Find counseling and therapy that best suits your needs.

More About Ms. Leondra Polk…

Experience.

Ms. Polk has a strong background in Child Welfare and therapy for underserved children and families.  Tactful community resource collaboration and advocacy skills that help to quickly establish healthy working relationships with clients and (referral) providers.  Recognized by colleagues in team settings for creative problem-solving skills and enthusiasm that motivates to maintain positive morale.  She has conducted psycho-therapy, mental health exams/evaluations and diagnosis using the DSM-V, none of which will be used in this practice.

 

Knowledge.

Ms. Polk has successfully attained her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Social Work and a Masters in Social Work, both from Syracuse University. She has also acquired her New York State Licensure and has practiced under it for over five years.

 

***Due to limitations with Licensure, this practice will not be conducting psychotherapy, prescription of medication or diagnosis of any mental illnesses/disorders.

Therapeutic Modalities & Training

Ms. Polk is an avid learner who has participated in trainings and gained knowledge in various types of therapeutic modalities.  Some are including but not limited to:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

a short-term form of psychotherapy directed at present-time issues and based on the idea that the way an individual thinks and feels affects the way he or she behaves. The focus is on problem solving, and the goal is to change clients' thought patterns in order to change their responses to difficult situations. A CBT approach can be applied to a wide range of mental health issues and conditions. In CBT you will first learn to identify painful and upsetting thoughts you have about current problems and to determine whether or not these thoughts are realistic. If these thoughts are deemed unrealistic, you will learn skills that help you change your thinking patterns so they are more accurate with respect to a given situation. Once your perspective is more realistic, the therapist can help you determine an appropriate course of action. You will probably get “homework” to do between sessions. That work may include exercises that will help you learn to apply the skills and solutions you come up with in therapy to the way you think and act in your day-to-day life.

 

Functional Family Therapy

(Sexton & Alexander, 2006, Sexton, 2009) is an evidence-based treatment program for adolescents with behavior problems. FFT is a highly intense yet short-term intervention in which family-based treatment usually occurs in 12 to 20 family sessions over the course of 4 to 8 months. The active ingredients of FFT are based upon theoretically derived constructs that mediate the relationship between initial youth and family risk factors and successful treatment outcomes (e.g., decrease in drug use, risky sexual behavior, and other conduct problems). FFT has been applied to a wide range of problem youth and their families in various multi-ethnic, multicultural contexts. FFT is built on a systematic articulation of goals and clinician activities described in the published intervention manuals (Alexander, Pugh, Parsons, & Sexton, 2000; Sexton & Alexander, 2004). The active ingredients of the FFT interventions are represented by three phases (engagement/motivation, behavior change, and generalization), each with measurable process goals and family skills that are the targets of intervention. Each phase has specific goals and clinician skills associated with it. The specificity of the model allows for monitoring of treatment, training, and clinician model adherence in ways that are not possible with other less specific treatment interventions. The data from numerous outcome studies suggests that when applied as intended, FFT can reduce recidivism between 25% and 60%. Additional studies suggest that FFT is a cost effective intervention that can, when appropriately implemented, reduce treatment costs well below that of traditional services and other family-based interventions.

Family Systems Theory/Therapy

Family systems therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals resolve their problems in the context of their family units, where many issues are likely to begin. Each family member works together with the others to better understand their group dynamic and how their individual actions affect each other and the family unit as a whole. One of the most important premises of family systems therapy is that what happens to one member of a family happens to everyone in the family. During family systems therapy, the family works individually and together to resolve a problem that directly affects one or more family members. Each family member has the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about how they are affected. Together, the family works to help the individual in distress and to help relieve the strain on the family. Family members explore their individual roles within the family, learn how to switch roles, if necessary, and learn ways to support and help each other with the goal of restoring family relationships and rebuilding a healthy family system.

