Clinical Staff

“What I do is really listen to people. I tell them that working with a full team like Provident’s is what you do when you want to reach your personal goals.

We’re able to combine counseling with medication in the best possible way. I think this allows our clients to feel that we have their back and can put them on a path to live their best lives. “

M. Susan Dawson, Ed.D, PMHNP-BC, is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with more than 45 years of experience providing mental and physical health care.

About Dr. Dawson’s Practice

• Accepting referrals for clients ages 18+
• Treats a variety of problems such as depression, mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma
• Fees based on a sliding scale
• Many insurances accepted
• Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 am-4 pm

“The most gratifying thing about my work with children and their families feeling confident about their ability to manage toxic stress and/or mental health symptoms independently after receiving therapy.”

LaTanya has worked for three years with students in the St. Louis public school system. She believes in the importance of these services for the individual, the family, and the community. Her work provides easy access to mental health resources to young people who may have had a difficult time otherwise obtaining them.

Specialties

• School-based therapy

Marge works with adult clients with mental health disorders ranging from depression and anxiety to victim issues or couples counseling.  She is licensed in Missouri and Illinois and is a member of ATSA and MoATSA. She uses the latest research to provide best practices for each client’s individual needs.

Specializations

• Group therapy
• Sex offenders
• Victims of sexual abuse

“What I do is really listen to people. I tell them that working with a full team like Provident’s is what you do when you want to reach your personal goals.

We’re able to combine counseling with medication in the best possible way. I think this allows our clients to feel that we have their back and can put them on a path to live their best lives. “

M. Susan Dawson, Ed.D, PMHNP-BC, is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with more than 45 years of experience providing mental and physical health care.

About Dr. Dawson’s Practice

• Accepting referrals for clients ages 18+
• Treats a variety of problems such as depression, mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma
• Fees based on a sliding scale
• Many insurances accepted
• Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 am-4 pm

“I believe that therapy has the power to help a person rediscover their sense of purpose and, when people realize their potential, they can experience great satisfaction from life and even do amazing things. When people overcome struggles and find healing, it can lead to healthier families and stronger communities.”

Brianna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in both Psychology and Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri. While working with clients, she chooses the methods that best align with their unique needs. She utilizes a strength-based perspective with all clients and then use combinations of Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, TF-CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Family Systems, and Art/Play Therapy techniques.

Specialties/Service Areas/Type of clients she serves:  

• Trauma
• Family Systems Therapy
• Couples
• Crisis Intervention
• Foster care
• Attachment
• Behavior issues
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Severe mental illness
• Work issues
• Grief

“I truly feel everyone should seek counseling when needed, even counselors, to be sure we are tuning in to our own needs for support and overall care. I love the work I do because I feel therapy can be a positive way to help lift my clients and support them until they can feel empowered and have the confidence to address life’s challenges on their own.”

Sarah Paradise LPC, NCC, graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a Master’s of Education in Counseling. Sarah has been with Provident since 2015, first working with the Life Crisis Services department before switching to the Counseling department at our South County location. She enjoys continuing to use her crisis intervention knowledge to help those who struggle with mental health issues, self-injury, grief/loss, and survivors of suicide. She also has a passion of working with clients of all ages to address child/adolescent issues, family/relationship conflict, and LGBT/sexual minority concerns. Sarah feels addressing mental health is key to overall self-care and can often be a first defense for healing and addressing emotional needs.

Specializations

• Crisis intervention
• Mental health issues
• Personality disorders
• Self-injury
• Grief/loss
• Survivors of suicide
• Family dynamics
• Relationship issues
• Child and adolescent issues,
• LGBT/sexual minority concerns

“I want my prospective clients to know that therapy is always a judgment-free zone. Those things in life that are hard or scary to talk about, you can talk about with me or any other Provident therapist without judgment. It can be challenging to open up to someone, but once you do, you have a partner who can help you carry the weight of your problems.”

Jessica holds a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling and is a license DBT therapist. She is a nationally-certified counselor and a certified gambling disorders counselor. She has been practicing for three years and, in addition to helping individual therapy clients, is is the supervisor of Provident’s Life Crisis Services team.

“I would want any prospective client to know that every individual has the capacity to overcome challenges.  My goal is to help them to discover their inner strengths and to build from there.”

Angela has a Masters of Education in Counseling from University of Missouri-St. Louis. She uses an integrated approach when working with clients to ensure their treatment is individualized to meet their needs. 

