Aloha as we say in Hawaii! My nickname is 'Rickie' and I would like to welcome you to BetterHelp. You have taken an important first step in reaching out for counseling help.
A little about me: I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with licenses in VA and HI. I hail from the East Coast originally, and have lived in Hawaii for about ten years. I have 25+ years as a psychotherapist, working with adults. I have worked with a diversity of client populations, ranging from working with the military, LGBT, women's groups, and clients in specialty areas around healing with relationship challenges, self-esteem and building self-confidence, grief and loss, anxiety and stress reduction, managing change, depression, substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse and family impact, incest, trauma, and eating disorders. I draw from several therapeutic styles, including solution-focused, integrative which combines person-centered and psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and Gestalt. I value insight and goal-setting as keys to behavioral change. I can also share with you that I’ve trained with some of the best as mentors and trainers, including Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross-the world's leading authority in grief and loss work, and Virginia Satir-the world's leading expert in family systems and couples work.
A fun fact about me: I went up in a hot air balloon to celebrate my 30th birthday! Now let’s talk a bit about your counseling…
In these first days and weeks, the process may feel slow at times, but we need to build trust so that I may sync my style to your needs so that you can best achieve your goals.
The BetterHelp counseling space is where you have your voice, it is your safe space to express and where you are free to ask questions and freely share about how our process is flowing. Whether this is your first time or not in counseling, it is important that you be open about how things are going. If you are new, I will explain the counseling process along the way.
Remember that I am your guide to inspire you forward but you are always in charge of your healing journey.
When life knocks us down, we all need a warm heart and safe space where we can sort things through. I am here to help, whether you are navigating life challenges, repairing relationships with yourself and others, healing loss, or building change resilience. Reaching out takes courage. A committed counseling journey leads to healing and peace. I could share that I trained with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Virginia Satir. I would rather say that I listen to connect, not to judge or reject. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”-African Proverb. Reach out. Let’s explore, together!
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Family conflicts, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Depression, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Divorce and separation, Eating and Food-Related Issues, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, First Responder Issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Hospice and End of Life Counseling, Infidelity, Jealousy, Military and Veterans Issues, Multicultural Concerns, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Sexual Assault and Abuse, Workplace issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
HI LCSW LCSW-4400
VA LCSW 0904000745
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Frederica Banning. 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.
Rickie has helped guide me through some of the traumatic experiences of my past, without judgement and with lots of compassion. I am the healthiest and most balanced I’ve felt in my entire life and I credit Rickie for helping me get here.
Written on Sep 21, 2021 after therapy with Frederica for 8 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self esteem, and career difficulties
She is very straightforward and well spoken. She is good at redirecting my ramble back to the point and feelings accompanying it.
Written on Mar 31, 2021 after therapy with Frederica for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, and compassion fatigue
I recently completed several months of therapy with Rickie Banning. In short, she is amazing and was the perfect therapist for me. I came to therapy to address workplace bullying from two perspectives: how to heal wounds from previous bullying and how to deal with current dynamics that are leading to bullying. First and foremost, I was having old emotional traumas from my PhD advisor re-triggered in my current job (in which said advisor appears on occasion). This was occurring as I broke my foot and the pandemic lock down started, which exacerbated the physical symptoms I was having. I realized I was well into moderate depression and falling fast towards lower levels as a result of the trauma's stress and anxiety (which was 7+ years running). To be completely honest, I went to therapy feeling broken and like the happy, wholesome, and whole "me" that I had hoped would one day come back after my PhD was possibly gone forever. Enter: Rickie, therapist extraordinaire and workplace bullying specialist. Her therapy style gets right to the root of the problem and addresses it head on. With Rickie's help, I was able to