Hello! I'm Louise Zimmerman. I'm a licensed professional counselor with over 10 years of experience treating behavioral and mental health disorders. I provide Telehealth services every weekday from my home office. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Religion from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University. I have a world class education, extensive training, and years of field work to call on when I'm working with clients. In particular, my meditation training and practice greatly inform how I treat a client's symptoms. Mindfulness is the most effective tool I can train a client to use to cope with symptoms associated with their diagnosis. I fondly refer to my therapeutic approach as an East meets West perspective on mental health.

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

There is a difference between an intake session and a first session. During an intake session I am required to complete a full psychological assessment in order to determine a working diagnosis in addition to creating a treatment plan with a client. I refer to these sessions as wading into the shallow end of the pool. After an intake is completed, we continue the therapeutic process with regularly scheduled sessions. As we begin these sessions the primary goal is develop the therapeutic relationship. It is very one sided. I am here for you. As that develops and sinks in, you will likely become more comfortable and we will approach some of the deep end of the pool. This takes time. Patience is important in counseling. Most clients come to counseling because of difficulty with effective communication and trouble with interpersonal relationships. It is my job to create corrective experiences and demonstrate to my clients how to show up the way they want to outside of session with the important and day to day relationships in their lives.

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

I am a phenomenal listener. I provide consistent, reliable, and respectful care for all of my clients. Also, I really appreciate humor and make sure to focus on what is going well and accentuate the positive from session to session.

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

You would likely be a good fit for my private practice if you are motivated to change and have a sense of humor! I have found over the years that I enjoy counseling women who want to recover from trauma, depression, anxiety, and often times substance use disorders. Often times a client experiences co occurring disorders and I excel at providing psycho education about this common reality. I have a long history of working with men who suffer from these disorders as well. I have found over the years that if a client has never been in therapy before or has tried and found it helpful in the past then we will likely be a great fit.

About Louise Zimmerman