Welcome to Lighthouse Counseling. Therapy is based upon boundaries and trust. Please carefully review the following information since it is the foundation on which the counseling relationship is built.

Professional Standards: I am a Licensed Resident in Counseling (LRIC) in the state of Virginia. I am under the supervision of Meichell Worthing, LPC at Lighthouse Counseling to provide individual counseling services. I believe in meeting individuals where they are with respect, grace, and integrity for their therapeutic journey. I believe in providing therapeutic services in a judgment free and safe space. If there are any concerns with me, please feel free to contact my supervisor at meichell@lighthouse-counselingllc.com. I abide by the ethical codes through the American Counseling Association, the ACA Code of Ethics. You can find these ethical guidelines here: https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf.

Education and Experience: I received my Bachelors in Social Work from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 2018 and my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Southern New Hampshire University in 2023. I am currently a Licensed Resident in Counseling in the State of Virginia, meaning I have completed the educational requirements required and I am now meeting further supervised experience for becoming a fully independent licensed counselor in the state of Virginia. I am also trained in EMI (Emotional Mind Integration).From my Social Work degree, I was blessed with the experience of spending two months in Tanzania, Africa to volunteer this time to help meet the needs of this population. Through this adventure and with the rest of my experiences through a social work lens, I am able to look at individuals with a holistic approach and integrate this with my approach to clinical mental health counseling. I have spent one year in a private practice setting during my Master’s degree working with individuals with anxiety, depression, life transitions, adjustment disorders, military, chronic pain, self-esteem, mood disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other trauma. I am also certified in EMI (Eye Movement Integration).

Therapeutic Orientation: The therapeutic approach I follow is through the Person-Centered Approach with mainly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), but I very often adapt to fit the needs of my clients and will include any other therapeutic interventions to meet your goals. I very rarely turn down the opportunity to meet with any individual with any mental health disorder, cultural differences, and other factors in which I am not familiar with in the chance that we are a good fit and I can continue to grow as a counselor to expand my knowledge in as many areas of expertise as possible. However, if the presenting problem is far beyond my competence, I will refer you to the appropriate resources as a means to promote the utmost chance of overall wellness. I enjoy including humor and positive-talk into my sessions when appropriate. I identify as a Christian and am happy to offer a faith-based approach to those who request it. I often like to assign homework for outside of the session, as most of the work is done by you outside of the one-hour session we have. I value creating a judgment-free therapeutic safe-space for all of my clients to feel comfortable with sharing their experiences, thoughts, and feelings.