Hi, I’m Alissa
Alissa is a dedicated therapist whose passion is helping others. Alissa has always loved helping individuals work through their trauma in order to find themselves and be confident in who they are. Alissa specializes in trauma, including generational, religious, and abuse. She also specializes in family therapy, women’s issues, and LGBTQIA+ therapy. She strives to help you find your identity and to help families come together to communicate and find support in one another.
Alissa knows how hard it is to seek help, and she is proud of you for taking this first step in your healing journey. She wants to help you navigate your own life story by having two way open and honest communication in your sessions.
My story
Alissa first got into therapy because she wanted to advocate for her friends and family members who have struggled with mental health and suicidal thoughts. She also has two siblings who are a part of the LGBTQIA community and was inspired by them overcoming society’s ideals to help other members of the community find their true selves.
Alissa attended Utah State University gaining her bachelor’s in social work. Here, she gained a love for helping people communicate openly with their loved ones and find harmony with themselves and others. She then went on to get her Masters in clinical social work at Brigham Young University.
Alissa is married with a son that they both adore and two dogs they consider their fur babies. She loves to spend time with her family, whether that be hiking, camping, boating, or just playing games around the kitchen table.
Modalities
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EMDR, is a powerful approach to psychotherapy that helps clients process upsetting memories, traumas, experiences, and the attached core belief. During an EMDR session, clients are guided to recall distressing memories while focusing on bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements or taps. This process helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories.
Imagine your brain is like a filing cabinet where all your memories are stored. Sometimes, a traumatic memory gets locked in the wrong drawer and keeps popping up when it's not needed, causing distress and discomfort. EMDR helps to reprocess these memories, like taking the misfiled memory out of the wrong drawer, processing it, and putting it back in the right place. By reprocessing these memories, clients can experience decreased emotional distress, improved cognition, and a greater sense of control over their thoughts and feelings. EMDR helps the brain reprocess these memories in a way that reduces their negative impact, allowing individuals to heal from past traumas.
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I like to explain IFS by using the movie "Inside Out/Inside Out 2." In the movie, the main character's mind is depicted as a control center where different emotions take on roles to protect and guide the individual. This concept is similar to Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, where individuals are encouraged to explore and understand their inner parts or subpersonalities. By viewing the mind as a system of various parts, clients can develop a deeper awareness of their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and beliefs. Through IFS therapy, clients can learn to communicate with and harmonize these different parts, leading to improved self-understanding, emotional regulation, process traumas, and help create an overall well-being. Just as the characters in "Inside Out" must work together to navigate life's challenges, clients engaging in IFS therapy can benefit from the integration and balance of their internal system.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is beneficial for clients in therapy due to its focus on building skills in four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. By learning and practicing these skills, clients can improve their ability to manage difficult emotions, navigate challenging situations, communicate effectively, and cultivate a greater sense of overall well-being. DBT has been shown to be particularly effective for individuals experiencing issues such as chronic suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviors, and borderline personality disorder. Overall, DBT therapy offers clients practical tools and strategies to cope with intense emotions and create meaningful change in their lives.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely-used therapeutic approach that focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By identifying and challenging negative thought patterns, clients can learn to reframe their thinking in a more positive and constructive way. CBT helps clients develop coping strategies, improve emotional regulation, and modify dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors. This evidence-based therapy is effective in treating a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and phobias. Clients benefit from gaining valuable skills that they can apply both during and after therapy to manage their symptoms and improve their overall well-being.
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Creative arts and experiential therapy offer clients a unique and effective way to explore and process their emotions, experiences, and traumas. Through creative expression such as art, music, dance, or drama, clients can access parts of themselves that may be difficult to articulate verbally. Engaging in experiential activities can help clients tap into their subconscious thoughts and feelings, allowing for deeper self-discovery and healing. This approach can be particularly beneficial for individuals who struggle to express themselves through traditional talk therapy or who have experienced trauma that is challenging to verbalize. By incorporating creative arts and experiential therapy techniques into treatment, clients can enhance their therapeutic journey and make significant strides towards healing and growth.
Testimonials