Vanessa Gonzalez
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Vanessa Gonzalez
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Specializing In
Trauma
Depression
Anxiety
Social Skills
Phobias
Self-Esteem
About Vanessa Gonzalez
Vanessa is an experiencd and dedicated Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 12 years of experience working with children, teens, families, and adults, as well as experience as the director of an outpatient and substance use clinic in NYC. She has worked in a variety of roles and settings including foster care, adoption, early intervention, emergency departments, and outpatient mental health and substance use treatment.
Vanessa’s experience in a myriad of settings and with diverse populations has helped her develop a very eclectic approach to therapy, as she has learned that one size does not fit all. Vanessa’s passion and expertise lies in working with children and teens who have experienced trauma, struggle with anxiety and/or depression, as well as with children with Autism. Her interventions include helping children and teens with increasing self-esteem and enhancing social skills.
Vanessa’s treatment approach is collaborative and supportive to help empower individuals to reach their treatment goals. Vanessa is warm and nonjudgmental, often utilizing humor and unconditional positive regard to help individuals develop the tools they need to reach their goals. To do this, she also integrates evidence based modalities such as Cogntitive Behavioral Therapy, Applied Bahavioral Analysis, Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.
In her free time, Vanessa enjoys hiking, baking, and spending quality time with her son.
Training & Techniques
Tap on one of the tabs below to learn more about the training and certification.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is an evidence-based approach to treating anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has also been demonstrated to be effective in treating depression. CBT helps children and teens analyze and reduce negative thoughts that lead to unhelpful thinking and behavior in order to promote more positive thoughts and experiences.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
TF-CBT is an evidence-based approach to treating trauma-related difficulties including PTSD, by addressing negative thoughts that the child or adolescent experiences. TF-CBT helps children alter innacurate beliefs that lead to unhealthy behaviors and identify healtier ways to respond to situations. Parents also participate in this approach to learn how to communicate around sensitive topics and help their child manage stress. Both the child and parent are integral to the success of TF-CBT to help the child manage stress and learn positive coping strategies.
Strengths-Based Perspective
Motivational Interviewing is a therapeutic technique used to establish rapport with children and adolescents and used to encourage positive behavioral changes. The goal is to help children convince themselves they should, can, and will change. It emphasize the importance of finding internal motivation to change thoughts and behaviors to promote positive experiences. Instead of convincing children to “want to change,” they become aware of their need to make changes in their life to experience success.
Strengths-Based Perspective
Behavior Therapy is an intervention aimed at managing problemati thoughts and behaviors that are inadvertently reinforced in a child’s environment. As a result, the undesirable behavior may increase in frequency or intensity. The intent of Behavior Therapy is to reinforce and encourage more desirable behaviors for children and result in more positive feedback from others and more success in various situations. Parents are often crucial to helping children learn strategies to reinforce positive behaviors. Behavior Therapy can be applied to help children better manage in the classroom, at home with family, and when interacting with peers. The therapist and child will often role-play and model more desirable behavior and help children practice applying these behaviors to various situations.
Availability
Vanessa is available for in-person therapy appointments in Nyack, New York on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings. She is available for virtual appointments on Thursday evenings.
Costs
Sign up online for a 45-minute child or adolescent therapy appointment. Registration only takes a few minutes. You will then receive intake forms to sign and directions for attending the appointment.
Do you have out-of-network health insurance benefits? Many commercial and employer PPO health insurance plans do. Contact us to find out how much you can save on the cost of therapy by using your benefits.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Courageous Kids Counseling is an out of network (OON) group practice. As such, fees are due at the time of service. We are happy to help you submit for reimbursement from your out of network benefits. We accept a variety of payment methods, including cash, check, debit card, and credit card, health savings accounts, and flexible health care spending accounts.
Cancellation Policy
It is important to attend appointments consistently in order to see the best results. We understand that our clients sometimes need to cancel their appointments. Please let us know if you are unable to keep your appointment. You will be charged the full fee if the session is not canceled with at least 24 hours notice. If you have any questions about our policy, we would be happy to provide more information.
