Tracey Pearson-Heaney

I opened my practice after gaining experience working as a therapist providing substance abuse and mental health therapy. My first experience providing therapy was while working at a correctional center providing substance abuse treatment. I went on to gain experience as an adolescent intensive outpatient therapist within a substance abuse inpatient facility and finally providing mental health and addiction therapy at a community mental health agency. Providing therapy within each of these settings required using a variety of counseling skills. It is while being a therapist in each of these diverse settings that I realized mental health and addiction treatment involved much more than focusing solely on the clients diagnosis. What I found was that It is often difficult to unravel what came first. Did a clients lifestyle create problems with mental health and/or addiction or did difficulties with mental health and addiction cause problems within a clients life. It can be a very daunting task for both the client and the therapist to unravel a clients experiences, a clients lifestyle and their mental health/addiction diagnosis. Therefore, as a trained therapist who understands the value of healthy lifestyle choices l combine several therapeutic techniques with a holistic approach to help the clients create balance in their lives. The traditional therapeutic techniques I utilize in my practice are: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person Centered, Humanistic and Motivational Interviewing. As I use these therapeutic approaches I also listen to clients stories and experiences to find out what clients find valuable and enjoy about their lives. It is also important to listen to a clients view of difficulties and trauma they have experienced throughout their lives. It is the client with their life experiences and their mental wellness combined with the therapist's knowledge and training that makes up a strong therapeutic team. In my practice I use a team approach that utilizes the process of therapy to help guide clients through their journey toward balance and wellness one small step at a time.