Tara Rigatti, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW, CASAC-T

Licensed Clinical Social Worker/ Therapist | Providing Compassionate Mental Health Care.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 18 years of experience, I have a passion for helping people overcome and cope with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, complex trauma, emotional dysregulation, neurodivergence, masking, ADHD, caregiver stress, abuse, low self-esteem/ cognitive distortions, adverse childhood events, alcohol/ substance use disorders, addictions, etc. I truly believe that we have the innate power to identify, conquer, and remove whatever blocks are keeping us from being the best version of ourselves, and that we can rewrite our own story!

I am currently providing Telehealth as a Clinical Social Worker/ Therapist at ALTNS Group. I am committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based, and culturally responsive care to diverse populations, and to advancing the field of social work through research, education, and advocacy.

I often use psychodynamic therapy in my practice, along with integrating other modalities as well. In your first session, we'll explore what brought you to therapy and then decide the most appropriate way to help you make progress. I don't believe there is a one-size, cookie-cutter model that fits all. You are unique, & during treatment, we will use therapy models tailored to your specific needs.

In all of my years of working with people- humans- this is what I've learned. We are ALL unique! And many of us tend to feel that our struggles, along with how we handle ourselves, is what defines us- and that's not true! I've learned, that this is especially true in our developmental years- We can only do what we can with what we've got!

The one thing that is the same for each individual, is that we each have a different story!

Starting with our development in early childhood and leading up until the present has been different for all of us, what: we've seen and learned, been conditioned to do, our ability to emotionally self-regulate or not, opportunities are presented to us, supports we have, our resilience level is, survival techniques we may or may not have, we are capable of doing and achieving, etc!

Many factors come into play which effect different parts of our story: family dynamics, socio-economics, neurogenetics, birth gender/ preferred gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, abilities/ disabilities, biohazards, support systems, immediate/ local environment, geographics, emotional capacity to self-regulate, adaptability, resilience, self-preservation, independence, capabilities, etc.

And there is our subjective sense of ourself, our AUTHENTIC self- and how that person tries to navigate the world- sometimes compromising/ sacrificing our selves/ priorities/ values/ morals/ sanity in the process: the struggle between our actual identity/ perceived identity, trying to live up to expectations imposed by society/ the job force/ our loved ones/ social supports/ etc, that may or may not align with our own, and then masking our true selves out of fear of judgment and rejection. Sometimes we've been masking for so long that we may not even know who that person truly is behind the mask.

We all deserve to live our best lives, as our true authentic selves- unapologetically, unconditionally, and to feel good about it- as long as we accept ourselves.

It is time to take our power back! Sometimes our worst critic is ourselves! Sometimes we stew so long in the self criticism, the judgments, the shame, the shoulda-woulda-couldas, the ruminating, and the anxiety and depression that it causes, and we spiral down the rabbit hole and find it hard to get out.

What we can at least try to do is go back and explore where it all started- the core beliefs may not necessarily be facts, and we can break them down, see if those things hold true for the person that you are today, and come to peace with them, and with yourself.

You may not always have the power to forgive past people or situations for happening, but at least you can learn to forgive yourself for the way you handled it. You did the best you could with what you had in the moment.

And then on the flip-side, there may be certain conditions/ stressors/ symptoms that are chronic (such as medical, physical, organic/ neurologic, I/DD, mental health diagnoses), and even though it may not be curable- THEY CAN BE MANAGEABLE!

- And you may be the caregiver/ parent/ spouse/ loved one of the person with the chronic condition- and you may be exhausted, and could benefit from incorporating peaceful, mindful tasks/ activities/ self-care. If you want to be the best version of yourself so that you could care for your loved one the best way you know how, you need to make sure you are cared for as well.

And if we can't change our thoughts, we can at least come up with a plan together, to MANAGE our behaviors/ reactions, make more mindful choices, which can lead to more desirable outcomes!

Sometimes a true mental health diagnosis may be due to a chemical imbalance, and if you need to consult with a medical provider for medication, or you are already on medication management, you can potentially maximize your positive outcomes by coupling it with therapy.

No matter what has happened in your life up until this exact moment, you have survived!

Now it's time to thrive!!!