I wasn’t always a therapist; I was a soldier for many years. I’m also the daughter of a veteran as well as the wife of a veteran, and the military culture taught me a lot. One of the best lessons learned was as a soldier trained to fight in combat, I was assigned a battle buddy before I was assigned a weapon. A battle buddy is a person who is with a soldier throughout their career. A battle buddy is there in the good times and the difficult times. A battle buddy will create a safe place where you can feel comfortable with letting your hair down and being authentically you. In a lot of ways, I incorporate what I’ve learned and experienced with the battle buddy concept into my collaborative approach to counseling. Let’s be real, life is not without problems, but I believe that people aren’t the problem. The problem is the problem. I help my clients view the problem separate from themselves. I believe people have many skills, competencies, beliefs, and values, that make them the experts of their lives. I help you become and embrace being an expert in your life. I’m here to work with you to bring those incredible qualities in alignment with your goals and bring a strong sense of purpose and direction to your everyday life.
I’m trained to create the needed dialog to stimulate the change you’re seeking. With a bachelor’s degree in Management Studies and 25 years of civil service in the challenging Department of Defense settings, I’ve always valued my involvement in enriching the lives of others. Now, with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University, I view my transition into counseling as yet another way to serve and enrich the lives of others. I enjoy working with others to assist them in finding their purpose, overcoming self-doubt, and rebounding from life’s ups and downs stronger while removing hindrances that prevent them from being their best resilient self.
I use an integrative approach; Narrative Therapy, Solution Focused, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). With narrative therapy, we focus on the stories you’ve developed within yourself and have carried throughout your life. We talk about the meaning you’ve assigned to your personal experiences and how the meaning you’ve come up with or that has been placed on you by others influences how you see yourself and even the world around you. It is that story that is believed to influence our thoughts, our decisions, and behaviors. Exploring your narrative widens your view of self, challenges old and unhealthy beliefs, and opens your mind to reauthor new ways of living that reflect a more accurate and healthy story. CBT is important because it allows you to look deeper into what you tell yourself day-in and day-out, and the huge effect those thoughts have on how you experience your life and the solution focus approach will help you by staying tuned into your incredible qualities as you move forward.
Marsha Gill, ALC
Under the Supervision of
Kimberly Allfrey, LPC-S
