ALYSSA BICKFORD

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Who Am I?

Hi! I am Alyssa (uh-LISS-uh, she/her). I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works with children, teens, young adults, and families. I love working with individuals who are navigating difficult relationships and helping them to find their way. I enjoy providing support to individuals with lived experience in foster care or adoption. I am particularly passionate about supporting children and their families built through adoption as they learn more about each other and how they can improve the quality of their time together, as well as work through grief and acknowledge a great amount of loss. I have experience with, and enjoy working with, all types of families.

I love working with:

Children, adolescents, and young adults as they navigate their relationships and their sense of identity
Individuals with a history of trauma and/or somatic symptoms
Individuals in the LGBTQIA2S+ community
Individuals with anxiety, depression, chronic trauma, relational trauma, and attachment issues

Some of my favorite approaches include:

My work is always informed by attachment theory. I use this from assessment to intervention, and I am a firm believer that supporting attachment can positively impact many other areas. I use a lot of motivational interviewing and narrative therapy approaches. Some of my favorite treatment modalities include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing. I have a certificate in Interpersonal Neurobiology, an approach developed by Peter Levine, the creator of Somatic Experiencing. I am also TAC trained (Training in Adoption Competency), which further supports my work with individuals and families impacted by adoption. I am currently completing additional training focused on working with military families, with the goal of becoming part of a provider database that helps military-associated individuals and families connect with trained clinicians. I love discussing these topics and also find them to be very helpful in trauma treatment for many people. When working with younger clients, I use arts and crafts and games, depending on the interests of the child or teen. I always include the parent to some extent in treatment without breaking confidentiality with the child or teen. I like to spend a lot of time building rapport and trust, in order to have the ability to use myself therapeutically in relationship with my clients.