Hello! My name is Leo and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been working with clients for the past decade. My roots are in Community Social Work, helping at-risk populations navigate systems and build skills that allow them to integrate into the larger community. I like to think this work made me the therapist I am today, casual and engaging, while also being able to support with a wide array of concerns. There is not much I haven’t seen!
While the first few sessions typically center around getting to know each other, completing assessments and planning our goals, as we move forward into the therapeutic process, I can best be defined as eclectic. I love learning new styles and interventions and actively incorporate them into my practice. I use modalities such as Internal Family Systems, EMDR, CBT/ACT, and Interpersonal Psychotherapy. However, my main priority is to build our relationship and be able to offer you a perspective or experience you do not get outside of our time together. Lastly, while bias exists in us all, including me, I like to think my experience in the community has helped me to be open to different value systems, and given me skills in building acceptance of anyone.
Primarily, I like to help the clients get to know themselves a little better. I often end with homework to offer reflections towards this goal. Although, there are goals and times where it is necessary to be more concrete. I work with each client individually to identify their needs and be able to offer them what will ultimately support their goal the best. Basically, I love to abstract with clients, and work with metaphors to help clients gain new insights into their barriers, however, by the end of most sessions, I try to bring it back down to Earth to offer concrete steps they can put into action.
