About Me
In my childhood, I had the privilege to live in many different parts of the country before my family settled in Northern Illinois, where I have lived for the past decade. I am no stranger to change, and both the negative and positive impacts it can have on a person’s life. I earned my Bachelor of Social Work degree from Aurora University, obtaining my Masters in Social Work the following year in 2019. I pursued social work because I believe in helping individuals while also addressing the environment and systems around them.
My desire to help others began in high school, when I volunteered to tutor children at a homeless shelter. This awakened my passion for helping others and shaped the social justice lens that has been definitive in my work. This experience informed my later training in working with adults with chronic, severe, and persistent mental illness who lived in a residential facility. The clients I worked with there had often experienced chronic homelessness and illness while battling severe disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, and other mood disorders. During my work there, I provided on-site support, individual counseling, and crisis intervention.
That opportunity inspired me to explore my passions in both clinical and community work. It was then that I was able to facilitate change in a proactive manner to help individuals make pertinent changes before their struggles became chronic or debilitating. For the next three years my focus was treating children (ages 5 and older) and families who were experiencing behavioral issues or symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma, and general life stressors. In addition to that, I worked closely with individuals experiencing poverty. I coordinated resources, provided individual counseling, and family support services.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I understand that each person has a different story and many complexities that make them who they are. My clinical approach includes examining a person’s life from a systems perspective to identify all the factors influencing the individual. I believe in using my empathic and sensitive nature to help clients understand their inner-self and how that shapes their life, while teaching them to empower themselves along the way. Above all, I prioritize creating a safe and comfortable environment, where clients can set their own limits and explore at their pace.
Areas of Specialty
My clinical focus includes treating children, adolescents, families, and young adults. I employ a person-centered and strengths based approach with all clients. My therapeutic approach is collaborative, inclusive, and largely involves meeting clients where they are at to help develop a greater sense of peace and improve their quality of life. I utilize various evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused, and Play Therapy. I have specific experience in treating Depressive Disorders, Anxiety, ADHD, and behavioral issues.
In addition to the specializations listed above, I also provide services in:
-Families
-Life Transitions
-Work or Relationship, or Stress
-Time Management, Organization, and Life Skills
