If you're looking at this website, then you've already come to the decision that you need some help with what is going on in your life. Whether this was an easy decision, or one that took time to come to, you have already made the toughest step. Call, and let me help you from here.
Therapeutic Orientation
I enjoy working with individuals, couples and families. I love working with a large variety of populations for all the reasons that they are different. My background is more general in nature which allows me to use a variety of approaches to help address the reason you're seeking counseling. I do not have one single way of conducting therapy, but rather match it to the presenting concern and the personality of the client themselves, understanding that therapy needs to make sense to the person receiving it. I have found that this commonsense approach to counseling has the best results.
Children
Children and young adolescents are such a wonderful group to work with. Children soak up new information and new ways of approaching situations which helps to quicken their potential growth and lessen troublesome symptoms. Connecting with children through their natural outlets, such as during play, is shown to be an effective way to help them express and resolve bothersome feelings and to promote change.
Teenagers
Teenagers, seen by many to be a difficult population, is one of my favorites. I love their challenging nature and budding independence. Being a teenager is also perhaps one of the most difficult times in a person's life with all the pressures that go along with it. I believe that with the right guidance, done in the right way, teenagers can take charge of and conduct their lives in a positive way.
Adults
I believe working with adults has the added ease of working with someone who for the most part has the answers, but just needs a little help finding them. We build up a lifetime of patterns and behaviors, some good, some not so much, but all that make us our best expert on ourselves. Becoming aware of these patterns and behaviors and finding the tools to do things in a more beneficial way is something we all need help with from time to time.
Couples
Being in a relationship is work, there's no doubt about that. And the day we stop working at it is the day our troubles begin. Whether you're having problems communicating, lack of intimacy, or one or both of you 'fell out of love', let me use my educational as well as personal experience to help you and your significant other rediscover how wonderful your relationship really can be.
Parenting
Having two children myself, my particular interest is in working with parents, whether this be through family therapy, working with an issue their child currently has, or they are just seeking parenting help on their own. My approach to parenting is one of an attachment parenting approach based on attachment theory. Attachment Parenting International states: “The long-range vision of Attachment Parenting is to raise children who will become adults with a highly developed capacity for empathy and connection.” Research supports that parenting practices are most effective when done with positive discipline. Positive discipline is empathetic, loving and respectful discipline that helps a child develop a conscience guided by his or her own internal discipline and compassion for others. It is rooted in a secure, trusting, connected relationship between parent and child.
About Me
I've lived in various parts of Central Pennsylvania and am proud to call it home. I love to take advantage of the variety of outdoor opportunities this area provides, whether it be in the mountains or on the river. Most of my free time is spent playing with my two daughters and spending time with my husband. Family is the priority in my life.
Education and Clinical Training
I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from Bloomsburg University in 2004 and obtained my Master in Social Work degree from Temple University in 2007. After satisfying the necessary requirements, including passing written exams and completing 3,500 hours of supervised work, I received my Clinical License in Social Work in 2009.
I have worked in various settings as a helping professional since 2004 and have experience working with people of all ages. I have been a therapist in a generalist practice since 2007, which means that I have experience with a large variety of conditions including depression, anxiety, anger, stress, relationship conflict and trauma.
Professional Organizations
- American Counseling Association
- Association for Play Therapy
Getting Started
Your first appointment will be mostly spent by me collecting information from you. I can't begin to try to help someone without first getting an understanding of who they are. Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment to complete intake information (i.e. paperwork). If you choose to download and complete the forms in the 'Downloadable Forms' section below, please still arrive 15 minutes early to complete a few additional forms.
*If you are seeking counseling for a child under age 14, I ask that both parents come to the first session if possible. If parents share legal custody, both parents must give consent for me to treat the child. There is a place on the Child Intake for parents to sign for consent to treat.
Payment of your deductible, copay, or full fee if no insurance is used, is expected at time of service. I am an in-network provider for some insurances, and encourage you to call your insurance company to verify they will pay for services performed by me.
Please call me at (570) 523-7509 to arrange an appointment time that will work best for your schedule. For directions and a map to my office, please follow the 'Contact' link at the top of the page.
Downloadable Forms
For your convenience, from this location you can print or read the following:
Resources
- Parenting from the Inside Out
by Dr. Dan Siegel
- Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way
by M. Gary Neuman
- The Second Family
by Dr. Ron Taffel
- Attachment Parenting International at www.attachmentparenting.org
- National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at www.aacap.org
- The Whole Brain Child by Dr. Dan Siegel
- The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
