 Hello! Welcome to Sage Center Atlanta. Sage Center is a counseling and creative community wellness center. We promote comprehensive wellness in the community by providing quality support services through counseling, consultation, education, and mentorship to individuals, professionals and organizations. Sage Center Atlanta is committed to serving with integrity, compassion and respect in a balanced and collaborative environment. Holiday season is approaching us, for some that can mean a time of happiness, traditions, gathering, and feelings of connectedness, for others holidays can create mixed emotions and feelings of grief, loss, loneliness or isolation may emerge. No matter if you are in the middle of a family gathering or at home alone, the hurt that can be produced during the holidays can be painful. Although you may have friends and family to reachout to, sometimes it may be best to speak with a person you aren’t as familiar with who may have experienced something similar, or even someone you don’t know at all. Below are some resources for extra support during this time of year. These resources are ones that can be throughout the year as well. Warmlines: Warm lines are phone numbers that are peer lead by individuals who are in recovery for mental health. You can call a warm line when you need someone to just listen and lend a friendly shoulder. You do not have to be in a certain program or enrolled in a support group to call. The person at the other end of the line has a shared experience with you and they will offer their compassion and understanding to help you find hope during your trialing time. Warmline is not recommended for those in crisis, but more so if you are needing friendly support and an ear to hear you. Click here to find out how to contact warmlines near you. Mental Health America (MHA) On Inspire: MHA Inspire is a 24/7 online encouragement service that offers community support for people who have similar interests. MHA team members mediate the support communities to make sure they are mental health focused. Click here to find out how you can join a community. Reachout App: If you are looking for support in an app, the Reachout App might be a good option for you. The Reachout App is another peer support tool that can be used to connect with others who are working through mental health and other types of chronic conditions. The app was created to help to enhance the quality of life of those with chronic conditions by offering self-help tools. Click here if you want to know more about the Reachout App. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: “The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.” Call 1-800-273-8255 to talk to a trained listener. For more information visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. The Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL): IF you or a loved one are in crisis, want to harm self or others, GCAL is a great 24/7 resource for Georgia residents. GCAL can, “provide telephonic crisis intervention services, dispatch mobile crisis teams, assist individuals in finding an open crisis or detox bed in Georgia, and link individuals with urgent appointment services”. GCAL can also help you find state funded providers in your area for non-emergency needs. To access GCAL call 1-800-715-4225 or visit the GCAL website by clicking here. The above resources are just a few tools that can be utilized through this holiday season to help you connect and feel heard with those who have been there or provide you with the support you need. It is also encouraged to talk to loved ones if possible. However, if you are in an emergency situation, please call 911 or a crisis line immediately. Holidays can be tough. Our team of therapists are ready to support you through this time. If you have questions on this topic or if you’d like to reach out to one of our therapists or schedule an appointment, please call us at (404) 419-6221 or email us at info@sagecenteratlanta.com. We hope you will find the peace, contentment, and prosperity you deserve. AuthorAmber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor, is a practicing Sage Center Atlanta clinician and school counselor in the Metro Atlanta area. Amber serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Sage Center Atlanta.  Mental health is the most important part of your well being, with your mentality controlling how you feel both mentally and physically. Mental strength is a skill many of us need, but not all know how to build. For that reason you may be thinking you need professional help, and have been recommended to visit a therapist. You may be thinking, ``What is a therapist?” We’re here to help you learn about all the different types of mental health professionals, and what a therapist can do for you. By definition, a therapist is a broad description for professionals trained to provide rehabilitation, treatment, and counseling. The term is often applied to a variety of individuals ranging from life coaches, social workers, counselors, psychologists and more. The term therapist itself can be used for a range of different professions, however in order to be a psychotherapist or a counselor, you must be professionally licensed. Beyond generic psychotherapy, many therapists also hyper specialize in fields such as music therapy, family therapy, child therapy, yoga therapy, addiction therapy, and more. Some of the most common mental health fields therapists practice involve behavioral disorders, substance abuse, school and career issues, trauma, and rehabilitation. If you or anyone you know suffers from one of these issues, feel free to contact us for a free consultation. Seeing as how therapy is denoted as a generic term for mental health professionals, you may be wondering “what’s the difference between a therapist and a psychologist?”