Tag Archives: psychotherapy

New Psychologist Joins Our Group

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Psych Choices welcomes Dr. Karen Glick, who will be seeing clients on Monday and Tuesday afternoon and evening. Dr. Glick tells us, “My approach to therapy is flexible as no two people are the same…even if on the surface they share the same diagnosis! At the same time, it is important to recognize that we all share many of the same life concerns. Together, in therapy, our goal will be your ability to make the best choices possible for your own personal growth and to incorporate the values you treasure into your life.”

Dr. Glick earned her doctorate in psychology (PsyD) from Widener University in 1992. She also completed a post-doctoral certificate in neuropsychology, specializing in psychotherapy with clients who suffered from mild head injuries or strokes. She worked with hospitalized clients at Friends’ Hospital for two years as a general psychologist and also ran a partial day hospital program for older patients with depression or anxiety.

For the past 16 years, Dr. Glick has helped a wide variety of clients with many types of issues: career and education counseling, anxiety reduction, relief from depression, navigating difficult life choices, couples’ therapy, parenting issues, making changes necessary for better health, and dealing with the ultimate issues of aging, mortality, and loss.

David Tomlinson, LCSW, joins Psych Choices team

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We are pleased to welcome David Tomlinson, LCSW to our clinical staff. Dave has 30 years of experience as a therapist. He is especially skilled in working with children and teens, families, and people who have experienced traumatic events or losses.

He says of his work, ” I have learned that I do not know everything, and I certainly do not know my clients as well as they know themselves. I try to respect my clients as equal partners in finding solutions to the problems they believe are important.
I believe that everyone alive has problems of some kind, but the secret to self confidence is being very clear that we are not our problems, and our problems are not us. My approach encourages more “solution talk” in therapy, and less “problem talk.” Nevertheless, most people want to have their problems heard and understood, so the basis of the therapeutic relationship is unconditional acceptance, empathy and compassion.”

Mr. Tomlinson’s approach to therapy utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and mindfulness techniques.

He will be seeing clients at Psych Choices on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings, and eventually on weekends.

Vanessa Walker, LSW Joins Our Clinical Staff

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Psych Choices of the Delaware Valley is pleased to welcome to our team Ms. Vanessa Walker, LSW, psychotherapist. Ms. Walker, a licensed social worker who works full time as a drug and alcohol educator, is currently completing her requirements to earn licensing as a Clinical Social Worker. She is available to see clients here at Psych Choices on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and will soon offer weekend hours as well.

 
We are especially pleased that she is able to offer her services at a lower, sliding-scale rate for those without insurance, or those who cannot afford their high insurance co-pays.
Ms. Walker especially loves working with teens and young adults on issues of relationship dysfunction, parenting young children, adolescent behavior problems, and life transitions, among other issues.

 
Ms Walker holds a master’s degree in Law and Social Policy from Bryn Mawr College (August 2011) as well as a master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Widener University (2008). Her bachelor’s degree in social work was earned at Temple University in 2005. She also holds certificates in Drug & Alcohol Counseling (Villanova University, 2009) and School-Based Crisis Response (2007). She is a member of the National Association of Black Social Workers and the Bryn Mawr College Black Student Alumni Association.

 
She states: “It is my belief that we cannot achieve our full potential based on self-reliance, it takes a cast of characters to bringing in fresh ideas and resources to achieve a goal. I am incredibly humbled every time I get to work with people on their life goals and aspirations by helping them identify the barriers and work towards solutions.

 
“As a licensed social worker, I have worked extensively in the field of drug and alcohol prevention, education, and counseling. I have also served as a caseworker with families at risk, providing crisis counseling and in-home counseling to help families stabilize.
“I currently work full time providing community based drug and alcohol education, while offering my services as a part time therapist at Psych Choices. My hours include late afternoons, evenings and weekends.

 
“Because I am still completing my training as a Clinical Social Worker, I receive ongoing clinical supervision from a very experienced psychotherapist who is a licensed clinical social worker. My supervisor is someone I can turn to collaborate with the most challenging cases, and my studies with him enhance my effectiveness as a therapist.
“At present, I am not able to accept health insurance. However, I do offer my services on an affordable sliding fee scale basis. Please contact the office for more information.”

How Psychotherapy Can Help

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by Nate Prentice, LCSW and Emily Kahn-Freedman, LMFT

If you are reading this, it is probably because someone suggested that you may benefit from talking with someone about what is bothering you.  Perhaps you have tried other avenues, including medication, but feel stuck and are interested in exploring other options.  How can “just talking” be helpful?

In scientific studies, we’ve learned that for many mental health concerns, psychotherapy is just as effective as medication alone in reducing people’s symptoms.  We’ve also found that anxiety and depression respond even better to a combination of medication and psychotherapy, than to medication or psychotherapy alone. Why is this?

Many people do get a sense of relief from taking medication. However, without a skill set for dealing with underlying issues, the symptoms may continue or recur. In addition, some people may have tried ways of coping that create their own problems, such as substance abuse, yelling at family members, workaholism, etc. Psychotherapy can help people learn more effective strategies.  If you are computer-savvy, you may understand it this way: Medication helps with the hardware.  But therapy helps with the software!

How do you choose a psychotherapist? There are several kinds of professionals trained to do psychotherapy. These include psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, and marriage & family therapists, among others. The specific degree a person has may be less important than how experienced and skilled they are, and how comfortable you feel with them.

What is a typical psychotherapy session like? Gone are the days of lying on the couch. Today the sessions are usually held face to face.  In the first session you may be asked a number of questions to help the therapist understand your issues and what outside influences are impacting on your issues. During or after that session, a plan for addressing these issues will be created.

Therapy sessions will then focus on how you are coping with your issues, as well as reasons why you have the issues.  Some therapists will be more concerned than others with helping you explore “why” you have a problem. When I work with people who are desperate to find the root of a problem, they often end up in “analysis paralysis” because just knowing the root of a problem doesn’t always solve the problem.  You may need to learn how to put out the fire before you try poking in the embers!

If you’re not sure whether therapy can be helpful, it may make sense to speak with a therapist once or twice just to see how it feels and what you think.  Many people “shop” for a little while, trying a session or two with several different therapists until they find the right fit.  If you’d like to make an appointment with one of the professionals at Psych Choices, just call our office at 610-626-8085 and press Extension 205 to speak to our intake coordinator.