About Me / About You and Life

 

My background and specialty as a licensed mental health practitioner at Mohawk Valley Community College and owner of DRN Counseling and Consulting Services affords me the benefit of treating various populations. My training has been in the field of Psychotherapy Counseling more specifically by implementing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques I have found a niche for an effective treatment model. My other areas of specialties include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Behavioral Modification modalities. I treat disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, addictions, depression, and anxiety to name a few. My practice began in 1983 as I worked toward credentialing to opening my own practice in 2003.

 

 

My philosophy about treatment stems from life experiences that were formalized by educational and professional growth in the field of mental health. I believe it is the patient’s need to have control in their lives and that it is my role is to help individuals obtain it. It is the sense of control that decreases anxiety affecting many other aspects of our emotional or psychological existence. Control sometimes is given a negative spin while if one thinks about it long enough when it is a total loss a personal problem often follows. The qualifying or governing factor is balance. Too much of anything could be dangerous to your health.  

Here is a little more about me. I am a US Army veteran and a Veterans Administration Verified Veteran Owned Small Business. That is the logo you see on my “Welcome” page. The values I received from my training not only at Syracuse University but by my family, friends, the army and my colleagues have gifted me the opportunity to provide valuable services. In short, I remember graduating from basic training at Fort Dix New Jersey and my drill Sargent giving due respect to my mother who attended the ceremony. I think he realized that my mother had already drilled; I mean trained me, before he got to me. My life went forward from that point not without setbacks, pitfalls and poor choices on my part but it went forward and that was the key for me. All the antidotal sayings applied to me as I tried and continue to try to have an attitude of “don’t quit”.

 

Here is something to remember about life in general. Conditioning comes from thinking and then applying it. We all heard the sayings; things can always be worse, be thankful for what you have, not what you don’t have, always show respect, and if you grew up in my family it was always thank God for what you have. Now I know that belief systems differ across cultures and some don’t believe in a higher power at all. I would propose to anyone that seeks my services that they have some purpose in life and that spirituality is still a part of their lives, and the values they have or don’t have, are what make up their spiritual existence. I mean what the heck we talk about breaking the spirit of a wild horse in order to saddle them.

 

That being said I have opened my door for providing patients my approach that consists of nonjudgmental treatment models. I meet patients where they are at and try to help them get to where they want to be. I explain to them that I am the “Observer” and help them organize their thoughts and then it is they who decide what is going to be their own reality. For example, couples should understand that a therapist is not to decide whether or not they stay together. It is the investment of the treated that results in change in any aspect of life. It is the job of the practitioner to help with the awareness and provide the patient possibilities. The answers come from within each of us.