Crystal Sombatphibane

LMSW, LCSW

Telehealth only

(Video or Phone)

It’s my goal to create a safe, confidential, and comfortable space for you to share the stress and struggles of your life and relationships without feeling judged. I wholeheartedly believe the quality of the therapeutic relationship between you and I is the single biggest factor in facilitating change.

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” –Zig Ziglar

Approach:

My personal approach leans heavy on motivational interviewing techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy.  This means that I aim to work in collaboration with you to guide you towards solving your own challenges and ambivalence.  We focus on your thoughts and feelings that may be driving your behaviors that you’d like to work on and change those unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior while I provide the support to help you learn the skills you need for long-term behavior change.  However, I don’t tie myself to one approach, rather, I like to tailor the approach to your individual needs and strengths.

Experience:

Graduating from Michigan State University in 2003 with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work, my initial career role was helping teenagers that were in the foster care system. There I worked both individually with my adolescent clients as well as their foster families and biological families, helping them navigate through a difficult period of time in their lives. I was exposed to helping families with a variety of issues from addiction, to mental illness, to poverty, trauma, all forms of abuse (physical, verbal, mental, sexual), neglect, and more. I became familiar with the child welfare system and the family court system. From there I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and began a career as a social worker in the criminal court system, working 1 on 1 with adults who had committed offenses of varying degrees and types. Again, I worked to assist my clients with addiction issues, mental health, co-occurring disorders, severe and persistent mental illness, physical disabilities, trauma, poverty, homelessness, abuse, offender behaviors including theft, assault, gang involvement, drug-dealing, and more. After six years, I became a supervisor to train and mentor new social workers in the art of helping others through the change process. And, after another five years, I became an administrator, overseeing several units of social workers providing care to clients. Now, I am thrilled for the opportunity to go back to working individually with Michigan clients again, equipped with nearly 2 decades of experience, as that is where my passion began and still resides.

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Education:

Masters Degree in Social Work from Michigan State University

Certificates/Licenses:

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)-Michigan
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)-Hawaii

Comprehensive Training in:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Substance Abuse
  • Mental Health

Areas of specialty include:

  • Abuse
  • Addictions
  • Anxiety
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Depression
  • Grief and Loss
  • Legal involvement/court supervision
  • Life Adjustment/Transitions
  • Mindfulness
  • Parenting Issues
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Relationship Issues
  • Relaxation Techniques
  • Stress Management
  • Trauma
  • Sexuality/Gender
  • Spirituality
  • Substance Use Issues

Special Interests:

I am open to clients from all walks of life who may need help for different reasons.  I have a specialized experience in working with clients and families that have court involvement.

Outside Work Interests:

Reading, Writing, Hiking, Pets, Baking, and Traveling

Contact Us Confidentially:

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