About Dr. Higgins  imageAbout Dr. Higgins  imageAbout Dr. Higgins  image
About My Personal Style:
I'm an empathic listener offering you a safe sounding board and nurturing validation. This acceptance can help motivate you to prioritize goals, use healthy coping skills to self-soothe, balance mind-body connections, & guide personal change. My style helps clients to increase their positive experiences, gratitude, hope, and resilience which often translates into improved mental health. I believe many clients benefit from guidance to tap into their own strengths, talents, and inner wisdom. Often, clients learn skills such as: mindfulness, acceptance, self-efficacy, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, reframing negative thought patterns, practicing assertive communication skills and healthy boundary-setting, ways to improve relationships and their own self-worth and self-esteem.  I have more than 20 years of experience providing compassionate client-centered counseling and continue to enhance my learning and training.

About My Therapy Methods and Techniques:
My therapy techniques involve flexibility, cooperation and collaboration to transform your outlook, moods, habits, and relationships. I offer CBT, DBT, ACT, walk and talk in nature, animal-assisted, behavioral, art, music, somatic, psychodrama & play therapy depending on your preferences & needs. I also have experience in EMDR and EFT therapy modalities. I have taken Levels 1, 2, and 3 of Laurel Parnell's Attachment-focused EMDR and am a member of the Parnell Institute's directory of trained therapist members. I also provide psychoeducation and role playing for improving communications that may help improve interpersonal skills.

There are many techniques I use to help in family therapy and couples' therapy. These include Compassionate Communications, Attachment Theory, the 5 Love Languages, Satir family sculpting, genograms, and the Gottman Method. Clients may improve couples and family relationships by learning and using Compassionate Communications (Non-violent Communications www.cnvc.org ), or by using the 5 love languages, integrating information about attachment styles, and the Gottman Method techniques to enhance relationship satisfaction.

Taking small steps to change your thoughts & actions, you can transform your life & relationships. My clients can expect to gain hope, validation of feelings, strength to take steps forward to heal from unresolved childhood issues, trauma, anxiety, depression, and grief. I help guide clients to change core negative beliefs, replace them with healthier beliefs, develop healthy coping skills and habits, learn & practice ways to improve overall well-being & functioning.

*I am not an MD and cannot prescribe medications. I am licensed in CA and DE but am only accepting CA patients at this time.

About Insurance, Client Portals Electronic Records and Billing:
If you would like to verify private medical insurance coverage prior to appointments and set up credit card profile for copayments, please go to Headway Provider portal or Grow Therapy portals. Please verify that Headway or Grow Therapy can process your insurance with me at provider info & insurance verification.  I also accept Cencal and some EAP programs that may not be listed with Headway Provider or Grow Therapy.

Most Telehealth and in-person appointments, consents, releases of information, electronic health records, and any homework assignments for reading or journaling will be maintained using Simple Practice patient portal.

July 2024, I only have a few openings available for new patients via telehealth at this time. I rarely have openings for new in-person counseling appointments available at this time. I am not currently accepting any new formal comprehensive psychological evaluation referrals using insurance, but can provide clinical diagnostic assessments and detailed justification for diagnoses using insurance. 

Also, please check out my book Pawsitive Affirmations from Rescued Pet Therapy Dogs on Amazon.