Anna Vangsness, LICSW

Clinical Social Work

I have always been interested in listening to people’s stories. I was drawn to the field of social work because it is a helping profession that attempts to focus on both individual and societal well-being. Narrative therapy is an approach to therapy that aligns with my value of seeing people as the experts in their own lives. 

This quote sums up why Narrative therapy is at the core of my practice:

 "Narrative therapy seeks to be a respectful, non-blaming approach to counselling and community work, which centres people as the experts in their own lives. It views problems as separate from people and assumes people have many skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments and abilities that will assist them to reduce the influence of problems in their lives."

 -Alice Morgan, Author of the book, “What is Narrative Therapy?”

• English
• Spanish

Prior to working at CUHCC, I was a social worker at Children’s Minnesota from 2013 – 2018, where I provided services to children, adolescents, and their families and collaborated on community health initiatives. I have also worked in public benefits navigation and advocacy. Early in my career, I worked for a non-profit organization in Nicaragua, facilitating community development and cultural exchange programming. Advanced training includes: Narrative Therapy Certificate (Levels 1, 2 and 3), Caspersen Training Center; EMDR Basic Training Course, Trauma Recovery/HAP; EMDR Early Trauma Protocol; Certificate Program in Primary Care Behavioral Health, Center for Integrated Primary Care, University of Massachusetts Medical School; Behavioral Health Consultant Training Academy, Cherokee Health Systems, Knoxville, TN 

Non-pathologizing approaches to therapy, Integrating EMDR with Narrative therapy, Response-based practice, Culture as a resource in health and healing, Clinical Supervision.

N/A

I enjoy camping, quilting and other crafting, playing music, and spending time with family and friends. 

Namibia