Dr. Conklin's Approach

Therapy is a simple process that addresses complex issues.
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My Approach

First and foremost, therapy is a relationship. My role in that relationship is to listen…to hear my client and reflect back on what I’ve heard…and to help my client make meaning of experience.

Therapy is also a healing procedure… I help clients change unhelpful patterns of thought that negatively affect their actions and feelings. I also focus on those feelings, and help the client to experience them without being overwhelmed.

Finally, therapy puts us in a vulnerable place. It takes courage to expose those parts of yourself that you have kept hidden. That’s why I honor the dignity and worth of every person I work with. I offer a safe place to be vulnerable.

Treatment Modalities

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Motivational Interviewing (MI)
  • Relapse Prevention (RP)
  • Narrative Therapy (NT)

My Training and Experience

I was trained in cognitive behavioral therapy at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, Weill Cornell Medical College.

My doctoral research focus was on relapse prevention and the 12-step movement. I’ve also been trained in motivational interviewing at the Rutgers Center for Alcohol Studies.

To better understand trauma and its treatment, I attended a three-day conference with Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, the leading researcher in the field.

I am currently being trained in EMDR by instructors from the EMDR Institute.

I was trained to administer and interpret the Adult Attachment Interview at the Adult Attachment Interview Institute, New School for Social Research. I’ve been rated as a highly reliable interpreter of the AAI by its creators.

My Credentials

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

California License Number LPCC14041 

Licensed Professional Counselor

New Jersey License Number 37PC00545000 

Education

Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ

Ph.D. in Counseling  

Dissertation: “Speaking of Recovery: How People in Remission from Alcohol Use Disorder Use Language to Make Meaning of Self, Others, and Relationships”

Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Park, NJ

M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Relevant Experience

  • Substance abuse counselor at an intensive outpatient clinic with adult and adolescent clients. Also provided family therapy services.

  • Mental health counselor at an after-school clinic providing individual and family therapy for adolescents with a variety of mental health issues, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and schizoaffective disorder.

  • Mental health counselor at an outpatient clinic providing services to clients on Federal Probation and Federal Pre-trial.

  • Former Director, Clinical Mental Health Master’s Program, Fairleigh Dickinson University.