Colleen Lhotsky Sullivan
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
“Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
*NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME*
“Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
*NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME*
Originally from Maryland, receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park I have experience working with special needs children and substance abuse counseling. I worked briefly in a Montessori school while obtaining a Master’s Degree, Magna Cum Laude, from Argosy University’s CACREP accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. I love the Montessori philosophy and often bring some aspects into my practice. I believe creating a calm, nonjudgmental space helps others go to that headspace themselves, making it easier to focus and create a habit to find their calm on their own.
Since moving to Charleston, I continued my experience working with children in crisis through an internship at Dorchester Children’s Advocacy Center and then later at another local agency, providing trauma-focused therapy, while working toward full licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor.
I love continuing my journey in the helping profession. Some issues that bring people in for therapy are harmful behaviors seen in their children. Rather than focusing on the “why,” the “what” is the answer I like to look for – what might be causing a child to behave this harmful way and how can we work together to replace those harmful/unhelpful behaviors with more helpful coping mechanisms.
I regularly work with people with the following:
I incorporate expressive therapies with a trauma informed, multicultural perspective using modalities of CBT, TF-CBT, and solution focused. Through incorporating expressive therapies, like play, art and music, this can help a child with trauma, anxiety, phobias, depression, defiance, anger, ADHD, and low self-esteem reveal unconscious fears, worries, thoughts and wishes to determine their specific/unique needs. The expression is healing in itself, but the patterns or themes in their play can reveal solutions to developing a plan for the family as a whole to heal.
As a parent or guardian, asking for help for your child and family might be difficult but with a calm, non-judgmental space to explore what is most productive to your individual and family needs will help. This can include parenting (PMT) and couples therapy depending on family needs. Sometimes family members might be in the same book, but the goal is to get everyone on the same page. Working together to understand you where you and the family unit are and move you closer to your goals is what I want to help with.
Parents and caregivers (including foster parents) with children that exhibit oppositional, aggressive, and inappropriate behaviors in the home and school setting. To decrease or eliminate a child’s disruptive or inappropriate behaviors at home or school and to replace problematic ways of acting with positive interactions with peers, parents and authority figures by coaching parents and increasing their parenting skills as evidenced by an improvement on AAPI scores.
Sessions can range from 2-4 months (12-15 sessions), and are $90 per session.
This initial intake identifies the specific, extensive and comprehensive needs, concerns, strengths and deficits that allows the family to make informed decisions about the treatment. The assessment includes a comprehensive bio-psychosocial interview and review of relevant psychological, medical, and educational records to obtain information necessary to establish or support a diagnosis that might need to be shared with other providers, as needed.
Assessments used in session can range:
Parenting Assessments might be needed for adults with DSS involvement who are at risk of losing custody of their children and/or if their children are in foster care and determining parent appropriateness. This assessment is used to determine risk factors (like abuse/neglect and parenting deficiencies) as well as parenting styles, trauma history, diagnosis but most importantly recommendations what a parent might benefit from to succeed.
This assessment includes:
The AAPI assesses the following areas on a low, medium, high risk scale:
Cancellation Policy
Client’s must cancel an appointment at least 24 hours before the time of the appointment. If a client does not cancel in time or show up for their session, they will be charged for the appointment.
Insurance
Payment
I accept cash, check and all major credit cards.
Crisis/Emergencies
In the event of a behavioral/emotional crisis or true emergency, please contact:
