Telehealth therapy · Anywhere in Florida
Therapy for Serious Mental Illness
A diagnosis can describe something you experience. It does not get to describe everything you are.
- Florida LCSW, license SW27230
- Secure video sessions
- In network through Headway
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More than a diagnosis
My background includes extensive work with serious and persistent mental illness in community mental health and outpatient psychiatry.
That includes people living with schizophrenia, psychosis, bipolar disorder, severe depression, co-occurring substance use, complex trauma, and conditions that do not fit neatly into one box.
People with serious mental illness are sometimes treated as though every conversation needs to revolve around symptoms.
I do not think that is particularly useful.
This is where my clinical social work background becomes particularly important.
Symptoms matter. So does
- Relationships
- Housing
- Sleep
- Medication access
- Work
- Loneliness
- Transportation
- Identity
- Having something in your life that is actually worth recovering for
What it can look like
Therapy for psychosis is not an argument about reality
If someone is hearing voices, experiencing paranoia, or having unusual beliefs, therapy does not need to become an endless debate about whether I can convince them they are wrong.
That tends not to build much trust.
Instead, we can look at questions such as:
- What is the experience like for you?
- How distressing is it?
- When does it get stronger?
- What happens when you are not sleeping?
- Does stress affect it?
- What makes functioning harder?
- What helps you feel safer?
- How is this affecting relationships, school, work, or daily life?
- Are there ways of responding that make the experience less disruptive?
Psychotherapy used in the treatment of psychosis can include cognitive and behavioral strategies, coping skills, resilience building, psychoeducation, recovery goals, family support, and coordination with other providers.
For early psychosis in particular, evidence supports coordinated specialty care involving psychotherapy, medication management, case management, family support, and education or employment assistance.
One therapist working alone is not supposed to replace an entire treatment team.
Bipolar disorder is more than mood swings
Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression and mania or hypomania that represent meaningful changes from someone’s usual functioning.
Therapy can support people with bipolar disorder by helping them understand their individual patterns, recognize early warning signs, maintain routines, address sleep, manage stress, work through the consequences of mood episodes, improve relationships, and make plans for maintaining stability.
Medication is often an important part of treatment for bipolar disorder.
I do not prescribe medication, but I have spent much of my career working alongside psychiatric providers and can coordinate care when appropriate and authorized.
For the depression side of things, the depression therapy page goes deeper.
How therapy can help
Recovery does not have to mean “never having symptoms again”
For some people, recovery means symptom remission. For someone else it may mean:
- Fewer hospitalizations
- Working again
- Going back to school
- Repairing a relationship
- Living more independently
- Using substances less
- Taking medication consistently
- Learning what tends to happen before a crisis
- Or simply getting through a rough period without losing everything they worked to build
Treatment works better when your goals matter too.
How I approach it
Care coordination
This is one of the places where my background differs from therapists who have worked exclusively in traditional private practice.
With your permission, therapy can be one part of a larger treatment system rather than another disconnected appointment. I provide the therapy. Medication and prescribing stay with your medical providers.
My Experience has the details, from community mental health to outpatient psychiatry.
I have experience collaborating with
- Psychiatrists
- Psychiatric nurse practitioners
- Primary care providers
- Case managers
- Hospitals
- Community mental health programs
- Substance use services
- Social service organizations
What therapy with me does and does not look like
When outpatient therapy may not be enough
Outpatient telehealth therapy is not the right level of care for every situation.
Someone experiencing an acute psychiatric emergency, significant inability to care for themselves, severe intoxication or withdrawal, or immediate safety concerns may need crisis services, hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, residential care, or another higher level of support.
Recognizing that is not failure.
It is matching care to what is actually happening.
If you are thinking about suicide
You are not alone, and help is available right now. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. This website and my phone line are not monitored around the clock.
Before you book
Common questions
A few things people often ask. There are more answers on the FAQ page.
Yes, when outpatient therapy is clinically appropriate.
The focus depends on what you are experiencing, how much distress it causes, your goals, and what other treatment and support you already have.
No.
Psychotherapy and psychiatric medication management are different services.
I can collaborate with your psychiatric provider with appropriate authorization.
Psychotherapy can be useful as part of treatment for bipolar disorder, particularly for understanding patterns, coping, routines, relationships, stress management, and relapse prevention.
Psychiatric hospitalization does not automatically make someone inappropriate for outpatient therapy.
We look at what is happening now and what level of support you currently need.
Ready when you are
You can book a time on my Headway profile, where you can also check your insurance coverage. Questions first? Call 754.400.0824 or send me a message. The Insurance page has the plans I accept.
Want to nerd out on the research?
You absolutely do not need to read research papers to come to therapy. But if you are the kind of person who wants to know where this stuff comes from, here are a few good places to start.
- Schizophrenia National Institute of Mental Health
- Bipolar Disorder National Institute of Mental Health
- Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis (RAISE) National Institute of Mental Health
This website is not for emergencies. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.