Meredith Lynne Simonds (she/her)

I was browsing a thrift store when I stumbled across Carl Rogers' 1961 book, On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. I had yet to start my master's in clinical psychology, and I had no idea Carl Rogers was a giant in the field. I just liked the title of his book and I fell in love with its content. More than any other approach, Person-Centered has shaped the therapist I am today--prioritizing authenticity, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding.

A few years back, I was browsing a thrift store when I stumbled across Carl Rogers' 1961 book, On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. I had yet to start my master's in clinical psychology and had no idea who Carl Rogers was. I just liked the title of his book and fell in love with its content. To my pleasant surprise, I found Rogers' work embedded throughout my education. Nothing has inspired and shaped the therapist I am today more than the Person-Centered approach.

Getting to do Expressive Art Therapy is the reason I became a therapist. It started with my interest in expressive writing. I have a background in writing and have relied on storytelling and poetry to help me through hard times. Then I discovered Natalie Rogers' book, The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts as Healing, and my interest opened up to other art forms.

Getting to do Expressive Art Therapy is the reason I became a therapist. It started with my interest in expressive writing and opened up to other art forms--and the connection among them--as I came to understand it through Natalie Rogers' book, The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts as Healing.

Getting to do Expressive Art Therapy is the reason I became a therapist. It started with my interest in expressive writing. I have a background in writing and have relied on storytelling and poetry to help me through hard times. Then I discovered Natalie Rogers' book, The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts as Healing, and my interest opened up to other art forms. In our work, I may invite you to express yourself through writing, drawing, or collage, but it is always just that--an invitation.

Are societal expectations of women hanging over your head and casting a shadow of anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem over your life? That's something we can look at together--where the clouds are gathered and where you'd like to head instead. I am especially passionate about shining a light on the pressure women often feel to 1) look young forever, 2) minimize hormone-related health issues, and 3) put their lives on hold to care for others.

I approach career counseling through a narrative perspective. We'll look at the stories you use to define your life and career thus far. We'll explore the meaning in these stories and what they reveal about your interests, values, and strengths. We'll also look at elements of these stories that could be holding you back. And we'll weave all of this into a new narrative that can crystallize the kind of changes that can help you find career success and satisfaction, and work-life balance.

How does your past experience with change affect the way you manage change today? Together we’ll look for patterns of how you relate to change and explore how you’d like that relationship to be different. How does your current struggle through a life transition reflect societal expectations? Together we’ll look at stories the world tells you about what you should want, feel, think, look, and be...and you'll clarify what YOU want (and need) your milestones to be.