About Therapy
You know things aren’t right…
… and it’s time for a change. But you just feel “stuck” and “lost.”
Dissatisfaction in your relationships.
Maybe you’re fighting an internal battle within yourself.
You aren’t alone. The typical client that comes for therapy feels just like you – resourceful, goal-oriented, and open-minded. But they need guidance on getting past a situation or troubling memory.
The typical client is an entrepreneur, a director, manager/supervisor, a blue-collar employee, or even a student.
Therapy is a personal journey of self-discovery.
We have within us the ability to heal ourselves and move past our pain; but in a world flooded with so much input and advice, we tend to get lost in the chaos. We rely more on other’s advice and opinions and less on our own internal resources.
In therapy, you’ll discover inner strength, and I’ll help bring out this strength so that you can be great.
Utilizing multiple therapeutic approaches, you will find one that connects to you and enable your inner strength to surface.
You are different, so your treatment should be, too.
Not everyone is the same, and not every approach will fit each client.
That’s why I attend yearly seminars and trainings, which keep me up-to-date on proven approaches so that I can provide a unique treatment approach tailored just for you.
In addition to attending yearly seminars for advanced trainings in EMDR, I also follow the research of leading professionals in the field of trauma to incorporate their theories in my work. I study Adaptive Internal Processing and interweave Internal Family Systems and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you better understand your memories and how to alter your thoughts.
In therapy, you will learn that your thoughts influence your emotions…
… your emotions influence your behaviors… your behaviors influence how the world interacts with you – this will strengthen the thought you initially had. So, if you had a negative thought, you will have a negative emotion. This negative emotion will influence a negative behavior, and others will interact with you in a negative way that will confirm your negative thought – and the cycle continues.
These negative thoughts are stored on memory networks in your brain. In general, this network will influence future behaviors that will solidify this negative memory network. Therefore, you may feel like you are repeating the same behaviors or experiences.
What strengthens each memory on the network is the emotion, more so than the event or the thought you had. If we can lessen the emotion in the memory, the memory would not be as overwhelming; this would become a re-processed memory. Because it is on a network, the memories linked to the, now, re-processed memory will also change and become less overwhelming.
This phenomenon will continue to the most present memory or trigger (the reason you sought therapy).
You cannot change the memory…
… but you can reset its path to one that is more suitable for you.
Using Internal Family Systems to connect to your older memories, we can interweave Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, and other theories and techniques to help you change the thought, lessen the emotion, and plan for an ideal future. It’s a delicate science of the mind that I have studied in length and practiced for over 10 years.
About Me
Early experiences got me thinking about trauma.
I was born in Brooklyn (East New York) at a time where Crown Heights was a dangerous and dysfunctional place to live. I remember seeing a lot of things that, at the time, felt normal.
But later in my life when I moved to Florida, I realized how those events changed the way I experienced the world around me. The crimes and trauma I had witnessed led me to live in fear.
Without any knowledge of therapy, I personally grappled with that trauma in a way that changed the narrative of my story. I later learned that those techniques I used by instinct were principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Breaking free from confinement of the past…
I learned at an early age that I could help others like myself break through the chains of their past so that they can live a more fulfilling life.
If I could overcome my traumatic past, break from stereotypes, and do what others believed I could not accomplish, then I can help others do the same.
I realized that only I can allow my past to cripple my future; and if I can overcome my past, then I can create a better future for myself. If I can break free from the Ghettos of Brooklyn mentally and physically, then I can help others do the same.
My experiences afforded me the ability to see life through two lenses, which gifted me the ability to better relate to the struggles my clients experience. After all, I am no different from you.
My path to becoming a therapist…
I didn’t have a role model or mentor to help me select my profession. I only had my instincts; when I surrendered to them, it seemed as though everything fell in place.
I chose social work as a major by flipping a coin. I fell in love with it, but it wasn’t enough. I learned that social workers held many titles, including that of psychotherapist.
I decided to explore that specialty further, and it completely spoke to my soul. Faith inspired me to pursue my profession, and love made it my own.
Education and professional experience…
I returned to Brooklyn and received my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Columbia University in New York City. I moved back to Kissimmee, Florida, in 2009 with my growing family to work with the Department of Children and Families and began working as a counselor.
In 2015, I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and began working as a trauma counselor in Orlando’s Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
Since 2009, I have used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as trauma-focused approaches to help many individuals and families overcome the confinement of their painful past (as I had). By becoming trained in renowned approaches such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), I’m able to help clients, like you, break the chains tethering them to their past.
When I’m not doing therapy…
I’m focusing on Self-Care. This includes spending time with my two daughters, being a wife to my wonderful and supportive husband, enjoying time with my friends, and volunteering my time in the community with my Sorority Sisters from Sigma Gamma Rho, Incorporated. I also enjoy strengthening my spirituality and connecting with my spiritual source.
You CAN live a purposeful, fulfilling life!
I have the experience, knowledge, training, and compassion to help you change the narrative of your story – to break the chains that confine you to your past.
It’s time for you to love the reflection staring back at you!
I want to learn more about you and how I can help you live the life you deserve. Call me today: (321) 333-4158