Stephen Barnard

I have worked in the mental health field since volunteering on a crisis hotline in NYC after 9/11. I got my clinical degree at Hunter College School of Social Work (CUNY) in 2006 and soon after relocated to Asheville, North Carolina. Once there I worked as a therapist in several community based organizations, before joining a residential facility (CooperRiis) where I eventually served as Clinical Director. For the last four years I have worked as a private practitioner. Any therapeutic relationship must be based on respect, compassion and interest, which serves of the foundation for my approach with every person I work with. Everyone is different, faces unique challenges, and varies in her or his needs, so I always try to tailor my approach individually. Moreover, one of my abiding interests has also been in how to best help individuals initiate a sustain positive personal growth from within, based upon both psychological and neuroscientific understandings. In fact, blending an up-to-date understanding of the brain with more typical therapy methods has been a focus of mine for the last decade or so, and I have had the privilege to witness many people experience positive and sustainable changes through this approach, which can truly transform the experience of living on a day-to-day basis.