Child, Teen, Family and Adult Therapist
"You're both the water and the fire that extinguishes it. You're the narrator, protagonist, and the sidekick. You're the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody's something, but you are also your you."- John Green.
Green's quote is a strong representation of both my therapeutic approach and personal philosophy. Life is unpredictable. We don't always have the level of control we wish to, and when we feel out of control, symptoms can develop. Pain often comes from telling ourselves stories about our circumstances and our selves that do not capture our power to choose and build skills to navigate the ups and downs of life . I focus on helping children, teens, and adults re-write their stories from the perspective of resilience, while helping build meaningful skills to reduce pain.
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The relationship you have with yourself is one of the most important relationships you will foster in this life --and it starts in the littlest children. My ultimate goal is for my patients and their families to leave therapy empowered to write their own stories and protect their resilience as they navigate the plot-twists of life. I have a strong passion for, and experience with, the assessment and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. My dissertation title is "The Ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Young Adults with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)."
I strive to meet children and families where they are at. The research is clear that the most efficacious work with children is done utilizing a team-based approach. The incorporation of parents/guardians in the clinical space is paramount to a child's recovery and overall development. We each have something valuable to contribute. Like all therapists at AMANI, there will also be a lot of skills training to address the weak points in child, parent, and family functioning, particularly parental responses to child emotions, behaviors, struggles, and symptoms. We’ll collaborate and work as a team through your journey to feeling and functioning better.
I prioritize utilizing evidence-based approaches as these approaches consistently relieve symptoms. I tailor the treatment modality to you (or your child) by using a number of different approaches. My work is founded upon Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Play Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. I understand there is not a one size fits all approach in regard to treating mental health concerns. I work diligently and collaboratively with children and families to utilize a modality which will most appropriately address the symptoms their child presents to therapy with. I love working with children and adolescents because therapy can create profound positive change as their experiences and their inner worlds shape them. It's the biggest privilege to walk alongside them as they navigate the complexities of life and find their way to relationships and themselves. I enjoy the challenge and creativity that comes from taking evidence-based practices and adapting them to meet a child's developmental level.
My career has focused on my love of helping children grow and heal in many different types of settings and levels of acuity. I have worked with children in an inpatient behavioral health hospital setting, community mental health center, and an outpatient children's hospital. I choose AMANI for my Post-Doctoral Fellowship due to AMANI's extensive focus on helping and supporting children and their families, both in local communities and internationally.
Let's make sense of how things became difficult and I'll provide an active, results-oriented approach regardless of which type of pain you or your child are in. At AMANI, we want to do something about the symptoms, not only talk about them. I thoughtfully integrate evidence-based treatments to help reduce your symptoms as quickly as possible.
Give me a call. Let's get everyone feeling better.
I am completing my Post-Doctoral Fellowship at AMANI. I have completed both my Master's Degree and Doctorate degree from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at National Lewis University with a specialty in pediatric psychology. I will be a pre-licensed therapist at AMANI through August 2027 and am actively pursuing licensure. I am supervised by the Supervisor Team at AMANI: Dr. Laura Daniels, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Nikki Massey-Hastings, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, HSP, PMH-C, Dr. Mary Collins, PhD, LCPC, and Amanda Owen, MA, LCPC. I graduated with my Psy.D. from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at National Louis University with a specialty in pediatric psychology.
***At AMANI Clinical Services, all child and family therapists are trained extensively on Dr. Hastings’ Harmonizing Your Home Program and use it as the foundation for treatment. Harmonizing Your Home Program©2012 is a combination of several of the most effective transdiagnostic child/family treatments available into a unique program. It has been consistently successful at reducing damaging child behavior and symptomatology (anxiety symptoms, physical aggression, verbal aggression, compulsions, defiant and oppositional behavior, school refusal, tantrums, etc.) by 90 percent at the 2 week post-launch mark. The increase in safety creates a foundation to build healthier, more fulfilling family bonds. Positive family interactions effectively reduce symptoms. Progress made is resistant to relapse. Response to treatment is individualized and not guaranteed. Families with the best outcomes had motivated parents. We work with families every day who are experiencing real, lasting change and increasing peace-making and peace-keeping in their families. ***