Mina Kirkova, MA, MSW, LCSW-C
Counseling and Therapy for Children, Adolescents, & Adults
in Phoenix/Jacksonville, Maryland
ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Stress, Mindfulness, Meditation, School Underachievement, Organizational Skills, Time Mngt., Phobias, Grief, Loss, Depression, Emotional Dysregulation, Self-Confidence, Bullying, Social Skills, Assertiveness, Sibling Rivalry, Disciplining Issues, Anger, Arguing, Rebelliousness, Lying
MY SPECIALTIES
ABOUT ME
Licensure
I am a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C*) in private practice in Phoenix, Maryland. My Maryland license number is 15911.
*LCSW-C clinicians have an advanced academic degree and at least two years of supervised clinical work experience. Also, LCSW-C practitioners have passed a national licensing exam and hold a clinical license.
Education
- MSW (Masters of Social Work), Portland State University, OR
- MA (International Studies), University of Oregon, OR
- BA (Sociology and Anthropology), Linfield College, OR
- AA (International Studies and Russian), Ricks College, ID
Work Experience
Before establishing my MD private practice in 2011, I worked as a Child and Family Therapist at one of the top residential treatment facilities in the US, Jasper Mountain Center (JMC), Oregon. At JMC, I specialized in the treatment of emotionally dysregulated children with severe behavior problems. At Options Counseling Services of Oregon, I treated adult clients with mood and anxiety disorders, severe phobias, and depression issues.
I have also worked as a Case Advocate for the South Asian Women’s Empowerment and Resource Alliance, an Oregon-based organization assisting South Asian women survivors of domestic violence, and served as the Head of the Organizational-Administrative Committee (Board of Directors).
My Success Story
I came to study in the US on a full four-year college scholarship when I was 17. I left my family 10.000 miles away, in Bulgaria. I graduated with honors from a top private college (Linfield, OR) and later completed two Masters degrees with a 4.0 GPA.
Yoga and Meditation
In my free time, I love to play with my children, spend time in nature, and meditate. Lately, I have been spending the majority of my free time meditating for long hours. I love getting up very early in the morning for my Hatha yoga and meditation practices. Doing my Surya Kriya while meeting the sunrise has become my favorite part of the day. By the time I see my first patient at 7am, I have usually spent a good 2-3 hours in meditation, which is what truly helps me be the best therapist and human being I can be. I often go to Isha Institute for Inner Sciences in McMinnville, TN to volunteer, get an inspiration, and learn new meditation techniques from my guru, Sadhguru.
https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/center/isha-institute-inner-sciences-usa
My Family
My husband is a music theory Professor at Towson University. We have two wonderful home-schooled children. Our extended families live in our home country, Bulgaria (Eastern Europe). Every summer we go to the beautiful island of Kauai where we love swimming with Hawaiian green sea turtles, kayaking, chasing double rainbows, and snorkeling in the coral reefs.
My Magical Pet Therapy Helpers
Below you will see some adorable pictures of my "animal therapy helpers.” They seem to be truly magical at assisting me resolve children's anger, oppositional defiance, anxiety, depression, and animal phobia issues both during in person and teletherapy sessions. My magical helpers also “teach” kids meditation, relaxation, mindfulness, and breathing techniques. They are also quite inspirational at teaching kids healthy eating habits, such as drinking kale and spinach smoothies and "eating the rainbow," e.g. daily eating of a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Currently, I have 2 hamsters: a Syrian named Honey and a Sunfire named Papaya. About every few months, I usually have a new litter of Holland Lop baby bunnies, who immediately become an inseparable part of my daily therapy sessions. My hamsters and bunnies often visit the homes of the children I work with in therapy as a reward for achieving their “bunny chart” weekly therapeutic goals.
