Hi, I'm Elise!
I have a heart for people! I specialize in treating adults who have experienced trauma, or are experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship issues. I have 13 years of experience treating children, adolescents, adults and couples. Prior to opening my private practice, I worked as a therapist with a mental health group practice, as a medical social worker with chronically ill cancer and hospice patients, as a school-based mental health counselor, and as an intern with veterans at risk for homelessness.
Theoretical Approach
I am eclectic in my approach, but I primarily begin by providing education about the importance of attachment and early relationships' influence on adult behavior, social factors, and the brain, because it controls everything! We can learn to gain more control of the brain so that we become empowered captains of our own ship!
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I am trained and certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and the EMDR Flash technique. Both are therapeutic techniques to help an individual heal from the effects of trauma, as well as other distressing life experiences.
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​Additionally, I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is highly effective for a wide range of issues to help identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to anxiety or depression, and it can assist in processing and managing trauma-related thoughts and emotions. I also use Cognitive-Behavior Therapy-Exposure and Response Prevention (CBT-ERP), which is especially useful for Obsessive-Compulsive behaviors, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for individuals and couples. In addition, I utilize other mindfulness-based approaches to ensure a holistic approach to treatment
Education and Experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). I joined the Air Force at 18 years old, and realized after starting my family, that my values would result in separating from the Air Force to focus on military family life. Over the next 30 years, we moved seven times both overseas and around the country, finding new jobs in each location, and working my way through my college career.
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I received my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. I completed an internship through Families Count in Pensacola, FL with their Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, whose mission was to rapidly house Veterans and their families who are experiencing homelessness and prevent homelessness for those in crisis. I also completed an internship with Emerald Coast Hospice in Pensacola, FL to assist individuals and their families experiencing life-limiting illnesses. I interned as a medical social worker at the Sacred Heart Cancer Center in Pensacola, FL by linking cancer patients to community services, I co-facilitated support groups, and provided grief counseling and support to cancer patients and their families.
Following graduate school, I worked as a registered clinical social worker intern providing mental health counseling to middle school students at King Middle School in Milton, FL. I also worked as a hospice social worker with Regency Hospice, Pensacola, FL for 5 years, educating patients and their families about the end-of-life process, providing counseling, care coordination, and emotional support during the patient’s terminal illness. Following my work with hospice, I worked as a therapist with Cornerstone Counseling Group, Navarre, for 4 years, providing therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and couples on a range of issues to include anxiety, depression, PTSD and marital relationship issues.
