Therapist Alice Richmond Photo

Alice Richmond

Stress, Anxiety Addictions Relationships Trauma, Abuse Depression
Video Phone Live Chat Messaging

About me

Hello! This note describes a little bit about my credentials and education, therapeutic orientation, feedback from my clients, and some nuts and bolts information about scheduling, and what you can expect in terms of response time.

CREDENTIALS AND EDUCATION:
I have a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with an added Addictions emphasis, from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs—a CACREP accredited program and recipient of the National Board for Certified Counselors ('NBCC') top rating while I was a student there. I graduated with Highest Honors in 2015 and am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado. I am also Board Certified by the NBCC. I have worked in partial hospitalization addiction recovery (as an intern), suicide prevention, medication-assisted treatment of opioid addiction, prison, and private practice. Prior to becoming a professional counselor, I accumulated 20 years of experience working as a clinical massage therapist, specializing in traumatic injury recovery. It was this work that inspired me to return to school.

THERAPEUTIC ORIENTATION
My orientation is psychodynamic, meaning that I believe that what we have experienced in the past influences how we view and respond to events, individuals, and relationships in the present. People who struggle with having the same kinds of issues come up repeatedly often benefit from therapy based in this way of looking at things. My approach is relational and person-centered, because extensive research demonstrates that the single most important factor correlated with therapeutic efficacy is the quality and nature of the therapeutic relationship, and because it's my natural way of connecting with others. How this looks is customized to each client/therapist relationship. Some therapy processes include homework, some don't. Some have a heavy emphasis on the mechanics of skill-building, some are more about receiving support while navigating a major life transition. The goal is to discover what works and do more of that, and less of what doesn't work. Throughout the therapeutic process, we check in and fine tune our work. Over time, we get to know each other better, and our work together becomes increasingly effective and efficient!

I have experience working with adults, adolescents, and children as young as five years old. I work with individuals, primarily, although I also have experience working with couples, and families. I work with folks dealing with acute or chronic conditions, such as anxiety and depression; people dealing with issues related to mental health and addiction recovery; persons needing support around LGBTQ concerns, or who prefer support from someone who is sensitive to related considerations while addressing mental health; people who are exploring BDSM and have questions or want assistance structuring how to approach it while taking good care of their mental health; couples struggling in their relationship—some who want to restore or heal the relationship, and some who want help disconnecting gently.
The modalities and techniques I employ vary, based upon the client—the treatment should be adjusted to fit the client and therapist, not the other way around. What matters is to find what works! One of the tasks of therapy is to maintain an open dialogue about how the therapeutic relationship and therapy process are going. We will maintain frank communication about what is working, what isn't working, etc. In the event that we are unable to find a way to work together effectively, we will have developed information you can use to aid you in finding a better fit with another counselor.

The fact that you are alive and asking for help demonstrates that you are resilient, wise, and strong. Part of our work together will be to identify the attributes you already possess that help you navigate your experience. You can expect that, over your time in therapy, you will deepen your self-awareness and insight, increase the number and type of practical coping skills you can bring to bear, and expand the range of options you have for dealing with situations of heightened distress. You will have more information and more choices.

CLIENT FEEDBACK:
Clients tell me that they feel seen, heard, and respected by me; that they find me trustworthy and feel safe with me; and that they feel more empowered and connected to their inherent worth and dignity through our work together. They report significant decreases in symptom frequency and intensity, and an improved capacity for relaxation, peace, humor, and self-expression. They describe better success at work and in relationships. Many cite an increased sense of self-mastery and greater confidence in themselves.

NUTS AND BOLTS:
Scheduling: Right now, I am in the process of preparing to move, and my schedule varies day to day. During this transition period, I prefer to schedule live sessions directly. My posted schedule is a bare bones outline. My actual availability is greater than what you see.

Response time: I commit to checking my messages at least once a day, but will generally check them multiple times per day. Sometimes, I check them when I am not able to provide an immediate response to the content. If that is the case, I usually send a short note, saying that I have read the message and letting you know when I expect to be able to respond in depth.

If what you have read here resonates with you, I look forward to hearing from you and beginning our shared path together. I wish you well!

Professional experience

6yrs in practice
Stress, Anxiety Addictions Relationships Trauma, Abuse Depression

Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Antisocial Personality, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant Personality, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dependent Personality, Dissociation, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Emptiness, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Mood disorders , Multicultural Concerns, Narcissism, Self-love, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Somatization, Traumatic Brain Injury, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues

Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Gottman Method, Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy

Services offered

Video
Phone
Live Chat
Messaging

Reviews

These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Alice Richmond. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.

Very nice and for a first timer going to therapy, very easy to open up to

Written on Dec 14, 2020 after therapy with Alice for 1 month on issues concerning relationship issues, and coaching