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Therapy, Marriage & Family Counseling, Psychiatry, Psychology & Holistic Mental Health Care
Serving Drexel Hill, Havertown, Broomall, Springfield, Media, Delaware County (DelCo) & the Main Line, PennsylvaniaNate Prentice, M.S.W, Psychotherapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker
About My Practice
Change is one of the most daunting things that any of us can face. Perhaps you need to make changes in your marriage or significant relationship. You may need to change the way you manage your mood, or your handling of anxiety. Perhaps you have a difficult situation at work or home that forces you to seek ways to adapt to new circumstances. You may be adjusting to the death of a loved one, or want to address negative thoughts and emotions associated with traumatic events that have brought change into your life. In the end, though, when you are in the midst of it, change is daunting.
My role is to coach people who come to me in negotiating their way through change. In my 20 years of professional practice as a social worker focusing on providing therapy, I have learned how to best help people deal with their circumstances. The way I do this is by helping people focus on their strengths and helping them form a vision for where they would like to be when they are successfully coping with change. I then encourage them to fulfill their vision through learning new skills and addressing rough spots along the way.
I do individual, family, couples, and group therapy with people with various problems, but I have particular strengths. I have a strong foundation in addressing posttraumatic stress (otherwise known as PTSD or "shell shock") that comes from working with people such as combat veterans, battered persons, car accident survivors, child abuse survivors, and sexual abuse survivors. My training also includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is a very effective and rapid way to address troubling memories. In a very caring, non-confrontational way, I help people deal with change associated with troubling pasts.
I also have done a lot of work with people who deal with depression and/or bipolar disorder (previously known as "manic-depression"). I use a technique called cognitive-behavioral therapy to help people change the way they think, and thereby change the way they feel when coping with these things.
I have worked with people who have addictions such as alcoholism and drug addiction in a variety of different settings. My work has been a wonderful support to the recovering person's 12-step program.
Finally, people of different faiths who have spiritual problems have also been helped by the work that I do. I have found that spirituality can be a great source of strength and sometimes a source of conflict. I help people negotiate change using the best of their spirituality while helping clients address spiritual obstacles on their own terms. While I am Christian in orientation, I also work with people of different faiths to help them resolve their spiritual issues. People who are atheists or agnostic are certainly fully respected and accepted as well. I am also studying pastoral counseling at a nearby university. See my Christian Counseling page.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that I have seen a lot of what change can throw at people and I have been able to help people bounce back. If they can't bounce back, then I can help them cope to the point that the change they experienced becomes the starting point of a stronger life.
When you need a hand with coping with changes in your lives, it is good to have someone in your corner, helping you negotiate it. I am willing to be that person for you.
Please note that if you want more information about me, you can look at my website, which includes more information about therapy with me, books and CDs, and resources you may find helpful even now. Also, be sure to check out my blog, which has information on different topics.
CREDENTIALS
Licenses And Certifications
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the State of Pennsylvania. License #CW015407.
- Level II Trained Practitioner of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is judged to be an effective method of treatment for trauma.
Education And Training
- Currently studying at Neumann University towards a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Pastoral Counseling (CAS-PC).
- University of Pennsylvania 1994-2003: completed coursework (all but dissertation) towards a Ph.D in Social Welfare with a variety of courses in sexuality, victimology, and advanced social work practice theory. Did this under a full scholarship.
- University of Pennsylvania 1992-1994: Master of Social Work with a concentration in mental health treatment.
- University of Vermont 1985-1989: Bachelor of Science in Social Work.
- Member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis,
- In training for a certification as a clinical hypnotherapist (A clinical hypnotherapist is someone who provides psychotherapy partially using hypnosis).
Professional Experience
- I have worked for the past 20 years in a variety of settings ranging from outpatient counseling for people with mental health and/or substance abuse issues, to inpatient mental hospitals, prison, and substance abuse detox facilities. I've also worked in managed care, with combat veterans at the Veterans Administration, and with the homeless (I did the work with the homeless while doing a year of volunteer work in a program like the Peace Corps). I've managed a staff of 50 in a residential setting for children who were in the child protection system. I also worked for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia providing outpatient therapy including pre-marital counseling for people who had been through annulments. I was a research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania for a year.