Beth Shapiro, LMHC/ Owner Dracut Counseling Professionals, LLC

What was your path to becoming a therapist?

I started college wanting to be an architect.  However, in my  freshman year of  college  I took my first psychology class and fell in love with learning about people and how we understand the world around us.  After college,  I have worked in a variety of settings from schools to crisis centers.  I enjoy working with others in a collaborative environment.  

What should someone know about working with you?

I approach all my clients with compassion and dignity.  I infuse humor  to illustrate an idea.  I can be direct and challenge your assumptions to encourage you to realize your best self.  I use Cognitive Behavioral Techniques to work with you on seeing the patterns of behaviors in your life and how to best evoke change. 

 What was your path to becoming a therapist?

I did not know I would become a counselor. I thought I would be a journalist and went to college to study the same; however, when I got there, I discovered I was a terrible journalist. I hated chasing people for their stories, though I was always deeply moved when people freely shared them. I trained as a writer and an educator and thought I would be a teacher for a time. It was through trying different jobs and learning I had a knack for creating spaces in which people felt okay to share of themselves that I came to therapy. I view counseling as an opportunity to tell your own story, to acknowledge the skills you already possess, to uncover creativity and humor in addressing the problems you seek to address. 

What values do you bring into a therapy session?

I believe the work of therapy lies in the choices you make outside of the counseling session, in deciding growth is necessary and taking action to make the change happen. I approach counseling with the belief that though life is often hard and hands us all things we do not want, do not like, and perhaps would not have chosen for ourselves, we still have choices. I believe time spent considering the type of human you want to be and then making choices that line up with those values is our best bet in having a meaningful and compelling life. My job as a counselor is to hold hope that change for the better is possible, and I value holding that hope for clients until they are able to pick it up for themselves. 

 What was your path to becoming a therapist?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to work with people

in a therapeutic capacity.  My earliest inpatient and acute residential experiences reinforced my desire to pursue my Master’s in Counseling Psychology. Being on this path continues to be a privilege, and an honor.

What can you offer to your clients as their therapist?

My basic approach is to assist clients with their challenges and issues-in-living and help them help themselves. I believe that

feeling understood in a safe, supportive environment is a therapeutic building block for better self-awareness.  I also believe our most painful symptoms can be seen as attempts to survive and adapt in the world. Therapy aims at

revealing the inherent strengths under the symptoms which will help the person help themselves. 

 What was your path to becoming a therapist?

I have always known I would be working with people. Originally, I graduated with a BA in teaching and English Philology and pursued my dream to be an ESL teacher, however, like many immigrants, I had to switch my path and seek different professional pursuits. I worked at a daycare center with very young kids, as a CNA with the elderly at a long term living facility. Upon receiving my first MA degree in Educational Psychology from a German University I got a job as a social worker with children and their families. That was the time when I realized that the most effective way to help improve someone's situation is to help them make changes for themselves and I went back to school to study social work. Until landing at the Dracut Counseling Professionals I worked as a therapist and a supervisor at a community based mental health center for 13 years providing therapy to kids, individuals and families.

What should someone know about working with you?

I offer a warm and empathetic approach and try my best to stay focused on the client´s goals. Establishing a connection and identifying resources for clients is how safety in therapeutic relationship is created and so this is where I try my best to start. As a therapist I see my job in providing you with a safe space, catalyzing your connection to your strengths and inner resources, facilitating insight and learning.

How do your own core values shape your approach to care?

I believe that people of all ages have the natural gift of curiosity  and  are capable of learning; people have choices and there is always something within us that gives us strength to move forward in life. One of the goals of therapy is to help a person connect with their inner strength to find resolution for their struggles. 

What was your path to becoming a therapist?

When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a writer - I loved creating and being able to guide my characters through stressful situations (granted, I was the one who created the situations, but still - I could get them out of them, too). My first day of college, I declared myself a Journalism major - then I took my first class in the field and realized very quickly that I did not want to be the person asking people going through a rough situation invasive questions and then never seeing them again - instead, I wanted to be the person walking alongside those people - guiding them towards ways to process and cope with stressors and changes. I quickly changed my major to Psychology and never looked back.

All that happened a long (long, long, long) time ago, and I have spent the last few decades working with people of all ages as they learn to manage the wonderful and difficult things that life throws at them.

What values do I bring into a therapy session/what do I offer my clients as their therapist? 
I infuse therapy sessions with humor, hope, compassion, collaboration and creativity. 

What do you do to continue learning and building competencies as a provider?

I am always researching and reading - I love to learn new approaches and skills to introduce to my clients. This year, I will be attending a five day conference on cutting edge expressive therapy strategies. Expressive therapy is a form of treatment that uses creative activities (like music and art) to help clients share and process feelings and memories that may be hard to put into words. I am excited to introduce what I learn to my clients and incorporate these interventions into our therapy sessions! 

 What should someone know about working with you?

I employ a collaborative approach to our therapeutic relationship aimed at

improving the quality of their life and relationships. My approach is to meet each client where

they are, while we craft a personalized agreement and targeted focus based on mutual

understanding, respect, and positive expectancy.

What can you offer to your clients as their therapist?

 I employ over 20 years’ experience and a range of cognitive

behavioral tools that have helped many clients. These include advanced certifications in anxiety

and trauma treatments, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, as well as Neuroscience and Mindfulness.

I have worked with various client populations, and many victims of abusive relationships. I

prioritize effectiveness in my role in helping with skills, self-regulation, and growth while

balancing humor, self-compassion, and facilitating a new perspective.

What was your path to becoming a therapist?

After college I started my career in non-profit organizations and then in the business world as a

Human Resources Professional with various size companies where I saw firsthand the impact

work and family circumstances can have. I knew then I wanted to work closer with individuals

to improve their quality of life, so I pursued my graduate MSW degree at Boston College and

continue to leverage my other work experience to enhance my work as a therapist.

  What do you do to continue learning and building competencies as a provider?

As someone who values the importance of continued growth both personally and professionally, I make it a priority to participate in various continuing education trainings throughout the year. I seek out topics that are of interest to me and relevant to many of the people I work with. My most recent training is a course for becoming certified in counseling individuals struggling with grief. 

How do you approach overcoming obstacles?

When seeing an obstacle I tend to look towards the strengths of the client. By identifying the skills and traits that clients bring into the session, we can use these strengths to work towards actionable steps to overcome obstacles getting in the way of clients' valued goals.