. When it comes to the term “Psychologist” it too serves as an umbrella term for an individual in the field of psychology, only it denotes the difference between a medical professional with a bachelor’s or a master’s and one with a Ph.D. A psychologist has an advanced specialization in behavioral therapy, yet can hold many of the same roles as therapists. Psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, and doctors often work in unison to provide holistic care solutions to patients in need. You may then be wondering, “What is a psychiatrist?”. A psychiatrist takes therapy to the next level by adding clinical practice training and primary medical care. Psychiatrists are the only one of the three licensed to prescribe medication, and are regarded as doctors since they hold M.D. degrees. When a patient needs medical treatment, they are oftentimes referred to a psychiatrist for the next step in their treatment. This works vice versa as well, since psychiatrists will refer a patient to a therapist once they are done with the desired therapeutic dosage and can de-escalate their treatment. Now that you know the difference between the three, you may be wondering “Do I need a therapist or a psychiatrist?”. Every situation is uniquely different, and we recommend you scheduling a free consultation with a psychotherapist to see what your next steps of treatment may be. You may want to start off with therapy before you venture towards medical treatment. Oftentimes you can solve several mental health issues with psychotherapy and counseling, as your mental fortitude will develop over time and you will gain valuable mental skills to help you cope with your issues now and in the future. We can’t wait to help build the future you. AuthorAmber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor, is a practicing Sage Center Atlanta clinician and school counselor in the Metro Atlanta area. Amber serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Sage Center Atlanta. INTERVIEW WITH SAGE CENTER ATLANTA Licensed Professional Counselor, David Webber. For the month of March our Sage Spotlight is, Licensed Professional Counselor, David Webber. David Webber graduated with a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. David has worked with Sage Center since 2016, as an intern, Masters-level counselor, and now as a Licensed Professional Counselor. David provides counseling for adults, adolescents, and families with a variety of challenges from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Question and Answer Session with David Webber Q: What are your strengths as a therapist? What do your clients need to know about you? A: I think I'm great at building a strong therapeutic relationship. I'm also pretty good at connecting present day stresses to childhood trauma (psychoanalytic psychotherapy). I believe that self love is the most powerful tool that we have. I believe that negative self talk is just as powerful (and destructive). I believe that our greatest strength is our willingness to be vulnerable and the courage to be imperfect. Q: What did your journey to becoming a counselor look like? A: I don't think I chose therapy, I think therapy chose me. As I look back over my life I am able to see that all of the tiny decisions I made along the way were preparing me for this moment. My mistakes and failures were not mistakes after all; they prepared me to be more empathic and kind, compassionate and understanding. Q: Did you always know counseling was the path for you? A:No! I wanted to play in the NBA for 10 years and eventually become a teacher. This didn't happen which caused me depression for some time. I didn't have a moment where I knew therapy is what I wanted to do. For many of you, there won't be an epiphany moment in which you become who you've always been. Our purpose is not always revealed at once, rather it's more like a jigsaw puzzle; the picture gets clearer and clearer over time. Q: What is your relationship like with your clients? A: I have an honest and caring relationship with my clients. I always lead with compassion. Want to know more about David? On Friday, March 12, 2021 at 4:00 PM Sage Center Atlanta will be launching our very first video interview, follow our Facebook and Instagram, @SageCenterAtlanta, for more details and updates about our upcoming interviews and blog posts. For more information about our Sage Center Atlanta therapists, check out our team page here. If you or a loved one would like to reach out to David Webber, LPC, or another