Welcome! I'm an LCSW-C in Maryland and earned my MSW at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. I've been practicing over thirty five years and because I've loved the time I've spent in this work, the time has flown! I've worked in the mental health industry at many levels, and this helps me understand how to connect clients with the best type and level of treatment for them. My experience includes private practice/outpatient, inpatient care as well as running an innovative intensive outpatient care program for active seniors as a clinical director. I've also work for organizations which reviewed care, collaborating with the treating provider to ensure the quality of care is of the highest it can be. As a social worker, I was trained from day one to provide client-centered, strengths-based, unconditionally positive regard, 'person in an environment' therapy. This means that I begin where the client is, and I focus throughout on building and maintaining a therapeutic relationship that supports my client in helping them use our work to achieve what is important to them. I avoid using too many labels and/or medicalizing my client, and because I look at people as not just individuals but as embedded in various life environments, I teach my clients to understand themselves in those contexts as well as how they can better navigate their thoughts and behaviors within the various parts of their lives with greater emotional and behavioral success. Having worked closely with psychiatrists and various prescribers (nurse practitioners, physician assistants, CRNP's, etc.) over the years, I've gained extensive knowledge on how to direct clients regarding who to see/where to go regarding medical concerns and medication issues. It is important, for example, to rule out at certain times, particular medical issues which may be causing mental health symptoms.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

You can expect me to listen closely to you and ask you questions that help me begin to understand where to begin in our work together. You can expect me to help you feel comfortable, as first meetings aren't always easy. And, I think the most important result of a first session is for you, the client to walk away and say 'I want to continue talking to this counselor and i'm excited to talk with Barb again'.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

As an active senior myself, and having worked with hundreds of clients for over 35 years now, I believe my greatest strengths are my work and life experience and well as my willingness to engage fully and authentically with my clients. Because I've successfully 'thought on my feet' in such a wide variety of circumstances, I am very confident I can either help you or direct you to someone who can.

Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.

Currently individual adult clients are my focus. When it comes to human growth and development, each decade of life is exciting to me. I have an intimate and I believe unique (as compared to many of my colleagues) understanding of developmental psychology and how important it is to depend upon it's principles in my work with my clients. For example, I can help a 20 something client better understand how to communicate with those older than themselves, by learning more about the way different generations tend to think, based on when and where they grew up. The field of psychotherapy is becoming more specialized and medicalized. This is great if you need a specialist, but most of the time a client's problem is embedded in the life stage they're in as well as how that impacts how they think and behave. Emerging adults are at an exciting time of life, where big commitments are being made, which is scary. Midlife individuals are also entering another 'transitional' stage of life where old conceptions of self are evolving. And, active seniors, ages 55 and better are embarking on their own, new and unique challenges, such as declining physical abilities, ageism on the job and more. Having lived in Florida for ten years and having practiced counseling there as well, I had wonderful work experiences such as leading an IOP clinic for seniors 55 and better in The Villages, Florida and I also spent time as an independent, traveling psychotherapist with my therapy dog, meeting with clients in various hospitals, assisted livings and nursing homes in Central Florida. You might also be interested in knowing that I am quite entrepreneurial. My experiences sd a business owner has no doubt deepened my knowledge of what it takes to find and maintain career success in the real world. I bring this knowledge, experience and balance into many of my discussions with my clients and they often find my career counseling very useful. During the middle stages of my career, for example, I studied with various organizations such as the Relationship Coaching Institute (Campbell, CA), the Matchmaking Institute of New York, the Enlightened Entrepreneurs Club and more. I worked as a dating and marriage coach and therapist for many years and some of the more interesting experiences I have had is leading speed dating events on cruise ships and talking to large groups of business people at conferences and workshop events. During the prime of my career, for example, when

About Barb Elgin

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