I am an experienced therapist, licensed in Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, and Kansas. I will be your partner and tailor our sessions and plan to meet your unique and specific needs. I practice a type of therapy that aims to help clients accept what is out of their control, and commit instead to actions that enrich their lives. Our goal is to help you create a rich and meaningful life. I have specialized experience in several areas including depression, anxiety, stress, grief and loss, relationship, and career/workplace issues. I am also successful in working with individuals who are struggling with behavioral contributors to insomnia, chronic pain, diabetes, and other chronic medical conditions. More importantly, however, I know that whatever the intervention, the real change comes from you and strengths that you may not be currently aware of. I have a master’s degree from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. I have been described as supportive, direct, caring, and compassionate, with a good sense of humor. I like to focus on identifying your strengths and helping you maximize them.

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

Welcome. At our first session, we'll meet for just under an hour to get a snapshot of your life and see what’s working and not working and work together to create a plan to make your life better. My approach is a very active form of therapy. It’s not just talking about your problems and feelings. It involves learning skills to handle difficult thoughts and feelings more effectively, so they have less impact and influence over you. When we introduce these skills, I'll ask you to practice them between sessions. It also involves clarifying your values: finding out what matters to you, what you want to stand for in life, what strengths and qualities you want to develop, how you want to treat yourself and others. It also involves taking action to solve your problems and do things that make life better. I want you to leave each session with an action plan: something practical to take away and use to actively improve your life. My role is to be your partner in creating a rich and meaningful life. At the end of the first and each visit I’ll ask for your honest review of our time together on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being not helpful at all and 10 being extremely helpful. I need you to tell me what you need more and less of – we are partners in this work.

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

My strengths are connecting and partnering with clients presenting with anxiety or panic, chronic medical issues, depression or mood disorders, grief and loss, pain management, personality disorders, relationship issues, sleep problems, stress management, and trauma.

About Peggy DeCarlis