Sage Center Atlanta therapist you can contact us via phone or email. Phone: 404-419-6221 or Email: info@SageCenterAtlanta.com *If you are a Georgia resident and in crisis please call the Georgia Crisis Access Line 1-800-715-4225. If you are experiencing a medical emergency please call 911. *Please note this blog or any social media posts from Sage Center Atlanta do not serve in the place of therapy or mental health services. AuthorAmber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor, serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Sage Center Atlanta. Amber is a practicing Sage Center Atlanta clinician and school counselor in the Metro Atlanta area. Amber is under the supervision of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Pegge Riley, LPC, CPCS and the direction of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Angela Wacht, LPC, NCC. Interview WITH SAGE CENTER ATLANTA's counseling intern and intake coordinator, Afshan Lakhani. For the month of February our Sage Spotlight is, counseling intern and intake coordinator, Afshan Lakhani. Afshan holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Psychology, and is currently pursuing a Master's in Counseling from Northwestern University. Prior to pursuing a career in the field of counseling and mental health, she worked with non-profits focusing on youth advancement and education. Through her non-profit experience, Afshan has worked with youth from various backgrounds including youth working through family challenges, trauma, grief, anxiety, depression and identity development. As a servant leader, Afshan has a deep history of community outreach and volunteerism, demonstrating the value of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day. She is energetic, personable, and dedicated to the well-being and holistic development for all those around her. Afshan has the instinct, intuition, and experience to spark the very best in individuals and the teams she works with. She aspires to offer counseling and therapy services that will support everyone she works with to become the best version of themselves and live a quality lifestyle. Afshan is providing counseling services at Sage Center Atlanta through Sage Therapy and Education Partnership (STEP) under the supervision of Pegge Riley, LPC and Angela Wacht, LPC. Continue reading for Afshan interview. Q: What type of clients do you tend to work with? A: I work with primarily young adults who are working through life transitions or experiencing anxiety, trauma and/or grief. I also work with clients who are going through identifying as LBGTQAI+. Eventually after my internship is completed I want to work with children and adolescents as well. Q: What is the most important part of your practice? A: I really like to focus on client focused. I want to have a good understanding the client's wants and needs. I realize that where I want to go may not be where they are. Q: What is something that you continue to learn about as a therapist? A: There is nothing that can be a cookie cutter when getting to know someone. Even if I have two clients with the same type of “stuff”, they are going to be completely different. I am constantly not going to know it all. For each client I do my own studying and research over and over again. The only thing I do know is that I will always be learning in order to be an effective counselor in evolving times. Q: If you could describe yourself as a counselor in three words, what would they be? A: Compassionate, Evolving, Challenging Q: What type of therapy do you provide? A: I mostly always start with psychodynamic therapy. That is the foundation in my perspective. However, as I work more with my clients and get to know them better, I integrate other theories and interventions according to my clients goals. Q: What type of clients do you see? Age, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, life events, diagnosis, issues, personality etc. A: Currently anyone 18+; No major diagnosis (i.e. schizophrenia) and no substance abuse Q: Do you take insurance? If so which ones? A: No. Q: Do you provide therapy in person, virtually, or both? A: Virtual Q: Is there anything you want clients to know about you that hasn't been said yet? A: I aspire to offer counseling and therapy services that will support my clients to become the best version of themselves and live a healthy and quality lifestyle. For more information about our Sage Center Atlanta therapists, check out our team page here. If you or a loved one would like to reach out to our counseling intern, Afshan Lakhani, or another Sage Center Atlanta therapist you can contact us via phone or email. Phone: 404-419-6221 or Email: info@SageCenterAtlanta.com *If you are a Georgia resident and in crisis please call the Georgia Crisis Access Line 1-800-715-4225. If you are experiencing a medical emergency please call 911. *Please note this blog or any social media posts from Sage Center Atlanta do not serve in the place of therapy or mental health services. About the AuthorAmber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Sage Center Atlanta. Amber is a practicing Sage Center Atlanta clinician and school counselor