Meet Danielle: Therapist, Researcher, and Advocacy Speaker

I am a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, meaning I am a trained trauma psychotherapist with additional training in working with individuals with chronic illness, (dis)Abilities (both physical and psychiatric), and marginalized individuals of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. As someone with a chronic illness myself, I have a unique understanding of some of the challenges that face individuals with chronic illness as well as caregivers and the support they deserve.

I work collaboratively with clients, as an ally and partner focusing on their strengths and resilience. Instead of believing that individuals are "wrong" or need to be "fixed", I believe we all have challenges with opportunities to learn about ourselves and grow.

Every individual is unique and my therapeutic approach is tailored to the individual. Grounded in trauma-informed care and humanist approaches such as Gestalt, Person-Centered, and Motivational Interviewing, as well as Feminist Theory, I weave in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solutions-Focused Brief Therapy to create a modality as unique as you are.

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As a researcher, I specialize in research of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the individuals it affects. MS is an autoimmune condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is a condition full of uncertainty, fluctuation of symptoms, progressing levels of disability, and fatigue (this symptom is highlighted due to its pervasiveness and level debilitation affecting the MS community). Psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety affect around 60% of individuals with MS as well as other psychiatric conditions(1).  Despite facing both physical and mental health challenges, individuals with MS are highly resilient. My goal is to research the effects of the positive psychology constructs of resilience, grit, self-efficacy, and hope to better the lives of individuals with MS.

As an advocacy speaker, I advocate for support, better care, and understanding of MS. This has included speaking at support groups, patient and healthcare provider symposiums, presenting research at conferences, and guest lecturing at Rehabilitation Counseling graduate programs. This is an area I wish to grow and continue to make a difference for individuals with MS, which also includes myself.

Reference:
(1). Murphy, R., O’Donoghue, S., Counihan, T., McDonald, C., Calabresi, P. A., Ahmed, M. A., Kaplin, A., & Hallahan, B. (2017). Neuropsychiatric syndromes of multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 88(8), 697–708. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2016-315367