Mindy Krupp, LCSW-C is a seasoned Social Worker with experience working with children, adolescents, adults and families in crisis. She now works as a Therapist in private practice, with children, adolescents and adults in individual, group and family counseling.
Education & Professional Affiliations:
Mindy received her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She graduated as an MSW with a concentration in Families and Children. She is a member in good standing of NASW (National Association of Social Workers). She is certified to provide supervision for Social Workers who need supervisory hours towards their advanced licensure.
Professional Presentations:
Mindy has lectured on “Borderline Personality Disorder” and “Work Issues in Welfare-to-Work.”
Professional Experience:
Mindy has been a Social worker in a variety of Social Work settings. She has also held supervisory positions in the Therapeutic Foster Care and a Mental Health Clinic. Her experience includes: Supported Employment programs, Welfare-to-Work, Therapeutic Foster Care, group homes, outpatient mental health environment, working with the chronically mentally ill and individuals with brain injuries. She also worked with children in the Baltimore City school system. She was responsible for starting the first therapeutic drumming group in Southern Maryland. Mindy has been the Southern Maryland Field Liaison/Instructor for Masters Degree students for the National Catholic University School of Social Science in Southern Maryland.
How much of your life is really under your control? We would like to think, all of it. However, life circumstances prove over and over again that it is not. Take for example our recent loss of a beloved pet. Baby was the sweetest cat. He had soft long hair and the sweetest disposition. He was 3 years old. Then there was Star, 16+ years old. A black and white Tabby with a white star on her back! She was the best hunter but gave up hunting a while ago, delivering a well preserved squirrel to us as her last hurrah. She had been sick for a few years with kidney disease. Small and emaciated, this cat ate like a champ, and so kept going. So what was the expected outcome? For Star to pass first. Right? Wrong! Baby contracted an infection and was gone within a week. Star followed a few weeks later. Control? Not really. For the portion of our lives we think we can control like our jobs, relationships, and hobbies, we often make bad decisions and so go down the wrong path.
Psychologically speaking, the blockages in our lives (from addictions, abuse, neglect, trauma etc. ) tend to put a twist on our ability to make the best decisions. We attract less than we set out for. We experience fear of failure but fear of success as well. Therapy is but one way to address these blockages and to help remove them. Once removed, we have a clearer ability to see the correct path and to stay on it.
This takes us back to the idea of free will. We can, however, choose to work on our issues, hurts, anger, depression, anxiety etc. First of all we must be open to change, to the process of changing and admit we need help. The next step is to find a practitioner and make sure you LIKE them. You are about to go on a journey that is sometimes intense, sometimes insightful and sometimes fun. You want to go with someone you can trust. Interview a few therapists, find the best one for you. Then talk and share. Any burden is lightened when two people carry it. When you get clearer, your thoughts will be clearer, your emotions clearer and you will feel happier and lighter. Your relationships will improve or better ones take the place of toxic ones. Sounds good, doesn't it? I call working on ourselves going on a journey. As a therapist, I go on journeys with my clients. We clean out the cobwebs and do some needed tidying up. I have found that the more you heal the easier, and happier it gets. So go heal and be happy. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Typically, children come to therapy for behavioral issues, but often need assistance coping with other loss, grief or attachment problems. I work closely with them over time, helping them successfully adapt to their new realities.
Often, adolescents need therapy for behavioral problems—they find the stability of their lives and the world around them shaken. The level of severity of adolescent behavioral issues can range from mild to criminal, in nature and the mode of treatment is adjusted to most effectively deal with the challenge.
Adults most often seek treatment when their world seems out of control. The problems might stem from innate mental health issues—from mild to serious—or issues of self-esteem. In many cases, they may need help coping with problems in their relationship, at work, or with their children.
Play therapy is a form of counseling or psychotherapy that uses play to communicate with and help children to prevent or resolve psychosocial challenges. This helps them towards better social integration, growth and development.
The effectiveness of peer to peer counseling in a group setting—when supervised by an experienced professional—has been proven time and again to be highly successful in facilitating change in an individual. Groups are formed on an as-needed basis.
Often a trained professional who serves as an objective third party can help a couple iron out their differences, discover who they are in the relationship, and how to fully participate in or leave that relationship.
"Sandplay" is a method used with children and adults. The client is given the possibility to set up a world corresponding to his or her inner state by means of arranging figures and sand in a sandbox. Immersed in play, a link is established between internal and external. It becomes possible to break through narrowing perspectives and fears.
The timeless beat of drums and other percussion instruments promotes calmness and allows the participant to learn to work within a group—blending in, sometimes leading, sometimes following.
I employ the Pathways program for offenders, to help reduce the possibility of recidivism. This program centers on the acceptance of full responsibility for the action, creates empathy for the victim, and promotes an honest, responsible lifestyle for the offender.
Often, as one member of the family changes, all the other members are impacted. To make this transition a positive one, family therapy is necessary to support and nurture positive change.
For those who have not had success with traditional therapy and are attracted to a more non-traditional way of life, other modes of self exploration and healing are available.
Abuse touches all ages and genders. Healing from abuse—becoming a survivor as opposed to a victim—is a freeing experience that leaves the individual with more energy and enhances their self-worth.
Certified supervisor for Social Workers who need supervisory hours toward their advanced licensure. There is an hourly rate for this service.