Therapists in Staunton, VA

If you are anxious, depressed, burdened by trauma, or struggling to cope with the people in your life, you are in the right place. I have been helping people in the Richmond area overcome and thrive in the face of these challenges since 2013. I approach treatment collaboratively, balancing acceptance and change in order to help clients meet their personal goals. I enjoy helping people resolve short-term issues as well as longer standing problems, depending on the client’s interests and needs.

While life events and transitions can be overwhelming and isolating, you never have to be alone. Through the therapeutic process, I will empathetically work with you to understand your goals and help guide you to wellness. I love working with ages spanning from late teens to older adults during life transitions. I feel as though we can all have a “harsh inner critic”; this critic is difficult to silence or challenge. Many times, we ask ourselves, “why did this happen” or “why do I feel this way”? When we ask ourselves “why”, we tend to reinforce shame. Think about it, “why” indicates there is just one answer.

Psychotherapy provides a unique opportunity to decrease suffering and increase quality of life. My approach to treatment is both collaborative and pragmatic - we will develop a good sense of why your experience makes sense, determine the best treatment strategies that match your preferences, and track progress over time. We will work to achieve both near-term relief and larger, thematic improvements in your life.

My therapy practice is built upon foundational beliefs about confidentiality, mutual respect, honesty, and transparency; the therapeutic relationship forms a safe environment in which to explore feelings, worries, distress, and decisions about the future. During my career, I have worked with clients who may be dealing with grief and loss, trauma, emotional distress, and illness. I welcome individuals and couples in therapy who may be dealing with interpersonal difficulties or internal distress. I have been involved in the psychology field as a therapist, professor, supervisor and administrator with a primary focus on therapy.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and received my PhD from the University of Kansas. I interned at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Washington, D.C. where I worked in psychiatric triage and the partial hospitalization program. I later completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship with an emphasis on adolescents and family therapy at a community mental health center in Chicago. After my postdoctoral experience, I worked as a staff psychologist in the Primary Care Clinic at the VA Hospital in Seattle. Most recently, I worked in Richmond at a private group practice and focused on adolescents and young professionals.

Navigating life's complexities, including anxiety, depression, substance use, life transitions, and interpersonal relationships can often feel like facing a series of overwhelming challenges. Whether it's mental, physical, spiritual, or relational difficulties, it's easy to feel drained, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to move forward. However, you don't have to face it alone. I provide a safe, supportive, and (sometimes) humorous space for the exploration and treatment of mental health, interpersonal, and substance use concerns for the 16-75+ population. Both male and female clients are accepted.

I am a licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in treating children, young adults, and adults using an approach that integrates classic and modern psychodynamic theory with contemporary approaches including family systems, cognitive-behavioral, and mindfulness-based treatment. Therapy can be an invaluable part of helping individuals to overcome life's challenges. Whether our struggle is related to life transitions, loss, trauma or interpersonal difficulties, painful feelings commonly arise such as depression and anxiety. My goal is to provide a therapeutic environment and a collaborative partnership to individuals that seek relief from these painful symptoms and hope to achieve growth and positive change in their lives.

Many high-performers know they are capable of achieving more but feel stuck at times. Do you feel that despite having a lot of things together, something is missing that is holding you back? The clients I work with have typically achieved success in many aspects of life, but they struggle in others. When facing challenges that seem insurmountable, we all can benefit from expert guidance and counseling. As a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of education and experience, I empower high-achieving professionals, athletes, and couples to reach their goals and create the changes in life they most desire.

Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or anger & irritability? Trauma or grief? Do you lack effective communication and social skills? Are you in need of a safe, unbiased place to vent, process, and get things off your chest? Do you need someone to talk with or someone to listen to you with non-judgement, validation, and support? Do you just need to clear your head and make sense of conflicting thoughts, feelings, and emotions? I am here with over 27 yrs experience in consulting, coaching, mentoring, outreach, advocacy, and over 7 yrs in the clinical mental health field.

Wister has extensive experience working with at risk youth, crisis, mental health and addiction counseling working as a TDT (Therapeutic Day Treatment) Clinician, Program Manager, and Clinician within the county’s mental health and substance abuse treatment system. Wister enjoys utilizing his training in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), MI (Motivational Interviewing) via Eclectic Counselling techniques to produce a structure towards daily wellness.

I work with older children, tweens, adolescents, young adults and their parents. I also see individuals struggling with a variety of concerns. I provide couples therapy as well for highly motivated couples who are eager to improve their relationship. Common problem situations I often see: Parenting anxiety, impulse control issues (gaming, pornography etc.), anger control, burn-out, relationship fatigue, difficult family dynamics, anxiety and depression which comes from many sources including traumatic experiences. I also help individuals of all types, often feeling burdoned discover the preferred path that they wish to walk in life.

Life should be joyful and meaningful. It is natural to seek connection and to want to discover our inner selves. Even though we long for inner and outer harmony, it is easy to feel down, stuck, alone, unfulfilled. Many of us find communicating, listening, and being vulnerable challenging. Sometimes it seems like the past is close behind and it is hard to move forward brightly. Counseling is here to help give you space to achieve mental and emotional wellness.