I have been providing counseling services to adults, families, couples and children since 1992. I have a Master’s Degree in Community Psychology and am licensed in Illinois as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). As the only certified Prenatal Bonding (BA) Facilitator in the Metro East and St. Louis area, I guide mothers (and fathers) in gaining a deeper level of bonding with their children. This technique, originating in Europe in the 1990s, requires two years of intensive training and clinical supervision.
I also am certified as an evaluator and psychological service provider in the State of Illinois for the Early Intervention program which works with children from birth to three who exhibit developmental delays and their families. In addition, I offer consulting services to several rural counties in Southern Illinois for Early Intervention. Several times a year I conduct workgroups and trainings for other professionals working with children, as well as parents.
My work over the years has given me the pleasure of working with very young children with emotional or behavioral difficulties, as well as older children and their families. It is important for any child’s success to work with parents. Often this can involve parents exploring their own experiences with their families as a child and current stressors such as work, relationships and partner. My work with adults and children has included working within the foster care system and with adoptees (domestic and international) and their families (adoptive and birth).
I have worked with adults in partnership to address such things as adjusting to life changes, exploring unhealthy relationship patterns, relationship conflict, communication difficulties, abuse/neglect issues, enhancing self calming and acceptance through meditation and cognitive restructuring, and working through feelings of being overwhelmed, depressed and anxious.
Counselor is a ‘protected’ title in Illinois meaning only those who have passed state testing standards can refer to themselves as such, while the term ‘therapist’ does not require those standards. LCPC means the practitioner completed two years of clinical supervision after completing a master’s program in counseling and two tests—an academic test assessing things such as general knowledge of theories and ethical guidelines and a clinical test in which cases are presented and the practitioner must successfully assesses for diagnosis and treatment/intervention approaches. As other professions require, LCPC must complete a minimum of 30 continuing education units by attending trainings and seminars every three years upon their renewal. A counselor does not provide medication. Medication is discussed as a therapeutic option to ensure appropriate treatment is provided.
For Early Intervention credentialing, a psychological services evaluator/provider must have completed three years of experience working with children under three, 120 hours of training in five core areas (typical and atypical development, assessment, intervention, working with families), and 30 continuing education units are also required every three years for renewal but must be related to children birth to three.