in the Metro Atlanta area. Amber is under the supervision of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Pegge Riley, LPC, CPCS and the direction of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Angela Wacht, LPC, NCC. Question and Answer Session with Sage Center Atlanta therapist, Kelly pierce, M.A. Each month moving forward, Sage Speaks, will focus on one of our Sage Center Atlanta therapists. It can be hard to choose a therapist and our hope is that by spotlighting each of our therapists and some of the types of therapy they practice and their specialties, you will have a better understanding of which therapist might be the best fit for you. For the month of January our Sage Spotlight is, Kelly Pierce, M.A. Kelly has her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Kelly specializes in helping clients heal from emotional trauma, and she is passionate about teaching others to process their emotional experiences in order to live the meaningful and fulfilling lives they deserve. Her approach incorporates evidence-based research from interpersonal neurobiology, somatic experiencing, emotional intelligence training, and trauma-informed psychodynamic theory. Kelly is proud to be an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist, and she actively works to create inclusive spaces for all genders and all identities. Question: How would you describe your counseling style? Answer: My style is emotion-focused and growth-oriented. I focus a lot on emotions and emotional experiences. I think our American culture teaches us to suppress our emotions, and I think a lot of us humans are in pain because of that. When our emotions are ignored or pushed away, they get stuck. When emotions get stuck, they live in the unconscious and impact us and our actions daily without our knowledge or control. Therefore, my style focuses on encouraging emotional experiences, validating these experiences, and learning the tools to let our emotions come and go without getting stuck. This opens us humans up to living bigger, brighter, more fulfilling lives. Question: What is the most important part of your practice? Answer: Making sure my clients feel unconditional positive regard. I am 100% on their side and want the absolute best for them. As a result, I want them to learn to feel the same way about themselves. Question: What do you hope your clients gain from therapy sessions with you? Answer: I hope my clients feel supported unconditionally. I also hope that together we can continue taking small steps toward the healing they desire in every session. Question: What is something that you continue to learn about as a therapist? Answer: I continue to be amazed by the human capacity to heal. Question: What type of therapy do you provide? Answer: I provide insight-oriented therapy. This means that we will often look back at your past to understand how your past experiences influence the present you. With this insight, we can heal or make subtle changes to expand the potential for present and future you. Question: What type of clients do you see? Age, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, life events, diagnosis, issues, personality etc. Answer: I work with adults who are looking to heal from emotional trauma. I am affirmative of all identities and genders. My ideal client is a millennial who is looking to heal from past emotional trauma (emotional neglect, emotional abuse, narcissistic abuse, manipulation). Often they feel lonely and misunderstood, or they feel like something is wrong with them. Sometimes they are stressed out people pleasers; sometimes they are really tough on themselves. They feel plagued by certain emotions and terrified of others. All of these experiences come as a result of emotional trauma, and they all can be resolved by learning to feel your feelings. Question: Do you take insurance? If so which ones? Answer: No, private pay only. Question: Do you provide therapy in person, virtually, or both? Answer: Currently in January 2021, I am only seeing clients virtually. For more information about our Sage Center Atlanta therapists, check out our team page here. If you or a loved one would like to reach out to a Kelly Pierce, M.A. or another Sage Center Atlanta therapist you can contact us via phone or email. Phone: 404-419-6221 or Email: info@SageCenterAtlanta.com *If you are a Georgia resident and in crisis please call the Georgia Crisis Access Line 1-800-715-4225. If you are experiencing a medical emergency please call 911. *Please note this blog or any social media posts from Sage Center Atlanta do not serve in the place of therapy or mental health services. About AuthorAmber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Sage Center Atlanta. Amber is a practicing Sace Center Atlanta clinician and school counselor in the Metro Atlanta area. Amber is under the supervision of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Pegge Riley, LPC, CPCS and the direction of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Angela Wacht, LPC, NCC. |
AuthorAmber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor Archives
December 2021
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