Works with:
Adults
Teens
Children
LANGUAGES: English, French, Haitian Creole
EDUCATION:
Simmons University, Doctorate of Social Work, in progress, Boston, MA.
Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, Master of Social Work, NYC, NY.
Bowdoin College, BA in Government and Legal Studies, Brunswick, ME.
POST-GRADUATE TRAINING:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for adults and children, Parts 1 & 2
AEDP - Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy , Level 1
Mindfulness-Based Internventions
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Trauma-focused CBT
AEDP/Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy, Level 1
Walkens Petit-Frere, LMSW
Always candid, Walkens aims to demystify therapy. He encourages clients to experience what they can’t control and zero in on what they can control, internally. Sore spots, discomfort and reactivity are as welcome as calm, connection or a restorative state. Through active listening and a non-judgemental approach, vulnerability is balanced with the confidence to trust yourself.
By letting go of the false belief that we don’t deserve good things because of the shame of things that happened in the past, Walkens hopes clients will begin to feel again. Over time, clients synchronize vision with passion, overcome imposter syndrome and center on what’s authentic. A key goal: to face life pressures from a new place inside yourself.
Like so many NYC professionals, Walkens is sensitive to the ways life challenges - school, career, relationships - take on new dimension, when crossing culture, class and language. Coming from a place full of hope, but with few resources to realize this vision, he has seen first hand that through education and psychotherapy there can be liberation - social, spiritual and economic.
Drawing on a wide range of clinical models, including CBT-based mindfulness, psychodynamic and trauma-informed therapies (EMDR, AEDP), he draws on 15 years of professional experience as an educator, social worker and most recently as a researcher pursuing a doctorate in diversity and inclusion at Simmons College in Boston. Walkens thrives on working with young adults, teens and children, excited by this time of rapid change and neuroplasticity, where relationships and personal choices can have lasting impact.
Outside of work, he loves spending time with his family, working really hard on their behalf and reliving his own childhood through his son’s eyes - sharing his joy, playing together. Spirituality and reading are both central. He admits he is a real “philosophy nerd”, particularly influenced by David Hume’s existentialism, fascinated by tracking his path - to laugh with the laughing, to grieve with the grieved and to seek the good of others as well as one's own.
Specialties
Anxiety and Mood Issues
Relationship Issues and social anxiety
Behavioral challenges at home and school
Trauma, including identity, race-based and immigration related traumas.
Life transitions and phase of life stress
Spirituality
Career stressors and academic concerns