3 Years Exp - LPC
Gabrielle Oblena
3 Years Exp
3 Years Exp
Gabrielle Oblena
My name is Gabby Oblena and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of VA and a National Certified Counselor. The weight of the world is heavy right now, but that does not mean you have to carry it alone. My main therapeutic approach is to allow my clients the space to be wholeheartedly human in a world that is not conducive to the full capacity of humanness. We will work together to meet you where you are. I enjoy working with those navigating depression, anxiety, stress, cultural identity, sexual and gender identity, and general life adjustments. I have experience working in multiple settings and environments—community based mental health, mental health advocacy, outpatient therapy, college campus disability services, and schools and youth centers.
I have worked with a number of clients who have endured all types of trauma. The main feedback I get about our breakthroughs is that that have been in and out of therapy for years with various therapists, and they report that in our time together just a few months have been significantly more healing that years with different therapists. They have told me that they are glad they have found me as a therapist because they actually feel like they can say whatever they need to say without being judged and that therapy with me feels more human than clinical, dispassionate, and impersonal.
My counseling style is holistic, non-judgmental, and eclectic. Clients can generally expect conversational talk therapy with me to help you feel safe and secure in being heard and being seen.
First sessions with me will include general information gathering and psychoeducation on what therapy will look like with me and what you would like to get out of working with me. However, the first session and subsequent initial sessions will involve me getting to know you better and an opportunity for you to get to know me better and ask questions. We are a team—let’s get a chance to know each other.
My passion for being a therapist comes from a calling to be the person my younger self needed. Life is complex, messy, and scary. I want to help individuals function the best that they can within the context of their own life and bring out the potential within them that they did not think possible.
Highlights
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
I use person-centered techniques. If you allow me the opportunity to work with you, what I hope you can benefit from me is the power to become comfortable with vulnerability, realize your potential for life-long resiliency, create better relationships with yourself and others, and process any tangled mess you need help untangling.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
As an LPC, I use evidence-based, person-centered, holistic approaches to psychotherapy. I’m not here to judge, nor am I here to tell you what to do. I implement many treatment methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, trauma-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, and more. However, at the end of the day the best treatment method and tools will ultimately be catered to you and your treatment goals; I work with you to figure out what is best for you.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My general strengths lie in working with individuals with depression, anxiety, low confidence/self-esteem, struggling with vulnerability, and generational trauma. As an Asian American adult child of immigrants, I strongly empathize with and am knowledgeable in the challenges associated with generational trauma and cultural identity.
Specialities