Adults Therapists in Moretown, VT

I believe in everyone's innate capacity to heal. Everyone deserves a safe and supportive therapeutic environment which can allow one to connect to all parts of oneself and lead to a greater capacity for self awareness and self compassion. Creating this space of safety, trust and unconditional regard for my client guides all my interactions and interventions. We will work collaboratively to explore how your family history, life experiences and current stressors contribute to the issues that bring you to therapy so that you can begin to shift unhelpful patterns of thoughts and behavior that are holding you back in life.

I am currently making a waitlist for new clients! Welcome to Joyful Otter Therapy. I offer in-person and telehealth counseling and psychotherapy services for children, adolescents, adults and families, ages 4 and up. Through a holistic approach, I strive to provide a safe and accessible environment to explore your strengths and needs, and develop goals that fit your current situation. Using evidence-based therapy, such as cognitive behavioral (CBT), mindfulness-based, and play therapy, I incorporate expressive arts to allow for more accessible treatment.

I am a family-oriented psychotherapist. I work individually with adults and youth, and with families together. How we see ourselves in our families - past, present, future - often provides the foundation for how we form our initial identity. Our identity, in turn, shapes how we act at home and in the world. The therapeutic process provides first a mirror to reflect our own sometimes hidden selves, and a light to gain unique insight into who we are and what we are here to do in this world.

My goal is to create a safe, positive environment where you can explore the sources of stress and distress in your life. More than this, my goal is to work collaboratively with you to identify solutions and bring about positive change, whether in unwanted behaviors, challenging relationships, or new anxieties brought on by our ever-changing world.

I am Lisbeth Dodd, LICSW. My offices are located in Burlington and Montpelier, Vermont. Through over 20 years of clinical practice I have assisted clients in a variety of helping relationships and roles including psychotherapy, case management, and medical and emergency mental health. I apply a client-centered, integrative approach, including psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral principles. I work with adults who may be experiencing a wide range of concerns which may include: complex life transitions, anxiety, stress, relationship problems, adjustment disorders, depression, life transitions, and trauma.

My counseling approach is based on the belief that everyone can benefit from support and listening. I strive to provide a warm and comfortable environment, making use of humor, silence, and empathy. Research shows that the best indicator of counseling success is the strength of the counseling relationship, and to that end, we will begin our work by building the relationship foundation together.

Life can be hard, and we don't have to go it alone. Change is possible, and I offer support to those who are ready to make positive changes in their life. I approach each session with curiosity, directness, and humor. My goal is to help you recognize patterns, thoughts, or behaviors that no longer serve you. I work with adults, teens, and adolescents. I use a directive approach emphasizing evidence-supported tools that are foundational to mental and physical health. I believe the path to fulfillment is a process, not an ultimate destination. By clarifying your values, we can begin to identify both long and short term goals in life.

My goal as a therapist is to understand a person and their situation by paying close attention to them, asking questions, and using what I have learned from past experience. I think understanding different parts of a person’s life helps create a more complete picture of what is keeping them stuck, unhappy, unaware, or unsatisfied. From there it’s possible to help make changes and face difficult circumstances. My clinical and research work has focused on anxiety, stress, PTSD, moral injury, and helping people suffering from the impact of trauma.

Being a human is not easy. We search for our meaning, our purpose, all while the world spins a web of uncertainty, making it hard to feel safe and leaving us feeling anxious, hopeless, and estranged from what makes us happy. My goal as a therapist has always been to support my clients, both teenagers and adults, in looking at their lives to identify their meaning and purpose and to build skills to accept and move through difficult emotions. I am of the firm belief that confronting those things that are hardest, with the support of others, can break the overwhelm of anxiety, the frustrations of ADHD, and the domination of OCD.

I provide unconditional acceptance in my practice and take each client where they are--doing the best they can with what they've got. After hearing your situation, I will collaborate with you on the best way to proceed. Finding the right therapist can be a challenge, so I offer a free intake so you can decide if this practice is a good fit for you. I look forward to meeting with you and getting started.

My goal is to help you create the changes you want for your life. Whether you would like to experience less anxiety, handle grief with more grace, improve relationships, or process past trauma, I want to help you get to where you are going. I strive to show up as an ally for our BIPOC and LGBTQ communities. Hablo español con fluidez. Clientes hispanohablantes son siempre muy bienvenidos. At this time I am only working with adults over 18, and only in individual therapy.

Accepting clients 8/1/2024. Offering a somatic approach that is trauma-informed, heart-centered and integrative. I work with children, teens, and adults undergoing life transitions, or who are recovering from challenging circumstances or trauma. I offer couples and family sessions in addition to individual sessions. I specialize in pregnancy/postpartum/parenting, TBI & head injury, and additionally support people undergoing grief and loss. "Shaina has helped me find my strength, confidence and embrace the challenge of motherhood as a deep practice. Seeing Shaina has been the best gift I could give to myself and my family." VT & MI.

The goals of my practice are to support the development of self-compassion, reduce suffering and increase the capacity for a meaningful life. I am a Vermont Rostered Master of Psychology specializing in the Expressive Arts Therapies. I earned my degree at Goddard College and completed my clinical internship with a community mental health agency in Vermont, The Clara Martin Center. Prior to earning my degree, I worked for mental health agencies in New England and the Midwest, facilitating Wellness programming and therapeutic farming with young adults at alternative schools in Detroit, Michigan and Western Massachusetts.

I offer mental health counseling for adults and teens of all genders and identities. I provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space to examine the thoughts and beliefs that keep many of us stuck in unproductive and sometimes painful patterns in our lives and relationships. My hope is to work collaboratively with clients as they navigate life's challenges and begin a path toward healing and self-discovery.

**My Practice is Currently Full** I have experience counseling children and families, as well as adults. I have worked with incarcerated youth in juvenile detention, and as a counselor for the Public Defender’s office and District Attorney’s office. I worked as a counselor for The Santa Fe Mountain Center helping to create educational and therapeutic wilderness programs for at-risk teens and I am a certified It’s Yoga, Kids® yoga instructor. My counseling is characterized by empathy and collaboration. By training, I am a solution-focused counselor who is highly motivated to help you achieve your goals. I currently live in Stowe, VT.