 

Play Therapy

Although sometimes used with adults, play therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach primarily used to help children ages 3 to 12 explore their lives and freely express repressed thoughts and emotions through play. Therapeutic play normally takes place in a safe, comfortable playroom, where very few rules or limits are imposed on the child, encouraging free expression and allowing the therapist to observe the child’s choices, decisions, and play style. The goal is to help children learn to express themselves in healthier ways, become more respectful and empathetic, and discover new and more positive ways to solve problems. The parent or caregiver plays an important role in play therapy for children. After conducting an initial intake interview with the parent, when the therapist collects information about the child, and, often, a separate interview with the child, the therapist can make an assessment prior to beginning treatment. An assessment allows the therapist to decide the best treatment approach for the child. In the playroom, the child is encouraged to play with very specific types of toys that encourage self-expression and facilitate the learning of positive behaviors. Arts and crafts, music, dancing, storytelling, and other tools may also be incorporated into play therapy. Play therapy usually occurs in weekly sessions for an average of 20 sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes each.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Unlike traditional forms of therapy that take time to analyze problems, pathology and past life events, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) concentrates on finding solutions in the present time and exploring one’s hope for the future to find quicker resolution of one’s problems. This method takes the approach that you know what you need to do to improve your own life and, with the appropriate coaching and questioning, are capable of finding the best solutions. Goal-setting is at the foundation of SFBT; one of the first steps is to identify and clarify your goals. The therapist will begin by questioning what you hope to get out of working with the therapist and how, specifically, your life would change when steps were taken to resolve problems. By answering these types of questions, you can begin to identify solutions and come up with a plan for change.

 

Structural Family Therapy

A treatment that addresses patterns of interaction that create problems within families. Mental health issues are viewed as signs of a dysfunctional family; therefore, the focus of treatment is on changing the family structure rather than changing individual family members. The goal of SFT is to improve communications and interactions among family members and to highlight appropriate boundaries to create a healthier family structure. After observing how your family interacts, the therapist will draw a chart, or map, of your family’s structure. This chart helps identify the hierarchy, boundaries, and subsystems, or sub-relationships, within the family unit, such as the relationship between parents or between one parent and one particular child. Using this outline, the therapist can also see where changes are needed and what type of interventions will help restructure the family. Family members may be asked to role-play a problematic situation and, at times, the therapist may appear to be “taking sides” to help disrupt a negative pattern within a family subsystem and change the dynamic of the relationship.

Strength-Based Therapy

A type of positive psychotherapy and counseling that focuses more on your internal strengths and resourcefulness, less on weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings. This focus sets up a positive mindset that helps you build on your best qualities, find strengths, improve resilience and change worldview to one that is more positive. A positive attitude, in turn, can help your expectations of yourself and others become more reasonable. Strength-based therapy is talk therapy that guides you toward a retelling of your personal history of traumas, stressors, and pain with an emphasis on yourself as a survivor, not a victim and more emphasis on your strengths and survival skills than on your weakness. The goal is for you to recognize that you already have the skills and strength to survive and can use those same strengths to deal with tough situations in other areas of your life.

 

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

As its name implies is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that addresses the specific emotional and mental health needs of children, adolescents, adult survivors, and families who are struggling to overcome the destructive effects of early trauma. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is especially sensitive to the unique problems of youth with post-traumatic stress and mood disorders resulting from abuse, violence, or grief. Because the client is usually a child, TF-CBT often brings non-offending parents or other caregivers into treatment and incorporates principles of family therapy. TF-CBT is a short-term intervention that generally lasts anywhere from eight to 25 sessions and can take place in an outpatient mental health clinic, group home, community center, hospital, school, or in-home setting. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to help modify distorted or unhelpful thinking and negative reactions and behaviors. At the same time, a family therapy approach looks at interactions among family members and other family dynamics that are contributing to the problem and aims to teach new parenting, stress-management, and communication skills.

Specialization and Expertise:

  • Crisis Intervention/Conflict Resolution

  • Active and Reflective Listening

  • Community Outreach and Referrals

  • Children, Adults & Families

  • Mental Health

  • Developmental and Cognitive Delays

  • Sexual Abuse

  • Trauma

  • Loss & Grief

  • Self-Esteem

***Not limited to these specialties

  • Adjustment, Transition & Change

  • LGBTQ

  • Anxiety

  • Coping

  • Depression & Sadness

  • Stress

  • Peer Relationships

  • Racial Identity

  • Relationship Issues

  • Family Conflict

“Our mental health seriously affects our physical health. So there should be no stigma around mental health, none at all.”

— MICHELLE OBAMA