In beginning a therapy, I first try to create an environment that is non-judgmental and accepting. Comfort and trust are indispensable for developing a strong working relationship in psychotherapy. During the course of therapy, I try to help identify and explore problem areas at face value at the time they are presented. I also stay attuned to dimensions of personal struggles that are not readily apparent.

Making the decision to create change in your life takes courage and strength. Our therapists at Inspire Behavioral Health are here to provide compassionate support to assist you in gaining a fresh perspective, as well as identifying solutions for meeting your personal goals. Let us assist you in beginning your journey towards self-improvement.

I am delighted to assist you in becoming whole and living a joyous life that is full of emotional freedom and possibility. The decision to examine your life in order to heal and grow is a courageous act, and not a sign of weakness. I am excited and grateful that my life’s work has been dedicated to this process. I work with people to overcome anxiety, depression, and self-defeating behavior patterns. Freedom from self-imposed limitations can enhance and enrich your life and relationships. I have the training and experience to help you restore mental, emotional, and spiritual balance.

You do not have to go through this alone. This is an especially stressful time and many are experiencing additional anxiety/stress/hopelessness due to the current pandemic. We all need extra support to: navigate through emotions, think through how to stay safe and get basic needs met while preparing for weathering this storm and managing relationships with ourselves/others during this challenging time.

**IMMEDIATE OPENINGS** We are passionate about working with individuals and couples during their perinatal journey (the time from pregnancy through early parenthood). We are perinatal mental health certified therapists who have specialized training in treating pregnancy and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs; PPA/PPD/PPOCD), birth trauma, adjustment to parenthood, grief and loss due to miscarriage/stillbirth, and infertility. We openly welcome and invite individuals and couples of all gender and sexual orientations to our clinical space, as these issues often impact partners and couples, too.

Making the decision to create change in your life takes courage and strength. Therapy is here to provide compassionate support to assist you in gaining a fresh perspective, as well as identifying solutions for meeting your personal goals. Let us assist you in beginning your journey towards self-improvement.

My goal is to create an atmosphere where every person that enters my office feels it is a safe place to learn and grow. I honor the unique strengths that each individual already possesses while challenging them to grow and develop in other areas. While I encourage people to stretch beyond their comfort zones, I respect and accept each person where they are at in their growth process. I have 19 years experience as a Psychotherapist. I work with children, adolescents, adults, and couples. When working with children, I feel it is important to become a team with their parents.

When you find yourself ruminating on what didn't work, won't work--and feel discouraged or overwhelmed. When you don't feel at home with yourself or others. When you've lost a job or relationship and aren't sure where to turn. When you feel you have a mission but don't know what it is. My integrative approach is a unique method of fostering self-empowerment. It's most effective for creative adolescents, adults, and couples who are open to self discovery, an expansive view, balancing love of self, life, and others. They often are at a threshold or transition, having had an epiphany: "Time to believe in myself. Time to change!"

Most of us know that even the healthiest of us need at some point in our lives an outside perspective or guidance into our inner selves to resolve many issues that we have not been able to do on our own. Therapy can take many forms from "personal growth work " (i.e. becoming a better person or reaching personal goals not yet achieved) or in dealing with life crises, wrong choices in the past effecting today, life transitions or mood problems such as depression, grief, anxiety etc. am also helping people deal with covid and all of it's implications.

My main focus is on the importance of emotional well being. I believe that everyone experiences difficulties in their lives and see the counseling office as a space for clients to express and normalize difficult feelings in a safe environment. I believe that people have all of the components for a happy and healthy life but sometimes need help processing and navigating through their feelings and experiences to learn new and more effective ways to cope. My specialization is in grief and loss - specifically with traumatic loss and/or complicated grief including child loss and loss due to suicide.

For over 20 years, I have been helping people with mental health, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Therapy can help resolve feelings and concerns which impact how we see ourselves and the world around us. My goal is to help clients work through negative thoughts and feelings which can inhibit us in our daily life and make our personal relationships suffer. In a safe, supportive environment, I hope to help you improve overall well being, develop coping skills and make behavioral changes which can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

Our mission at Inspire Behavioral Health is to inspire balance, hope and personal growth. Mental health therapy can be an important part of your journey toward emotional well-being and healing. We believe that each individual is unique in their experiences, strengths and needs, and thus brings a different perspective to session. We look forward to collaborating with you to begin to explore thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to anxiety, work and family stress, grief and loss, self-esteem, trauma, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Please call so we can discuss your needs and preferences.

We are all called to evolve beyond our survival level strategies designed to cope with wounding family systems and societal systems. It is possible to integrate the legacy of trauma we have inherited and thrive in this lifetime. We are collectively facing monumental global challenges, socially, politically and environmentally, that amplifies this legacy, and hastens the call for us to cultivate greater capacity to stay present, grounded and skillfully engaged. Returning to wholeness requires reorienting towards mobilizing our rich inner and outer resources, shifting from unknowingly generating suffering to unlocking liberation.

I have had much experience working with adolescents, adults, older clients, and couples. I use a variety of approaches derived from strength based, cognitive behavioral, ego psychological and family system theories

I work to help others reduce distress, maximize functioning and find joy and purpose in their lives. No matter what challenges we face, we can learn ways to improve our ability to meet and overcome them. I use a combination of techniques to build and enhance skills for rising to meet life's stressful moments and to understand that our "weaknesses" can be our greatest strengths.

I believe that people seek therapy for many different reasons; to manage feelings of sadness and/or anxiety, to work through specific personal or relational crises, to better parent difficult children, or simply to understand and resolve general feelings of discontent. I work with clients for all of these reasons. I enjoy helping people discover new ways of thinking and finding qualities in themselves that have long been hidden. I think of my therapy as a way to help people understand and change patterns of behavior that interfere with life goals and self-fulfillment. Therapy is about helping people feel better.

Gaining control over body weight brings on new possibilities, yet can also bring on a new set of unexpected realities. People who knew us as overweight may distance themselves or show signs of disapproval. We may not believe in our ability to have a fulfilling career, be a good parent or romantic partner. We progress toward our goals and feel good at first, yet we may return to former habits, and run up against a set of obsolete internal beliefs about what we capable of doing. This limits us. We want to live fully, yet these thoughts keep us from achieving our goals.

We all need help, sometimes. Stepping Stones Wellness is a group of licensed, practiced, and professional therapists who employ a holistic approach to to help others heal from anxiety, depression, chemical use/dependence, grief and loss, disordered eating, and relationship issues under the clinical direction of Denise L. Brooks, PsyD, LP. We provide safe, private and confidential counseling and psychotherapy for individuals, families, couples, and adolescents designed to heal childhood trauma, adjust to loss, recover from substance abuse or dependence, disordered eating, and relationship difficulties in a safe, non-judgmental space that promotes greater peace of mind and self-acceptance.

Relationships play an important role in our overall well-being. If you are sad, anxious, or overwhelmed by life, you might notice that your relationships are suffering as well. I am trained as a Couple and Family Therapist. I specialize in working with intimate relationships, life transitions, family problems, and personal growth. I work with individuals, couples, and families with a variety of concerns.

I enjoy working with people of all ages as they face life's challenges. Everybody struggles from time to time with worry, sadness, anger, and fear. Family difficulties, low self-esteem, problems in relationships, and school and work stress are common. When these issues persist over time, then psychotherapy can be helpful. I believe that a warm, caring, and trusting connection between the therapist and client is a necessary foundation before improvement can occur. We start with a consultation where I will listen carefully and sensitively to your concerns, and then offer you a therapeutic approach that will best help you achieve your goals.