Kayla Szykowny MS, LMHC, CPC

Almost every person I work with is faced with burnout in some form -- from work, school, relationships, and everything in between. At the front of my mind with every client is the fact that they're either well-beyond burnt out or are at risk of burning out, which is a critical risk factor for other mental and physical health conditions. I consistently assess for burnout throughout the duration of care with my clients, and treat it using a person-centered approach and evidence-based modalities.

In today's society, social comparison looms heavily throughout most aspects of our lives, especially via the numerous social media platforms ever-present in our world. This has contributed to lower self-esteem across many populations. Using evidence-based modalities such as Compassion Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I aim to support individuals with finally viewing themselves the way people who love them most view them -- with compassion, respect, and free from judgment.

It seems that everyone struggles with at least some form of anxiety, from mild to severe. Having dealt with my own anxiety, from my teenage years to being a mom in our current society, I have a deep understanding of the impacts this can have on daily life. Implementing evidence-based modalities, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I work with my clients to find more helpful ways of thinking and feeling.

Every client is unique, from their race to their sexual orientation to their family of origin. I never pretend to "understand" what someone's own unique lived experience is. Using my experience working with people from widely diverse backgrounds and education from many hours of training required for my licensure, I let my clients lead the way when it comes to how their own culture shapes how they think, feel, behave, and walk through the world.

Research shows that shorter-term therapy using evidence-based modalities helps people feel better faster. In my sessions, I use evidence-based interventions and tools to educate my clients and practice with them new skills they can immediately use to improve their well-being. With regular practice outside of sessions and follow-up within sessions, clients report overall improvement sooner than if using other modalities.

As one of the most empirically-support therapy modalities out there today, CBT has been the cornerstone of my therapeutic approach since I began my clinical work over 13 years ago. I've used CBT in every setting I've worked, including community mental health, inpatient psychiatry, and private practice, and clients from diverse backgrounds struggling with a wide-range of issues have reported it to be crucial to their healing and growth since I first became a clinician.