Donald Ford

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Master’s Level Addiction Professional who has focused on diagnosing and treating a variety of clinical symptoms and disorders including substance abuse, addictions, eating disorders, trauma, depression, anxiety, as well as low self-esteem for over 10 years. I have often treated clients who have experienced persistent and varied emotional and cognitive symptoms resulting from long-term relationship traumas and abuse. I have worked with individuals of all ages with severe and persistent psychopathology, including psychosis and severe behavioral and relationship problems. I have worked in all settings, from private practice to long term residential treatment facilities, as well as psychiatric hospitals. I have developed an appreciation for each client’s perspective, unique needs, and challenges in treatment. I prefer to work in the framework of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic modality, one of the most empirically validated treatment approaches. I am also certified in Traumatic Incident Reduction, or TIR, a therapeutic procedure that allows a person to desensitize painful experiences and reduce or eliminate the negative impact of traumatic, overwhelming events. I often integrate other theoretical orientations of therapy such as Client Centered, Solution Focused, Interpersonal, and Gestalt, focusing on reaching the client’s goal(s) in therapy in addition to addressing and working to resolve the historical problem(s) that led to the distressing experience(s) that made the individual(s) seek help. Areas of expertise include addiction (substance and process), eating disorders, trauma, depression, anxiety, relationships, and communication.