Rebecca Barger, LCSW

 

 

Welcome. You may have decided that you need a focused time and a safe place to sort through important issues in your life. How do you know when a therapist is right for you? I believe in trusting your instincts. I invite you to bring your full range of feelings about starting therapy to an exploratory first session to see if we would be a good match. I work with individuals and couples of all orientations and backgrounds.

 

I am a licensed clinical social worker with over eight years experience in both the public and private sector. I graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2004 with a BSS in Criminal Justice. With all intentions on attending University of Tennessee for a master’s in Forensic Anthropology; my plans changed by an experience during my last semester with a police dept. internship. I decided to change my focus to clinical social work. Two years later I graduated with a Master’s of Social Work from ETSU. Since then I have worked for both private and federal agencies. Employed for the last 4 years by the Department of Veteran’s affairs, I gained a wide range of experience with the struggles of returning Veterans. My personal experience with Infertility during this time truly tested my personal and professional strength. I was forced to discover my own strengths to propel me through this period of seemingly endless trials.

 

I am truly grateful that it’s my career to help others through the difficult setbacks and heartbreak that life can sometimes throw at us. It’s a privilege to help others discover their own strengths and to be a part of their journey to a better life.

 

My focus is on compassionate but realistic support in a safe environment without judgment to explore emotions and gain awareness of thoughts, feelings and behaviors that may be negatively affecting you. By understanding limiting thoughts and beliefs an individual can be empowered to make decisions towards a balanced life. With compassion, humor and reverence for what makes you unique, we will create a theory about what stands in between you and the life you want.

 

I work with clients collaboratively to develop a plan that addresses your needs, incorporates your strengths and alleviates your symptoms in the most timely way possible. I provide short-term, solution-oriented psychotherapy, as well as long-term, insight oriented therapy depending on my clients' needs and wishes. My approach is eclectic: I have trained in many modalities, and I use what seems to fit your needs best, rather than trying to fit you into a narrow theoretical framework. I believe that theory is the servant and not the master.

 

Exploring your relationship to yourself, to important others in your life, and how you relate to me will help us in this process. All the outcome research on successful therapy shows that a warm, supportive working relationship between client and therapist is the most important treatment factor; therefore I stress the development of that kind of mutual trust, directness, and honesty (with tact).

 

I enjoy working with adults in need of guidance with the following issues:

• Difficult relationships

• Anxiety & Depression

• Communication deficits

• Grief & Loss

• Divorce & Recovery

• Women’s health

• Body Image and sexuality

• Work/Life balance

• Family growth and planning

• Infertility

• Post-partum related (depression/anxiety/ocd)

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Becky