Dan Carey
You can call me Dan. From a young age I was interested in a career that focused on helping people. I smile when I think about it, but there was a time I thought a career in medicine was what I wanted but I am so bad at math that didn't work out very well. There was a time I thought I was being called into ministry as a pastor, and I wanted to be a pastor that could counsel, but circumstances didn't allow that to happen either. Maybe it's ironic and maybe it's not but I'm not really that much of a talker so I never dreamed that becoming a therapist would be my thing. But then again, therapy is a lot about listening and I do that really well. I enjoy helping others move from places of frustration, and sometimes despair to places of hope and healing. I have always been taught that people deserve respect and to be treated with dignity regardless of what their issue is or where they come from and that is a value I continue to hold. I also find it interesting that the three careers I pursued had their focus in the three things I still believe are important for a life of fulfillment, purpose, and contentment and those are physical health, spiritual health and mental health. I received a Masters of Divinity degree in 1991, a Masters in Social Work degree in 1996 and my License as a Clinical Social Worker in 1997. I went back to school in 2016 and obtained a MBA in Healthcare Management in 2017. My 30 year career in mental health has been split between providing clinical services, supervising others in their provision of clinical services and administration in the area of Healthcare Quality and Compliance.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
I believe the client is the expert. You know your self better than anyone. You know how you feel when life happens, you know what frustrates you and what makes you angry. You know what is upsetting and what makes you sad, and you know when something isn't right or that something is off. The problem is that sometimes you don't know why, and if you don't know why, you can't fix it. I take an approach that starts with uncovering what you believe, because so much of what you believe becomes reality. We end up living out the lies we tell ourselves. I use a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and a positive psychology of sorts to uncover the lies and replace them with truth. I work best with people experiencing depression and anxiety, relationship issues, uncertainty, religious or spiritual crises. Regardless of the issues you experience, whether depression or anger, or anxiety, they took years to develop, so there are no quick fixes. But I believe that if you are willing to do the work we can work together to replace fear with courage, restlessness with contentment, anger with joy, and despair with hope.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I do best when I'm working with people that feel broken and need someone to help them see how the future can be different. If you feel like you'll never escape your past and the things that you did, or said or felt, and they feel like an anchor that is keeping you from moving forward, I can help with that. I also believe in the connection between spiritual, physical and mental health, so all three of those aspects of wellness will be incorporated into our work. I love helping people when they are OK incorporating biblical truth around concepts such as grace, mercy, love, and faithfulness (but I never push it on you if you don't). I'll meet you where you are, but you will need to want change for yourself more than I want it for you. If you are intentional in how you go about trying to improve, we will work well together.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
Adults, i.e. ages from early 20's through mid 60's Christian counseling, or faith based counseling, spirituality Men with process addictions such as pornography, relationship issues
Location
VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I believe that the problems that plague us and the solutions to those same problems start in our minds and how we think. The difference between the two is that our struggles are often based in lies we have learned to believe while on the other hand, when we are healthy and well, we live in truth. The cognitive distortions that become automatic thoughts have to be changed before we can live in ways that are meaningful and fulfilling. Changing our hearts and how we live start with changing how we think.
Christian Counseling
There are some of you that have a faith in God that you depend on in your daily lives. You depend on God for strength, answered prayers, guidance, peace, joy and contentment. However, even the strongest of you sometimes falter in your faith, doubts might creep in, and you may even get angry at God. If you want it, I am here to help you talk through those issues and end up stronger in your faith than ever before. God allows us to struggle sometimes to bring us into a closer relationship with him. If we depend on him and keep our eyes firmly fixed on him, we will have what we need to survive anything because nothing can separate us from the love of God.