Starting Line Counseling
Get out of your head and into the life you want to live today!
How many times have you thought...
"Why am I so behind everyone else?!"
"I actually hope I get fired, I can't stand this place!"
"I want to meet people, but can't even say 'hi' to a cashier"
"I'm not in control of my life at all"
"Why don't I know who I am?!"
"I wasted my life, I'll never accomplish anything!"
These thoughts don't have to be true and I can help!
My name's Pat and I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in treating anxiety disorders, OCD, and helping people "figure it all out" through big life changes. I'm fully licensed in New Jersey, where I provide both in person and teletherapy appointments. I'm also licensed in Delaware to provide teletherapy appointments only.
I provide a collaborative and unique treatment approach to help my clients set goals, learn coping skills, challenge anxious thoughts, communicate effectively, and connect with their goals and values. Most of my clients have described me as warm, humorous, and personable.
I draw from a variety of evidenced based treatment approaches, meaning the strategies I use in therapy have been proven effective. Throughout treatment I review plans and monitor symptoms, to make sure we're on the same page treatment wise and making progress! I also help all my clients keep progress going outside of the therapy office by collaboratively creating between session "life work" exercises, to make change happen in your daily life!
Overcome Your OCD and Anxiety
I utilize interventions from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure therapy, and integrate mindfulness based strategies into my treatment. In my anxiety work I help my clients challenge anxious thoughts, learn coping strategies, and stand up to their anxiety to live life on their terms.
Exposure and response prevention is the gold standard for OCD treatment. During this process we'll identify obsessive thoughts, create exposure exercises, and learn first hand that we don't have to give in to our thoughts. Exposure work can be frightening and challenging, that's why I strive to meet my clients where they're at and go at their own pace. The challenge is well worth it!
I offer both virtual and in-person sessions. I'm in network with a variety of insurances, can help with utilizing out of network benefits, and accept private pay clients. My rate is $150 for individual sessions.
Start Feeling Like You're on the Right Track
Maybe you're about to graduate college and you just realized you have no idea what you want to do with your degree, maybe you've started that dream job and feel like your dreams quickly became a nightmare, or maybe you have no idea who you are and where you want to go in life. This is an all too common occurrence that leads people to feeling stuck, depressed, and anxious about their future.
Part of my work is helping you learn ways to manage stress, figure out life goals and what's important to you, and connect you to yourself. You'll also learn how to effectively communicate with others and build relationships. I'm not an expert in your life, but I am an expert at helping you discover and understand your life!
Through our work together, we can get you to a place where you know what you want to go in life, how to get there, and where you feel excited to wake up and start your day!
Therapy Can Help You
While I can't make any promises about treatment outcomes, my clients usually leave therapy with:
• A better understanding of themselves, their goals, and concrete ways to reach their goals
• Freedom from acting on compulsive behavior
• Feeling less anxious, more confident, and better able to cope when anxiety does pop up in their lives
• Feeling better about themselves overall
• Skills and insights needed to create lasting relationships and to navigate challenging situations with others