Kathryn Armstrong, MA, LPC

I had two inspirations: the first was my supervisor the late, Mary Jane Lang, LPC-S, RPT-S. A great teacher & mentor, Jane's love of private practice, gave me the love of dealing with clients through a private practice. My practice is in a suite with 7 other therapists so we all are also private practitioners all practicing various modalities.

My second inspiration is my grandchildren. I wanted to be able to have the freedom to spend time to spend with them. They are on ball clubs & play games in the evenings & on Saturdays. Private Practice gives me the freedom to be at their games. I milked motherhood for every thing it was worth & I want to do the same thing as a grandparent.

My philosophy on counseling is simple. Life can be difficult and everyone has those times in life that they need someone to talk to who will listen without passing judgment. Someone who will create a safe place where they can share their dreams, their pain, their doubts, their fears, as well as their joys and their hopes and know they are safe. An individual who is trained to be able to understand the problems they are facing and who will listen attentively without judging and who can skillfully offer them genuine hope in the midst of their struggles and their crises. I have been a client of counseling in the past & can help a client to understand the process of change from their perspective. Many counselors have never been a client.

Counseling is a safe place where you can meet with a trained counselor who is genuine and will listen to you compassionately and without judgment. My personal approach to counseling is eclectic which means that I make use of my entire education, choosing whatever technique, insight, or understanding will help you in that particular moment to reach your particular goal, to find healing or hope, or to move to the next stage of change, or to simply gain the insight you need. In practice I am not tied to a single Therapeutic Foundation although I lean towards a Cognitive Behavioral Approach.

However I believe the therapeutic relationship I form with each client is the greatest tool any therapist has to help their client. It the the most significant tool I have to help you make the changes and reach the goals you have for coming to counseling. It will be my goal to make that relationship a safe haven where you can feel secure enough to share the deepest needs of your heart, and a secure base from which you can dare to make the changes and reach for the goals that you want to set. I believe counseling is a collaborative venture. I respect the wisdom you bring regarding your life. I will not however hesitate to intervene if you become stuck. Nevertheless the journey is yours.

In addition to my education I bring something that cannot be gained in a classroom, the perspective, the understanding and the wisdom that is the result of living more than six decades of life and learning from both my successes and my failures. Failure is not the worst thing that can happen to us unless it is the last thing. Success in life is not about how many times we fall, it is about how many times we get up.

I am also assisted by the most adorable Papillon, Robinhood. He ha been my service dog for 14 years & in his retirement years is working with me in my practice. Robin helps to break the ice & to make clients less anxious when coming to counseling as he goes with me to greet them the first time.