Hello! Let me introduce myself.
My name is Dvonna Riggs. I would like you to know a little bit about who I am both personally and professionally.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
I am a wife, a mother, an Ouma (grandmother), a volunteer and a counselor. After receiving my Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Kansas, I married and we started our family. I have been blessed to be able to take a break from education and a public career to focus on being a mother to our 3 children and Ouma to our 7 grandchildren. Through the years, I have also been very involved in our local church as a teacher of children, teens and adults, a Bible study leader and as a facilitator for a group of caregivers.
After most of our grandchildren were in school, I began to feel that prodding to do "something". The question was, "What is that 'something'?" Then came the unwelcome diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease for my mother. That diagnosis and the prognosis of ALZ left our family feeling lost and questioning. Over time, it became very clear to me that there was a lack of services for individuals in our situation (for both the diagnosed person and for the family members). That was when I knew what the "something" was that I was to follow. This decision propelled me to enroll at Walden University and seek training as a mental health counselor.
PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION
I completed my coursework and internship in 2016 and graduated from Walden University with a Master's of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. While at Walden I was invited to join Chi Sigma Iota, the national honor society for counselors. I am licensed in the state of Kansas as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and have received national certification (NCC). I have also been trained in Prepare/Enrich, a premarital and marriage relationship assessment and skill building course.
COUNSELING STYLE
While my counseling style can be rather eclectic as needed, I base much of my counseling on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The core belief of CBT is that, while we cannot always change the situations we are in, we can always change the ways we interpret those situations thus changing the ways we respond. Our beliefs about the situation rather than the situation itself are what create stress and anxiety.
https://www.beckinstitute.org/get-informed/what-is-cognitive-therapy/
Additionally, I incorporate elements of Systems Theory, the belief that, because we are so intertwined with other people and organizations, what happens to one person will influence every person or organization with whom he/she has contact. It is very much like the thought set forth in John Donne's poem "No Man is an Island". No person exists entirely alone and separate. What happens to that person has a ripple effect on all others. This theory fits nicely with CBT in that individuals are better able to understand how the influence of unhealthy beliefs affects the current situation once they are able to see the interconnections they share with others.
https://allpoetry.com/No-man-is-an-island
CLIENT DEMOGRAPHICS
I am passionate about the mental health of our elderly population and of those who have become their caregivers. I believe this is a population that has been overlooked in our hurried and harried society. Being overlooked has only added to the significant stress, fear, guilt, etc. that these individuals deal with on a daily basis.
In connection with working with elderly and caregivers, the issues of end-of-life and grief are encountered. These issues can dramatically affect the mental health of the dying and the family/friends surrounding them. Helping individuals to find methods of communication among all involved will greatly reduce the stress of facing death for all affected.
Additionally, I love to work with individuals who have not yet discovered the freedom of boundary setting. The need for boundaries exists in all areas of life and enters into the counseling sessions of many diagnoses. Setting boundaries can help to lessen the anxiety, depression, interpersonal issues, etc. that many individuals face.
I completed my coursework and internship in 2016 and graduated from Walden University with a Master's of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. While at Walden I was invited to join Chi Sigma Iota, the national honor society for counselors. I am licensed in the state of Kansas as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and have received national certification (NCC). I have also been trained in Prepare/Enrich, a premarital and marriage relationship assessment and skill building course.
COUNSELING STYLE
While my counseling style can be rather eclectic as needed, I base much of my counseling on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The core belief of CBT is that, while we cannot always change the situations we are in, we can always change the ways we interpret those situations thus changing the ways we respond. Our beliefs about the situation rather than the situation itself are what create stress and anxiety.
https://www.beckinstitute.org/get-informed/what-is-cognitive-therapy/
Additionally, I incorporate elements of Systems Theory, the belief that, because we are so intertwined with other people and organizations, what happens to one person will influence every person or organization with whom he/she has contact. It is very much like the thought set forth in John Donne's poem "No Man is an Island". No person exists entirely alone and separate. What happens to that person has a ripple effect on all others. This theory fits nicely with CBT in that individuals are better able to understand how the influence of unhealthy beliefs affects the current situation once they are able to see the interconnections they share with others.
https://allpoetry.com/No-man-is-an-island
CLIENT DEMOGRAPHICS
I am passionate about the mental health of our elderly population and of those who have become their caregivers. I believe this is a population that has been overlooked in our hurried and harried society. Being overlooked has only added to the significant stress, fear, guilt, etc. that these individuals deal with on a daily basis.
In connection with working with elderly and caregivers, the issues of end-of-life and grief are encountered. These issues can dramatically affect the mental health of the dying and the family/friends surrounding them. Helping individuals to find methods of communication among all involved will greatly reduce the stress of facing death for all affected.
Additionally, I love to work with individuals who have not yet discovered the freedom of boundary setting. The need for boundaries exists in all areas of life and enters into the counseling sessions of many diagnoses. Setting boundaries can help to lessen the anxiety, depression, interpersonal issues, etc. that many individuals face.