address these old traumas and heal. We did an exercise of "writing myself a letter" and a ceremonial "release" of bad emotions in addition to weekly talk therapy session. I also started a gratitude journal and modified some song lyrics to match my situation of moving past the trauma. All of these things helped me recover. Rickie was the guiding force I needed and wanted. She helped me navigate the deep canyon waters of confusion, despair, pain, hurt, and anger. Obviously every therapy patient needs to "do the work" on themselves, and I was certainly ready to do the work - I just didn't know what to do anymore. Rickie escorted me through my difficult path with respect, dignity, and grace. I am honored to have had Rickie in my corner, guiding me, encouraging me, and supporting me through "the work" I was doing. I found my sense of self, self-worth, confidence, and my voice again. I was finally able to release the emotional shackles and chains that had held me down for nearly a decade. To my amazement, we did this in a matter of 2-3 months. (I had guessed this would take 1-2 years when I entered therapy.). My baseline daily emotions went from numb, anxious, overwhelmed, and/or depressed to happy, tranquil, calm and at peace. We spent another month or two in therapy together talking about other "lingering" issues of my parents divorce, relationships, and current work place bullying (both in my life and examples in the local/national news). We did another letter writing exercise, which also helped a lot. I sincerely appreciated that she recommended books to read and had me fill out a few of the Better Help worksheets. She took time to make sure they were relevant to me and my situation, and that they would actually be helpful in my healing process. She suggested many resources on bullying (and relationships) that have all been incredibly helpful and will continue to help navigate ongoing workplace bullying.
wish with all my heart that I could have Rickie as a sounding board in my life for the long-term foreseeable future. But as Rickie likes to say "the point of therapy is to get out of therapy". I'm happy to be leaving therapy even though the moment now is bittersweet since I don't want Rickie's actively positive influence on my life to end. But she will remain a "passive" positive influence because she made a lasting impression by giving me many emotional and psychological tools to keep myself healthy and happy. I have had such a wonderful and successful journey with Rickie and I thank her from the bottom of my heart. Words truly cannot express my level of gratitude and respect for Rickie and the journey to my better, happier self, but I hope this review speaks to how amazingly helpful she is, and how she sincerely wants to help her clients get better. I am suspending my account for now, and I'm confident that Rickie has equipped me with the skills I need to move forward in bully-laden work environments. I am back to "me" and that is a priceless gift I will never forget. I am better, stronger, and a more resilient person now, and I will keep growing forward. Thank you, Rickie, from the bottom of my heart.
Written on Sep 23, 2020 after therapy with Frederica for 4 months
I have been working with Rickie for about 2 months. I find her to be very supportive and very conscientious about responding to me. She’s offered a lot of insight and has been a great sounding board. Part of therapy is SHOWING UP AND DOING THE WORK. Rickie has a great handle on this and really encourages you to participate in a positive way. Highly recommend.
Written on Aug 26, 2020 after therapy with Frederica for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and coaching
Rickie is really passionate about working towards better mental health, and her motivation to help me achieve that is extremely encouraging. She asks me hard questions that have inspires lots of growth. I'm very thankful for her!
Written on Aug 19, 2020 after therapy with Frederica for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and self esteem
Frederica or 'Rickie' as she likes to be called, made a remarkable and memorable impact on my life. During our counselling sessions I discussed a variety of things including trauma related to homicide, relationship and intimacy problems, my issues with anxiety and depression, and much more.
From the beginning I could tell that Rickie was kind, caring and compassionate. She provided a safe, non-judgemental space for me to discuss my emotions and she was always patient and insightful. She encouraged me to reflect upon my own emotions and feelings and always had advice, direction or reassurance to offer. She also recommended a number of helpful resources along the way to support my mental health and mindfulness. I wholly appreciated her sense of humour and conversational skills which helped greatly to develop rapport, and allowed me to get the most out of my sessions!
Sadly I began counselling feeling broken and directionless, but can now confidently say that I am in a much better headspace, equipped with various self help strategies moving forward. I truly enjoyed my time with Rickie and will request her in future, if ever I should need her again.
Written on Jul 30, 2020 after therapy with Frederica for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and career difficulties