Therapist
She/Her/Hers
mviall@wearehelpful.com
(708) 317-9056
I know what it's like to wonder who you are and where you fit into the world and then defining that for yourself. I also have personal experience with the death of a parent; loved ones with Alzheimer's/dementia as well as terminal illness. I have been working in some capacity for community service agencies for 25 years, serving various populations. I have experience working with legally-involved – DCS/CPS, probation/parole, diversion, court-ordered – individuals as well as voluntary clients. Socioeconomic factors/other life considerations with which I have worked include homelessness, joblessness, long-term disability and chronic and terminal illness. Populations whom I have served include: children, 3 years and up; adolescents and teenagers; and adults – all phases of adulthood, including the elderly. I facilitate many different session types, based on what is needed, including: individual, couple and family – traditional, poly and LGBTQ; and groups – therapy as well as psychoeducation. I have experience working with individuals managing lives touched with mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and bipolar; grief; domestic violence (offenders and victims); physical, emotional and sexual abuse; custody issues; family reunification; marriage/relationship hurdles; problem sexual behavior; borderline personality disorder/characteristics; PTSD; ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and other sensory disorders; death and dying; caretaking of ill and aging family members; and life change events, i.e. anything that is a positive change, but also brings with it fear, doubt and lots of unknowns, this includes adjusting to life after giving birth, getting married and children growing up. I have training and/or certifications in specific areas such as family trauma, sexual offending, EMDR, DBT and trauma-focused CBT. I am also versed in CBT, person-centered therapy, motivational interviewing and grief counseling. While trained in multiple modalities, there is no one modality upon which I rely. I focus on my client and meeting him/her/them where he/she/they are at which dictates what approaches I implement. I also have a running list of things I would like to learn, which currently includes: Spanish, ASL, brainspotting, therapeutic use of psychedelics and biofeedback. I am currently licensed in Arizona, Colorado and Missouri and am working on licensure in Washington. What can I say? I truly enjoy my clients and am invested in their work, so as they move, I look into licensure when I can. Born and raised in Arizona, the desert holds a beauty for me that many people don't understand. I love animals and had, at one time, 5 dogs (who I thought of as my children), two cats, three physically handicap pigeons and a parrot. Due to old age, we are "down" to one dog and the handicap pigeons. I keep a running list of animal names for animals on my wish list, which includes a goat, a miniature donkey and maybe a duck. I think Dad and Laffy Taffy jokes are the best and a joke is a success even if I'm the only one laughing. I spend my time off reading, working with our local Alzheimer’s community, playing card games with family, learning the complexities of bridge from and playing Mah Jongg with my aunties and trying to find a show with more than 3 seasons so I can binge more than one weekend. I love what I do. If I have learned anything about myself over the years, it's that I have to believe in what I do and the vision of those with whom I work. That is the reason that I came to – and am loving it - at Helpful.
"Never, never, never give up." - Winston Churchill
How my lived experiences shape my work
I find that many clients find some relief even after just the first session with continued improvement over the following weeks. The initial sessions are whatever you need them to be in order to feel comfortable and engage and get involved - this often makes it easy for new clients to acclimate. As for our continued work, I don't limit myself to any one modality, I like to come with a toolbox full of options as I find this allows me to tailor therapy to the individual.
The clients I work best with
I have experience working with individuals managing lives touched with mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and bipolar; grief; domestic violence (offenders and victims); physical, emotional and sexual abuse; custody issues; family reunification; marriage/relationship hurdles; problem sexual behavior; borderline personality disorder/characteristics; PTSD; ADD/ADHD; death and dying; caretaking of ill and aging family members; and life change events, i.e. anything that is a positive change, but also brings with it fear, doubt and lots of unknowns. I work with: individuals aged 14 and up; any gender and sexual identity; with families and couples (whatever those families and couples may look like). I have worked with individuals ranging in age from 7 to 90 years old; voluntary and court-ordered. I am DBT-certified and trained in EMDR and have training in family and individual trauma. I am versed in the Christian faith as well as alternate beliefs (e.g. Wiccan). If I am working with a client and s/he/they express a belief of interest of which I am not familiar, I spend time studying it in order to better connect with and serve them. I have an eclectic background and have worked with people from nearly every walk of life. I am grateful to have worked at community-based organizations, for the County and private agencies as I feel that has really rounded out my experience. It has all contributed to giving me invaluable experience and has made me an open-minded, non-judgemental counselor who is able to meet a person where s/he/they are at and figure out where to go.
