I am so pleased you are interested in Full Circle Counseling and Wellness! My colleagues and myself are passionate about creating a combination of a Wellness Center and a Counseling Center that provides excellent services and that also builds community. It is my belief that being and staying well involves great intentionality and is greatly facilitated by embracing a holistic and community based approach to health and happiness.
My professional background includes working in many community based roles including being a health education and community development volunteer in the Peace Corps, working as a wilderness counselor with troubled teenagers, working in a shelter for survivors of domestic violence, and working in a community mental health center. I received a merit based Fellowship to earn my Masters degree and my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toledo. During graduate school I learned about the progressive Mental Health Recovery Movement that has evolved from being a social justice movement into being a methodology that includes evidenced based practices and principles that emphasize empowerment, hope, and a holistic approach to wellness.
Not long after I moved to North Carolina, I received the tremendous opportunity to develop and launch programming for CooperRiis Healing Farm in Mill Spring that was largely based on my own recovery research. Just before becoming a founder of Full Circle I worked for the CooperRiis Healing Community for 12 years in the roles of Psychotherapist, Clinical Director, Recovery Program Director, and Researcher. This was a tremendously enriching and unique experience since few programs in the country combine therapeutic community with the progressive and holistic recovery model.
At this point in my career I am passionate about co-creating a similar community based and holistic type of program and making it more accessible through a Wellness center approach. In addition doing training, recovery program consultation, and political advocacy work, I also am passionate about working directly with clients in individual, couples, family, and group therapy.
In terms of my clinical work, I believe that at some point during the complex journey of life we all experience stuck points, emotional suffering, and sometimes an emotional crisis. It is one my deeply held and cherished beliefs, however, that we all have the innate ability and tendency to heal, recover, and grow. Providing the type of environment that facilitates that healing and resilience is tremendously life-affirming work for me.
I trust that each person I work with has tremendous wisdom and strength within them. In partnership, we identify growth areas, goals, and strategies. Although it is essential that the therapy experience is nurturing and nourishing, it is also hard work. The type of internal transformational work that is done in therapy is some of the most challenging work we do as human beings, and I admire anyone who is willing to take that leap of faith as they push themselves out of their comfort zones.
Over the years I have learned many approaches that facilitate growth and healing including but not limited to psychodynamic, process-experiential, cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavioral, narrative, interpersonal, and expressive approaches. I draw from all of those modalities as I customize my approach based on each client’s individual needs and preferences. I have experience working with a wide range of challenges including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, marital and family challenges, psychosis, substance use disorders, and personality disorders.
In my free time I love to trail run, to travel, and to enjoy the natural beauty of Western North Carolina with my husband, Peter.
For more info, please visit Sharon's Psychology Today page
My professional background includes working in many community based roles including being a health education and community development volunteer in the Peace Corps, working as a wilderness counselor with troubled teenagers, working in a shelter for survivors of domestic violence, and working in a community mental health center. I received a merit based Fellowship to earn my Masters degree and my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toledo. During graduate school I learned about the progressive Mental Health Recovery Movement that has evolved from being a social justice movement into being a methodology that includes evidenced based practices and principles that emphasize empowerment, hope, and a holistic approach to wellness.
Not long after I moved to North Carolina, I received the tremendous opportunity to develop and launch programming for CooperRiis Healing Farm in Mill Spring that was largely based on my own recovery research. Just before becoming a founder of Full Circle I worked for the CooperRiis Healing Community for 12 years in the roles of Psychotherapist, Clinical Director, Recovery Program Director, and Researcher. This was a tremendously enriching and unique experience since few programs in the country combine therapeutic community with the progressive and holistic recovery model.
At this point in my career I am passionate about co-creating a similar community based and holistic type of program and making it more accessible through a Wellness center approach. In addition doing training, recovery program consultation, and political advocacy work, I also am passionate about working directly with clients in individual, couples, family, and group therapy.
In terms of my clinical work, I believe that at some point during the complex journey of life we all experience stuck points, emotional suffering, and sometimes an emotional crisis. It is one my deeply held and cherished beliefs, however, that we all have the innate ability and tendency to heal, recover, and grow. Providing the type of environment that facilitates that healing and resilience is tremendously life-affirming work for me.
I trust that each person I work with has tremendous wisdom and strength within them. In partnership, we identify growth areas, goals, and strategies. Although it is essential that the therapy experience is nurturing and nourishing, it is also hard work. The type of internal transformational work that is done in therapy is some of the most challenging work we do as human beings, and I admire anyone who is willing to take that leap of faith as they push themselves out of their comfort zones.
Over the years I have learned many approaches that facilitate growth and healing including but not limited to psychodynamic, process-experiential, cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavioral, narrative, interpersonal, and expressive approaches. I draw from all of those modalities as I customize my approach based on each client’s individual needs and preferences. I have experience working with a wide range of challenges including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, marital and family challenges, psychosis, substance use disorders, and personality disorders.
In my free time I love to trail run, to travel, and to enjoy the natural beauty of Western North Carolina with my husband, Peter.
For more info, please visit Sharon's Psychology Today page