Messina Basta, ACSW
Experience: +11 years working in nonprofit; 4 years as a Therapist.
Clients: Children 5+, Teens, Adults, Families, Couples/Relationship Issues, LGBTQ2IA+, Gender Idenity/ Gender Affirming, Kink/ Sex Positive, Sex Worker Allied, Anxiety, Life Transitions, Attachment Styles, Trauma, Grief, Women’s Issues, Codependency, Self-Esteem/Empowerment, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Autism, OCD, Panic Disorder, PTSD, ADHD, Personality Disorders, Psychosis, Behavioral Issues, Career Counseling, Dual Diagnosis, Self-Harm, Sexual Abuse, Traumatic Brain Injury
Modalities: DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Mindfulness, Client-Centered,Humanistic, Trauma and Grief Informed/Focused, Solution Focused, Inner Child/Reparenting, Personal Empowerment and Transformation, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Strengths Based, Sexual issues/Sexual Trauma, Crisis Intervention (advocacy, connecting, engagement, building trust, assessment, resource building), Holistic Therapy, Compassion Focused, Culturally Sensitive, Feminist, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Psychology, Biopsychosocial Approach, Transcultural Perspective as well as Attachment Theory
Availability: Telehealth Only
Available Monday-Thursday Evenings as well as Sunday Mornings by appointment.
A Message from Messina:
My ideal client is someone who has historically felt misunderstood and unheard. My goal is to make each client feel special and empowered during and after their time with me. I enjoy talking about “hard things” and encourage my clients to use their time with me in whatever way they need during that time. I don’t believe that progress is linear and I am interested in meeting my client where they are with their goals even if it looks like them simply making an appointment and showing up as a starting point.
I have worked for over 10 years in clinical and leadership roles in non-profit organizations specializing in helping people who have co-occurring diagnoses of Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and mental health needs.
I have a heart for the underdog and firmly believe that all people have strengths, exhibiting this throughout my work history at mental health nonprofits, school based therapy, and the judicial system. While in graduate school, my focus was the Transcultural Perspective within Social Work and I completed my thesis advocating for the decriminalization of sex work. Clinically, I have experience with working with people from ages 3+ and a variety of mental health diagnoses including personality disorders and psychosis. I have experiences with working with both individuals experiencing mental health symptoms and supporting their loved ones and their roles in that individuals lives.
Additionally, I have facilitated general mental health groups for people experiencing homelessness, grief/loss groups for teens who lost friends to suicide, art therapy informed groups, specialized groups for children with intellectual/developmental disabilites, and relationship groups for adults with intellectual/ developmental disabilites.
Some of my favorite clinical acomplishments include: reuniting a mother with her child, reconnecting partners after one partner was diagnosed with psychosis, and supporting a teen in coming out to his parents as transgender.
If you or your loved one is looking for support in being empowered to be their most authentic self, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about starting or revisiting your therapeutic journey.
Associate Clinical Social Worker #103989
Supervised by Wendy Earle Licensed Clinical Social Worker #20127
Contact Me Today
& Let’s Get Started!
We look forward to talking more and discussing the next steps. You can expect to hear from us within 48 hours.