About Stacy
I have been a social worker for 25+ years. After earning my BSW from Hope College, I began my career working in a relational ministry with teens. I learned the value of meeting students in the place they were at, at the right moment. I also learned a great deal about building trust in professional relationships.
After completing my MSW degree from Western Michigan University, I worked as a therapist at Bethany Christian Services. I also have extensive experience in end of life issues and bereavement counseling. My passion is clinical work, engaging in a counseling relationship with clients who are seeking change for themselves. I have the honor of being in private practice for the last 9 years. I am a licensed social worker in Michigan and a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers. Most recently, I have completed EMDR training through EMDRIA. I have experience and training working with adolescents, adults, children, couples and families.
My areas of expertise include grief and loss, complex trauma, EMDR, anxiety, depression, stress management, faith-based issues, special needs and medical issues, sexual abuse and women’s issues.
I believe counseling is one of the best choices we can make for ourselves. Sometimes it can be difficult to take care of ourselves this way. I will do my best to meet you where you are, to listen and provide support and offer new information. We will approach your goals for counseling together. I work from a strengths based approach and have a variety of perspectives to offer. Through counseling I believe you can be kinder to yourself, learn new skills and lead a richer life.
Depression and Anxiety
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based practice that has proven to yield measurable clinical results in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and our actions. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think and feel even if the people and circumstances in our life do not change. This idea gives us power to live the life we want to live without the need to control or change the people or circumstances around us.
Trauma and EMDR
“The past affects the present even without our being aware of it.”
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In our society today, it is rare to find someone untouched by some sort of traumatic event or even multiple. The terms “little t and BIG T” are unfortunately, all too familiar to adults and children. In the last 2 years, I have undergone extensive training, learning and supervision in order to incorporate this important modality into my practice.
“EMDR therapy targets the unprocessed memories that contain the negative emotions, sensations and beliefs. By activating the brain’s information processing system, the old memories can then be “digested.” Meaning what is useful is learned, what’s useless is discarded, and the memory is now stored in a way that is no longer damaging.”
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Life Coaching and Goal Setting
Everyone needs a cheerleader or a counselor from time to time. Even the strongest and smartest among us get stuck in a difficult situation, feel the pressure of life’s stress, or need a new compass to navigate a change in our phase of life. Asking for help in these situations is a mark of wisdom. Life coaching can include personality testing, self-esteem building, identifying personal barriers, environmental assessments, and clarification of life values. This approach is designed to help you set goals that allow you to be productive, happy, and thriving in your environment.
Grief and Loss; Complicated Bereavement
“You will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it”. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross says that you will heal and rebuild yourself around the loss, but you will never be the same. One of the founding beliefs for me as a helping professional is that grief IS NOT just loss due to death. Grief and complicated bereavement also relate to many areas we all withstand: job loss, identity changes, familial changes, health and ability changes. Helping clients become more able to acknowledge and get comfortable with NOT being comfortable.