Hello! My name is Rickia Washington. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I received my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Nicholls State University. I have experience working with children, adolescents and adults who suffer with Anxiety, Depression, Substance Abuse, Shame, Guilt, Grief, Self-Esteem, and many others. I see counseling as a process in which you, the client, and I, the LPC having come to understand and trust one another, work as a team to explore and define present problem situations, develop future goals for an improved life and work in a systematic fashion toward realizing those goals. I approach counseling from a cognitive-behavioral perspective, meaning patterns of thoughts and actions are explored in order to better understand your problems and to develop solutions. As we begin this counseling journey, I will provide a non-judgmental atmosphere where you can share freely. You seeking counseling is the start of you becoming a better vision of yourself and I am honored to be able to share this journey with you.

In the counseling process, I believe that being transparent helps build the counseling relationship. I would like to share a little about myself. My favorite tv show is Grey’s Anatomy. One thing that I value in my personal life is self-care, which helps when I’m feeling too stressed or burned out. My self-care plan involves many different things, for example, going for a walk, taking a vacation or binge watching my favorite show. Taking time out for self-care helps you relieve the pressure of everyday life and helps you reset to a healthy point. What do you do for self care?

-It’s not about being perfect. It’s about effort. When you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.