Therapists in Salem, MO

I believe counseling is most powerful when it sensitizes you to what’s happening in your mind, heart, and body and helps you meet whatever you find with compassion. Feeling your feels (literally) is the first step to making sense of them. Within that confusion is the possibility of deeper self-knowledge and freedom. I find it helpful to use yoga and mindfulness practices to keep you grounded as you explore big emotions, and I enjoy working with people who want to bring the wisdom of the body into their therapeutic work—whether that’s processing loss, trauma, change, overwhelm, spiritual concerns, or feeling stuck and disconnected.

I like to work with people who are internally motivated to learn and grow and desire to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. Whatever challenges they are facing I want them to know that working with me will at some point mean paying attention to and allowing themselves to feel their feelings. A conscious relationship with self is had through attending to the feelings we have about ourselves. Understanding feelings will be essential in generating improved self-awareness and a sense of personal integrity.

Life is challenging. So many ebbs and flows. I recognize that and would love to help you on your journey. We can all use a little support from time to time. Relationships can be difficult to manage. Setting (and keeping) boundaries at home, at work, or within relationships is hard work. If you or your child are looking for support with issues such as anxiety, depression, bullying, domestic violence, abuse or trauma, I'd love to help. I use creative therapy techniques in-person and via tele-health to support you or your child.

My hope is to be a first step in overcoming feelings of isolation and loneliness. If your world has been turned upside-down, either from the loss of a loved one or life's hardships, let's connect. Learning how to trust and practice new life skills are foundational in moving forward in relationships.

I have learned that no one is immune to mental health stress, trauma, OR substance abuse. Most really can find recovery and wellness. In 2000, I began my career providing counseling services in a treatment center and have continued to specialize in coping methods vs. "using." Relationships are sacred. I work with all arrangements of families (CNM & polyamory). Expert family/couples counseling requires expert training. The Gottman Method is taught in three levels and I completed all three in 2017. My intensive couples approach is successful in improving communication and provides many tools and results in a reasonable time frame.

Are you feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed? Do you have trouble saying no to others? Are you grieving a loss or life change? If so, and you are ready to make changes I can help.

We all go through difficult times at different parts of our life. It can help to have someone to talk to. I have particular experience with adults in midlife crisis, couples counseling, and adolescents experiencing, school problems, behavior problems, parent/child conflict, and trauma. I have experience with individual therapy, parent/child conflict, divorce, alternative relationships and LGBTQIA issues. I specialize in trauma treatment for all age groups. CURRENTLY OFFERING TELEMEDICINE SESSIONS VIA ZOOM OR SKYPE.

My philosophy of counseling is to let others know they are not alone. Clients will always have someone to talk to about anything troublesome. I believe all people need someone to be there for them, to comfort them and give them tools to self-sooth and learn to succeed to the best of their ability. Through unconditional positive regard, creating a safe space which is nonjudgmental and confidential, and by using active listening and other techniques clients can continue to learn to improve themselves and their environment.

Life can present us with situations that cause pain, anxiety or suffering. These problems can stem from your past, or may have presented more recently. While this can be overwhelming, seeking out therapy is a courageous act in and of itself, and there is no correct point when beginning to address these issues. I know too well that coping with the challenges of life is not a straightforward path. That is why I offer my clients an open and trustworthy therapeutic environment where we can explore these issues, to not only gain better insight, but also learn how to cope more effectively.

Can life just stop being a shit show? You work your butt off for a job that you constantly feel the "Sunday Scaries" over, you come home to a sink full of dishes and somehow twice as much laundry than what you saw the basket this morning, your mom made yet another comment about the way you choose to parent your kids, and you can’t even remember the last time you had a real, guilt-free night out. It's all starting to close in on you and you wish you could just run. It would be so easy to just run, wouldn't it?

I have a passion for helping, and strongly feel that building a connection - a supportive, therapeutic relationship - is critical and essential for counseling to be most effective. You will find in me a genuine person, and genuinely caring. I want to help you either overcome and conquer your struggle, or find a way to make life worth living - learning, practicing, and using "tools" that can elevate you to truly living from merely surviving. I've helped hundreds of people to find joy and new purpose, and I want to help you, too.

Welcome to Roots of Integrity Counseling, LLC. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Missouri. Taking the first step toward healing takes a great deal of courage, and I want to applaud you on taking a step toward making yourself and your wellbeing a priority. It is a true privilege to support you throughout this journey. I am dedicated to providing a safe, non-judgmental space where you feel heard, supported, and validated. I believe in the 3 C’s: Challenge. Choice. Change. – Challenge by Choice. Challenge creates Change. Choose the Challenge.

Our problems, concerns and struggles in life often cannot be reduced to a simple diagnosis. As human beings navigating a constantly evolving and sometimes difficult world, we are accumulations of our experiences, patterns, skills, and desires. We sometimes need to enhance our abilities to cope or gain insight through seeing a different perspective, but we all have the innate ability to grow and heal ourselves. As a therapist, my goal is to assist you in attaining your desired outcomes and reaching a point of contentment in your life.

You’ve had enough! The stress has been building. You hold it in but then the littlest thing pushes you over the edge. No one truly understands everything you’ve been through but you aren’t sure you want to let them in. Life has been cruel at times! You try to push it away. It's impossible. Triggers are everywhere. The anxiety and despair in those moments is more than you can handle! Your world becomes small in hopes that you can avoid these feelings but it only makes things worse. You are stuck in a vicious cycle. Nothing seems to help. You don’t want to keep living this way but you don’t know what to do or where to go.

Throughout our lives, many of us have been urged to mute ourselves, asked not to inconvenience or disrupt the people around us with our needs. We learn to suppress the things about us that challenge others, slowly eroding our connection to ourselves. There are countless reasons it happens: unsafe relationships, social expectations, systemic oppression, grief, life transitions, and so much more. I’ll help you tap into your inner creative resources as you learn to navigate your past, present, and future with authenticity and self-compassion.

I went into the field of psychology because I love helping people transform to the best version of themselves. We all need a safe place to understand ourselves and how we relate to others/self. I often say "We need to be Mindful of our Total-Well Being and that our minds and our bodies are an inter-connected systems. Where the mind goes, so does the man or woman in their actions and body states. We go to the physician for our physical health, so how much healthier would we be if we went to our psychologist for our mental health?" At heart, I am a holistic practitioner and love seeing my clients Thrive.

I seek to do whatever possible to help you feel safe in counseling. The relationship between you and I needs to be one that feels warm, inviting, non-judgmental, and encouraging. From the safety of this relationship, you can then feel supported enough to grieve what has been lost and push to fight for the things that have been taken from your life.

I am a therapist who desires to collaboratively work with you to cultivate hope and healing in your life. I very much enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds who are struggling through issues of depression, anxiety, spiritual, racial, and sexual trauma, sexual identity and shame/self-hatred.