About me
I have been working as a counselor for thirteen years, and consider the opportunity to work with others in this capacity a true honor and priviledge. In 2007, after 23 years of teaching school, primarily the secondary grades, I felt like my cup was empty and it was definitely time to do something different. After discussing this with my family, it was decided that we would make some major life changes, which included homeschooling our then seventh grade son. And I would do something. I thought I was just going to hang out and be a wife and mom, but...
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At our church's deacon's retreat that year, I heard a local doctor say the counselor who had been coming to Cheraw and seeing people at a local church would no longer be coming to Cheraw. The doctor's next words became my theme song, "If there was a counselor in the area that could take care of people's "broken hearts," I would see fewer heart problems in my office." I thought to myself, "Maybe I'll be a counselor." Almost simultaneously, my husband elbowed me and whispered, "Be a counselor." I immediately balked at my own thoughts and my husband's, thinking to myself, "I can't be a counselor. No one wants me listening to them---I've got enough of my own problems."
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But as things go, that fall, I found myself on the campus of Columbia International University in Columbia, SC, pursuing a second masters degree, a dual degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
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All through the various courses and internships, the professors would stress how important it was for us to determine our areas of specialization. While I truly had no idea in what area I would specialize, by 2010, it was clear there were two areas to which I felt very drawn: art and play therapy, and emotionally focused therapy.
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In early 2015, I completed the requirements for becoming a Registered Play Therapist (http://www.a4pt.org), and in May 2021 I completed the certification process for Emotionally Focused Therapy (http://www.iceeft.com), or relationship therapy.
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In June 2018, I opened my current office in Chesterfield. This office is located in my home. In this location I have a larger spaces, including a larger playroom, a room designed completely for greater tactile and experiential therapy, and outdoor "rooms" that allow for a variety of opportunities for all ages. There is a nature walk and playscape which adds a greater dimension to the counseling experience.
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This work is hard, fascinating, and oh, so fulfilling. It is such an honor and privilege to sit with people every day and be trusted with their stories. My modus operandi is a client-centered/client-driven model. I have no "recipe card" that I pull out and know exactly the course we are going to take. I tell clients that I am hopping into their cars and we will take this where ever they want to go. And off we go. It is not always fast, easy and painless, but when clients truly decide they want to make changes in their lives, and they trust the process, the end result can be nothing short of an amazing transformaton!
Dawn's Curriculum Vitae
E x p e r i e n c e
Licensed Professional Counselor (SCL #5458) , November 2010- present
Counseling Internship, LifeCare, LLC, Florence, SC---July 2009-October 2010
Teacher, Faith Christian Academy; Cheraw, SC — 1998-2007
Public Information Assistant, Northeastern Technical College, Cheraw, SC — 1993-1999
Teacher, Chesterfield High School, Chesterfield, SC — 1991-1993
Teacher, Cheraw High School, Cheraw, SC — 1989-1991
Teacher, Long Jr. High, Cheraw, SC — 1985-1988
E d u c a t i o n
Columbia International University, Columbia, SC— Masters in Clinical Counseling/Marriage and Family Therapy, 2010.
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC — Post-graduate work in Mass Communications, 1990.
Francis Marion University, Florence, SC — Masters in Secondary Science, 1989.
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC — Bachelor of Arts in Health Education, 1983
Additional Certifications and Professional Memberships
Emotionally Focused Therapist-2021
Registered Play Therapist- Association of Play Therapy- 2015
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Certification pending- TraumaPlay
Trauma-Informed Art Therapy Certificate-Level I (pending)
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Member Association of Play Therapy/SC Association for Play Therapy
Member International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy
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