Maggie Sweeney profile image

Maggie Sweeney

Maggie Sweeney

(she/her)

LPCC
7 years of experience
Empowering
Challenging
Virtual

I am Maggie Sweeney. I grew up poor in Brooklyn, I spent 23 years in the Navy, I have lived all over the world and retired in 2014. I earned my bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in science in 2009 and my MS in Mental Health Counseling in March 2017. My ex was active-duty Army and in July 2017 we got stationed at Fort Knox, KY. I earned my PhD in May 2022 and today I live Elizabethtown, KY. I love learning; I am EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) certified and MRT (Moral Reconnection Therapy) facilitator certified. I am an experienced EMDR therapist and have witnessed the power of how that modality transform the life of my clients. My humanistic, creative, sensitive, and transparent approach is individually tailored. I focus your attention on your strengths using motivational interviewing and confrontation in an honest, genuine, and respectful environment. I take a person-centered and strength-based approach, utilizing a variety of evidence-based practices, including PCT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, strength based, systems therapy, narrative, and attachment theory.

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

First, good on you for taking the first step and exploring options to enhance your mental health and wellbeing, which is what I will tell on the onset of our first session. Life is hard and sometimes we need help and I am here to help, by first changing your approach of what is wrong with you to what happened to you. We will spend our first session becoming familiar with each other, I will share "my story" and ask you to do the same. We will go at your pace, and I will make sure you feel safe, comfortable and heard. I ask a lot of questions, and I like to know how things work. I don’t have a poker face of any kind, what you see is what you get, every time. I am an open book so if you want to know more ask.

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

I provide a judgment-free, authentic, and transparent setting for you to heal. I have experience working with individuals, couples and families seeking to reach their full potential and create the life they want. My approach is collaborative, you and I will be a team in addressing your needs, identifying your goals, and creating your treatment plan to achieve success. What makes me different than other therapists is that I am a straight shooter, what you see is what you get, every time you show up, I am in the ring with you, helping you sort through life’s challenges and overcome past struggles that may be interfering with daily activities or have been holding you back in a particulate area of your life.

About Maggie Sweeney

Identifies as

Specializes in

Serves ages

Licensed in

Accepts

Appointments

Virtual

My treatment methods

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

CBT has been my go-to since I started as a therapist over 7 years ago. CBT is a collaborative treatment method, engaging client and therapist as a team working together to identify, challenge and reframe their approach to self. This approach reveals the relationships between beliefs, thoughts, feelings and the behaviors that follow. Ultimately it encourages clients to break down problems into manageable pieces, enhancing problems solving skills and increasing self-efficacy.

EMDR

EMDR is my go-to for treating trauma, it enables you to bring your past into focus while being grounded in the present moment allowing you to separate the 'then' from the 'now' and letting go of negative past feelings that no longer apply to who you are today. EMDR instead focuses on changing the emotions, thoughts or behaviors that result from a distressing experience (trauma).

Dialectical Behavior (DBT)

Used often in conjunction with CBT, DBT helps clients examine their stressors to better understand them and learn to manage their emotions, thoughts and actions through mindfulness and acceptance. I incorporate the 4 areas of DBT; (1- mindfulness to help develop awareness and sensations in the present moment with judgement, 2- distress tolerance help you learn to tolerate distressing situations and not add to them, I teach distraction techniques and self-soothing activities, 3- interpersonal effectiveness to help improve communication, relationships and boundary building, 4- emotion regulation to help identify and manage emotions and their functions), by teaching practical skills to help cope with stress, regulate emotions, improve relationships, and validate personal expereinces.

Person-centered (Rogerian)

Everything starts with the individual. I meet the client where they are offering unconditional positive regard, accepting each individual judgement free, creating a safe environment for the client to share their experiences, showing empathy and understanding, through my authentic and genuine self, empowering the client to be an active role in their personal growth and self-discovery.