Therapist in Bedford, New Hampshire Craig Washington, Therapist

Prior to obtaining my Master’s Degree I had worked as a residential counselor for adjudicated adolescent males at Our House in Greenfield, MA. In the late 80s I moved to Oakland California where I worked as an Activity Therapist at a treatment program for adolescents in the Mission District of San Francisco doing Art Therapy and small group therapy. I earned my Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley School of Social Welfare. While at Berkeley I did an internship at San Francisco General Hospital in their Behavioral Health unit where I worked as a discharge social worker, doing clinical assessments and connecting patients to resources. In my second year I worked at the Veterans Administration in Martinez, CA doing individual therapy. I graduated from Berkeley in 1994 and moved to Maryland where I worked as psychiatric social worker at Southern Maryland Hospital Center doing discharge planning and follow-up visits with psychiatrists and counselors. I conducted groups on the ward involving medication compliance and conducted family meetings to facilitate the return of the patient to the family. I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 1997 and began working primarily with adolescents in a group practice setting working primarily with males who were oppositional, defiant and traumatized. There also were a number of adolescents experiencing the onset of mental illness as well as substance abusers “ with many having had abuse in their backgrounds. I focused more on the adolescent population – initially using a short-term model centered on setting and achieving goals. Subsequently, based on the clinical need, this evolved into a more specifically trauma-focused group. In addition to my work with adolescents I have experience working with couples counseling as well as individual work with adults diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. When I worked as therapist in a group practice I tended to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for many of my clients. I found the modality effective for many of my younger clients because it drew a clear line between their thought process, feelings and behaviors. For my patients with anxiety disorders, PTSD in particular, I often use mindfulness techniques. Hobbies and Interests I am a certified rescue scuba diver, and have a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do which I teach on weekends. I will be offering individual therapy, treatment of the dually diagnosed and eventually I will be doing group counseling. I am fluent in English and French and intermediate in Korean.