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia. I have been always fascinated and interested in the Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), so in 2020, I completed the EMDR training at the EMDR Institute. My approach is centered on interpersonal relationships, so I love Psychodynamic Strength-Based Therapy – it is my passion as a clinician!
I believe in people and the importance of developing meaningful interpersonal relationships. I value family, friendship, honesty, and transparency. I am bi-lingual in English and Spanish and enjoy working with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
As a person and as a clinician, I am characterized by being warm, kind, and supportive. I have a tireless desire to work for those in need of emotional healing and personal growth. Those who know me describe me as caring, compassionate, understanding, empathic, and highly dedicated to my work. I love animals – they offer us unconditional love and are amazing healers – my favorites are dogs and horses.
I am passionate about teaching and mentoring new clinicians – in addition to my clinical practice, I provide clinical supervision and peer consultation to other clinicians and teach undergraduate students in a Social Work Program.
Vision & Goals
My vision is to continue building a private practice through Online Telemental Health. My goal is to help reduce the stigma that so many experience due to mental and behavioral health issues – we all can help increase awareness of the importance to take care of our mental health issues.
