Dawn L. Elder, MA, NCC, LPC / Embrace Hope Counseling Services, LLC

I am very passionate about my role as a Psychotherapist. I can honestly say with 100% certainty that I absolutely love what I do. I have been in the field for 20 years and I've worked with a myriad of Mental Health Issues/Disorders. It is very important to me that I build a strong, healthy, respectful rapport with each and every one of my patients. It is critical to the therapeutic process on every level. I'm very down to earth, empathetic and I'm open with patients about my own life experiences when I have gone through something that they're personally struggling with. I want them to know that I have walked in their shoes, that I understand their painful emotions and that I am living proof that there is hope in overcoming their toughest struggles and turning them into their own personal strength and growth. When/if humor is appropriate, I use it to help patients feel more at ease. I will never pretend to not be human or to be someone I'm not. I provide Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to help patients learn how to change/replace negative thoughts, maladaptive behaviors and how to regulate emotions. The more interested and willing someone is to learn and use the skills, the higher the probability of a successful therapeutic outcome. The more open patients are in therapy, as difficult as that can be for some, the more I am able to help them. Therapy is a process that takes time. I would never expect for someone to come in and tell me everything about all their deepest struggles within a short period of time and I would never try to force someone to open up about something if they're not ready to do so yet. Trust is critical and can take time to build with your therapist which is perfectly alright! My responsibility is to listen, to validate, be honest and to give you the skills that you need to be your best self. Your responsibility is to want to be your best self, be honest and to put forth your best effort to use the skills you'll learn that will help you turn your struggles into strength and growth!