Melissa Alvarez, LLMSW

About Me
 

Hi! I work with children and adolescents up to age 17. I offer different modalities such as CBT, ACT, play therapy. I am well versed in helping my clients learn new coping skills, identifying maladaptive thought processes, discovering what drives motivation, and setting boundaries. I have experience working with depression, anxiety, adjustment issues, grief, trauma and reframing negative thought processes. Many times I see kids struggle with indecision and finding motivation to get things done. I have a toolbox of resources to help identify underlying feelings about those things and how we can tackle those obstacles. 

I am very big on building rapport, trust, and communication skills. People pleasing is very common but my hope for my client is to make them feel comfortable, supported, and validated enough to advocate for themselves. Many times kids and teens feel relived to have someone to open up to which can make a big difference. 

In session I am warm and goofy, but love to use my toolbox to ensure our time together is both fun and productive. Part of goal setting is imagining how you would like your life to look and making smaller goals to help you get there. Feel free to reach out and I am happy to see how I can help.