Beth Shapiro, LMHC Owner

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, providing mental health support through counseling services. 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 ideas. I can be direct and challenge your assumptions to encourage you to realize your best self. I use Cognitive Behavioral Techniques to help you identify patterns of behavior in your life and to determine the best ways to evoke change through effective counseling services.

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

My  core values serve as the foundation of my work as a therapist. While I  bring specialized training, clinical knowledge, and experience to the  therapeutic relationship, I believe each client is the expert on their own  life. I approach therapy with humility, recognizing that meaningful growth and change emerge through collaboration rather than direction. I am deeply  committed to creating a space where individuals feel seen, heard, understood, and valued, and where their unique experiences and identities are honored with respect and compassion.

What can you offer to your clients as their therapist?

As a therapist, I strive to create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment where clients process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences and deepen their understanding of themselves. I believe in meeting clients where they are on their journey and collaboratively supporting growth and change from that foundation. My approach is grounded in empathy, authenticity, curiosity, humility, humor, and genuine therapeutic connection. With specialized training in expressive therapies, I offer a variety of creative modalities, materials and interventions to my clients if desired.

What should somoene know about working with you?  

I consider counseling a privilege. In my 15+ years of practice, I have developed a deep respect for the strength and resiliency required to acknowledge to yourself and another person that you are struggling. One of the gifts of counseling is the space it provides you to honor your hope to stop struggling. 

What was your path to becoming a therapist? 

As a younger person, I  did not know I  would become a counselor. Experiences studying journalism, literature and writing have shaped my  approach 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.  

How do you approach therapy with your clients? 

 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  enjoy working with individuals to support change in a variety of areas - managing anxiety; stabilizing mood; complicated grief; improving communication; resolving interpersonal conflict; addressing career concerns; finding comfort around issues of sex, sexuality and gender; and substance use/addictions recovery.  

What was your path to becoming a therapist? 

 I was drawn to therapy because I’ve always valued deep, meaningful connections and wanted to build a career centered around helping others through life’s challenges. That passion led me to earn my master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Merrimack College, where I grew both personally and professionally and developed the tools to support others in their healing and growth. 

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

My core values of compassion, honesty, and trust are the foundation of how I approach care. I strive to create a safe, supportive space where clients feel seen, heard, and understood without judgment. I believe honesty helps foster authenticity and growth, while trust is essential in building a strong therapeutic relationship where clients feel comfortable being vulnerable and working through challenges.

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 Journalism class 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 whatever life throws at them. I quickly changed my major to Psychology and never looked back.

What can I offer to my clients?

 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 interventions to introduce to my clients. This year, I will be attending a five day conference on cutting edge expressive therapy strategies. Expressive therapy form of treatment uses creative activities 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!

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 should someone know about working with you?  

 I believe therapy works best when it's collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to fit your unique needs. My approach is grounded in person-centered treatment utilizing counseling skills such as CBT, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, solution focus, and trauma informed care guided by your goals for growth and healing.   Whether you're seeking relief from daily stress or wanting a deeper understanding of self, I'd be honored to support your journey. Reaching out for therapy takes courage-let's take that step together 

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 and change. 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 should clients know about working with you? 

I have that valued expertise supporting individuals who face a

range of challenges including abusive relationships, losses, trauma and substance use. Letś

begin to improve the quality of your life so you can thrive. I bring many effective tools including

advanced certifications in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Trauma and, and Anxiety treatments.

For over 20 years I've worked with many adult and teen populations, particularly those with

trauma histories, substance use or other challenging relationships and life situations. I see

clients in the office and open to hybrid telehealth for established clients.