Mandy Thompson
Hello. My name is Mandy and I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Oklahoma and a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in Florida. I have worked extensively with adolescents in a group home setting providing individual, group and family therapy to address issues including depression, anxiety and trauma. I have also worked with at-risk youth in a partial-hospitalization setting. I also have been working closely with members of the LGBTQ+ community, those struggling with Substance Abuse Disorders and those living with HIV and AIDS. To me it is very important that your identity is respected in our sessions and I strive to offer a compassionate, safe space for all. I am offering that to you as well. On a more personal side, when I am not seeing clients, I am out roller skating, spending time with my pets or planning an adventure. I also love music so if that is something you want to bring into our sessions, I am excited to do so.
My name is Mandy and I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Oklahoma and a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in Florida.
First session
The first session or two will be us getting to know each other. I will ask about your background, meet you where you are at and help make a plan to get you to your goals. I understand that I am also someone who will be earning your trust and I am okay with taking things at the speed you wish to.
Strengths
I bring a laid back yet lively energy to our sessions. I want to work on our goals together, but I also understand how difficult the work can be. I want to validate this process while empowering you. I acknowledge that some of the skills I may use in sessions may not be the best fit. I like to get creative with our skills to help make them more accessible and reasonable for your life. My clients usually give me great feedback, which I like to use to tailor our sessions to you. I do use motivational interviewing, solution focused, dialectical behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in sessions.
Ideal clients
I really enjoy working with a variety of people to help create the life they want to live. A lot of my background has been on trauma work, self-esteem, mood management, improving boundaries and improving relationships. I will meet you where you are at and help you in a way that does not feel completely overwhelming.
Origin story
I was drawn to mental health counseling through my beliefs that everyone should have a safe space to be their authentic selves. Growing up I would often try to find ways to help others and found joy in being able to do so. As a teenager I began volunteering with local groups to help make positive impacts within the community. While I was in college, that expanded to working with middle school students living with disabilities. As I continued to work with different communities and learned about how to be a better ally, I began my journey into social activism. I believe that community has a huge impact on our daily lives and saw that nurturing it could also improve our mental health as well.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you better understand the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Together, we explore how current thought patterns may be unhelpful and we begin to challenge them. By using CBT skills, my goal is to help you cope with distress, create positive behavioral changes and move into a healthier thought pattern so that you are better able to work through different situations while improving self-esteem.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
The main goal with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is to help you utilize your ‘wise mind’ by focusing on the balance of your emotional and logical minds. To do so, we work together to create healthier coping skills that can be used in the moment of distress. The hope is to reduce and eventually eliminate coping skills that may no longer be serving you, such as self-harm. We also focus on improving your interpersonal relationships with communication techniques that help you focus on your goals of the relationship along with your own personal values. With these DBT skills, I am hoping to help you create balance while still being your authentic self.
Gender-affirming therapy
I utilize the WPATH Standards of Care (https://wpath.org/publications/soc8/) in order to support healthy gender identity and expression.
Location
Virtual sessions