AnnieKaye Ficarra (She/her)

I have worked in addiction services for a large part of my career, and I know that people entering and walking through recovery are doing some of the most all encompassing work that there is. There are many approaches to recovery I support including AA, SMART recovery, and other community based structures. I also support those in recovery who are still finding out what is working for them, and moving not just from abstaining from substances, but re-engaging in life again.

Anxiety functions as a survival tactic that can increase productivity, motivation, and keep us safe, when effective. However when overdone, anxiety can become a road block, an opting out, or a series of intense highs and lows. I work to address anxiety head on through collaboratively developing insight into it's roots and messaging before moving towards exposure actions and small skills, particularly honing in on mindfulness, cognitive defusion, and values based living.

ADHD can present with many unknown or under acknowledged challenges, and my experience spans working with adults with late diagnosed ADHD to children working through current day executive functioning tasks. The approach I take with ADHD is very hands on and motivation based: figuring out how to work with your natural state versus against it, and how to improve your daily functioning with compassion and accountability.

Anxiety functions as a survival tactic that can increase productivity, motivation, and keep us safe, when effective. However when overdone, anxiety can become a road block, an opting out, or a series of intense highs and lows. I work to address anxiety head on through collaboratively developing insight into it's roots and messaging before moving towards exposure actions and small skills, particularly honing in on mindfulness, cognitive defusion, and values based living.

The core of ACT focuses on one's values system. I once had a supervisor say that living outside a value's system intrinsically causes a sense of unrest in the nervous system. I use ACT to work with someone to identify their values as a starting point, and then begin reflecting on how they either achieve them, or dismiss them.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy brings a sense of direction and goal setting to the therapy space that can heavily benefit people of varying experiences. I utilize the tools and content of this modality in skill building, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

I use Interpersonal Therapy as my most organic mode of being in the therapy room. The best tool we have is ourselves, how we are feeling, and what that might mean. This looks like developing a sense of trust between myself and those I work with, and bringing up any feelings or impressions I might develop as we work together. From there, we can discuss how what I've observed might show up in your relationships, and what, if anything, to do about that.