Tiyana Whitehead

I provide virtual mental health counseling to teens and adults needing to unpack, resolve, or explore their emotions in relationships, navigating the impact of cultural events that affect the individual directly or indirectly, addressing low or negative mood states, implementing boundaries, processing traumatic events, improving distress tolerance, addressing challenging family relationships and experiences, understanding and managing low self-esteem, addressing  avoidance and procrastination, and managing stress and impulsive behaviors and more. My previous work experiences have allowed me to work with children in a high acute setting who needed help in processing their emotions and regulating their behaviors due to traumatic experiences. These experiences have taught me that each person will react differently to stress and distress; client has their own unique story and needs their own method to heal. 

 

My clients are often looking for ways to accept or address past, ongoing or future stress and distress and be able to move forward with a clear mindset. I work to help clients reach their goals by implementing coping strategies that help with maladaptive thoughts and avoidant behaviors. I implement these coping strategies into their daily lives so that they will be able to continuously use them in stressful situations. I aim to have my clients feel comfortable in expressing their feelings and be confident in communicating their emotions with others. Clients may see a gradual decrease in their impulsive behaviors, maladaptive thoughts, and avoidant behaviors once finding their coping skill . Throughout this process my clients will be able adapt their social skills and to build upon their current and new relationships. The process will take time and patience as you are processing pieces of yourself that you may not initially be aware or comfortable with. By the end of the process you will be able to regulate your emotions and react in a way that fits your desired goals.

 

My main modalities of interest with clients involve acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness techniques, and emotion focused therapy. Mindfulness techniques to help clients regulate their emotions and thoughts. Mindfulness techniques focus on the present moment and can help people who struggle with anxiety. Emotion-focused therapy is beneficial by helping clients understand their feelings and change their emotional patterns. This strategy is often used with couples or families. Acceptance and commitment therapy may be used to help my clients in accepting difficult feelings and commit to goals that align with their personal values. This technique is used with trauma patients to help clients process their guilt, shame, or grief. These techniques interest me the most for they involve the client learning and exploring different depths of their identity, background, culture, and values.

 

In sessions, clients find me to be a inquisitive, engaged, calming presence that brings compassion and a warm presence. My clients view me as a peaceful environment to explore their identity and underlying emotions.  I am direct with my approach in helping clients reach their goals by breaking down their wants and needs and implementing a specific plan based on their needs and skill set. My approach to clients is flexible; my sessions will adapt to my client's needs and their comfort levels. I may take a more formal or structured approach or my sessions may be informal and flow like a conversation.  I encourage my clients to be their authentic selves and take their time to understand and process their emotions. I give my clients the space to understand and explore their identities by fostering a supportive environment that promotes critical thinking. My intentions are to help my clients be able to understand their feelings and react in a way that will promote positive outcomes.

 

I am pursuing my master's in clinical Mental Health Counseling at Marymount University. I provide treatment, diagnosis, and assessments under supervision.