Stephanie Gladding

I love people and learning, so getting to know people is my favorite. I am a practicum student earning field hours toward a clinical mental health counseling degree. Most of my work experience has centered on adolescents for the last fifteen years. I manage the Wellness Center at Upper Columbia Academy, where I perform the responsibilities of a guidance counselor and have helped build the atmosphere of seeking mental wellness. Previously, I was the dean of girls, where I cared for 100+ teen girls each year, managed dormitory operations, mentored students, mentored/managed deaning staff, acted as liaison between students, families, and school staff, sat on administrative counsel, planned, organized, and executed major fundraising, and arranged parties, activities, and dorm programs. I have regularly used communication, critical thinking, inductive reasoning, creativity, empathy, encouragement, and administrative skills throughout my vocational experience. After finishing my year of fieldwork, I plan to work as a mental health counselor. I plan to primarily work with adolescents to help them learn about themselves and how their relationships and early development have shaped them. I am drawn to approaches such as Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Person-centered, Psychodynamic/Object Relations, and Narrative Therapy. I view most modalities through the lens of the Townsend Method, focusing on character development (attachment, separation, integration, and adulthood) for symptom relief.