Heather Brown

My name is Heather Brown. I am a Licensed Professional Counseling living in Pennsylvania. I am a mother of three and work in a federal penitentiary. I provided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to inmates participating in a modified therapeutic community within the prison. My experience in the counseling field began with adolescents. I provided individual, group and family counseling for adolescents participating in an after school program. The program was based on a Cognitive Behavioral approach and involved the clients working through thoughts and feels that were leading them to make poor decisions in their lives. We would work through struggles such as self-esteem issues, substance use, criminal behaviors, family issues, trauma and any other problem area the client would identify during sessions. I had decided that counseling was a great fit for me during this time and wanted to make this my professional career choice. I decided to further my education and obtain my Master’s Degree through Capella University. I loved having the flexibility that came with going to school online. It allowed me to work full time and raise my son while furthering my education. I completed my internship at Crossroads Counseling providing individual and group counseling for clients struggling with addiction issues. While completing my internship I began working in the prison setting. I was able to obtain a Drug Treatment Specialist position for an addictions based modified therapeutic community within the prison. I then moved into a psychology program that was more focused on criminal behaviors at the penitentiary level. Within this position I have worked with a variety of diagnoses from substance use to Antisocial Personality Disorder to Depression to Borderline Personality Disorder to Schizophrenia, and various others. I have conducted family counseling with adolescents. I worked with families on examining their relationships, what was effective and ineffective within these relationships and how to work together to resolve any issues that came up. Relationships are difficult and no two people are the same. It’s important for couples to consider one another’s perceptions and thought patterns. With understanding comes acceptance and compromise. I like to examine the love language of each individual and facilitate discussions on how to ensure these are met for each individual. The theoretical approach I subscribe to is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I feel it’s important for clients to understand that in any situation they have choices. It’s important to consider each choice and what desirable and undesirable consequences may result from making each choice. Clients and I work to challenge negative thinking patterns and think in ways that lead to positive feelings and positive actions. There are many ways this approach can be utilized within the therapeutic setting and empowers the clients to examine choices and make the best one for their personal situations. I also utilize the Solution Focused Therapeutic Approach. This allows for clients to scale feelings and examine life situations that contribute to certain places on the scale. It provides a tangible way to track progress and recognize situations that contribute to negative feelings and/or behaviors. I also utilize Reality Therapy in counseling which also focuses on the fact that client’s have choices and the importance of examining consequences related to each choice before making decisions. William Glaser identified five basic needs of human beings, power or a sense of self-worth, love and belonging, freedom/independence, fun, and survival. Clients and I would examine which needs are met and which need strengthening within their lives. I am have a great deal of experience in the counseling field. I have been counseling for 13 years with various populations. I am compassionate, genuine, open-minded, objective and understanding. I want what is best for my clients and desire to be a tool in their journey to emotional well-being.