Angela specializes in:

• Crisis/suicide intervention and prevention
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Self-esteem
• LGBT/ issues

Maria has been a therapist with Provident since May of 2000.  She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Illinois and a board-certified Art Therapist with the American Art Therapy Association and the Art Therapy Credentials Board. She is experienced in dealing with children who have been abused and those recovering from trauma, depression, ADHD, emotional/behavioral issues, and anxiety, and providing support to the parents.  Her work experience is broad, ranging from schools and community health clinics to in-patient and outpatient therapy agencies.  Cognitive therapy, person-centered approach, art therapy and play therapy are her main therapeutic approaches yet she can also incorporate DBT skills and family systems approach.

Specializations:

• Art therapy
• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief
• Family systems
• Social skills

Linda has extensive experience working with special needs children and adolescents ranging in age from 5 to 17 and is experienced in both individual and group counseling. 

Specializations

• Learning disabilities
• Speech and language disorders
• Spectrum disorder

“The most gratifying thing about my work is having the ability to support and empower others during some of the most challenging times in their lives, and to be able to witness the incredible growth and transformation that’s possible when clients choose to engage in therapy.”

Alex is a graduate of both Truman State University and University of Missouri- St. Louis and holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. She gained extensive experience working with adolescents and adults for various mental health-related issues early in her career, particularly self-injury, depression, and anxiety.

Alex works from a strengths-based approach, as she believes that everyone has an inner strength, and that a large part of her role is to assist individuals in discovering and utilizing whatever that strength may be. She focuses on establishing rapport and strives to create a safe and open environment in which people feel comfortable to be themselves.

Specializations

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Relationship issues
• Adolescent issues
• LGBTQI

“I have a passion for people and their story. I believe in acceptance, warmth and empathy to help my clients achieve their personal best through therapy.”

Kathy works with clients ranging in age from 6-56 years old and personalizes the therapeutic experience for each. She has a professional background in radio/television broadcasting and travel, which helps her build rapport quickly.

Kathy has a Master’s degree in professional mental health counseling from Webster University and has been helping clients for 8 years.

Specialities

• Trauma recovery
• High-risk
• LGBTQI
• Depression
• Anxiety
• ADHD
• First-responder issues

“Being a mental health clinician is a privilege, as I am able to witness and support a client’s strengths and growth towards their desired future. I love working towards changes hopes and dreams into a reality.”

Elizabeth holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Dayton in Ohio and a Masters in Social Work from Saint Louis University with a specialization in clinical practice with families. She has practiced in variety of settings including hospital, residential, in-home and in-school and is experienced in in CBT, TF-CBT, MI, SFBT, Play Therapy, and DBT.  

Specialties/Service Areas/Type of clients you serve: 

• Depression
• Crisis Intervention
• Anxiety
• Self-Injury
• Adolescent Issues
• Relationship Improvement
• Community Education

Marge works with adult clients with mental health disorders ranging from depression and anxiety to victim issues or couples counseling.  She is licensed in Missouri and Illinois and is a member of ATSA and MoATSA. She uses the latest research to provide best practices for each client’s unique needs.

Specializations

• Groups
• Sex offenders
• Victims of sexual abuse

“Our future is determined by not what has happened to us but how we respond to it.” 

Carmelita likes to tell clients that she can’t solve their problems for them, but will walk with them and help during their journey of self-discovery.  She focuses her practice on ethics, trust, and creating a non-judgemental space for change.  Her approach lets clients know they matter.

Specialties

• School-based therapy

“Therapy gives people the freedom to be themselves through natural authentic expression.  Once clients find that freedom, they are confident and able to move mountains.”

Brittney has been working with patients for four years and chose this profession because she loves how the benefit of counseling can touch the lives of people in such a healthy way. She feels the most important thing she can provide is the ability to enhance someone’s mental health; showing how that can change their lives, their outlook on the future, their relationships, etc.  Being the catalyst for these changes is what makes Brittney’s work so fulfilling for her.

Specialties

• Trauma-Informed Care
• School-Based Therapy

“I consider myself to be a client-centered, humanistic, solution-focused therapist who focuses on trauma recovery and crisis prevention. I believe my job is to support my clients and provide appropriate feedback as they address issues and implement strategies to overcome personal life challenges. I consider each client’s unique needs and integrate complementary methodologies and techniques to ensure a highly personalized approach. With compassion and understanding, I help my clients build upon their strengths to attain the personal growth they desire.”

Lisa became a counselor after practicing law for twelve years. She made the decision to shift her career focus after spending time in family court helping children in foster care.

She considers trauma recovery her specialty and finds it most gratifying to help clients let go of limiting beliefs and start to enjoy their lives in the moment. She helps clients face life’s challenges and encourages them to discover inner strengths and increase emotional resilience. 

Specializations

• Trauma recovery
• Managing anxiety
• Addressing depression/suicide ideation
• Gender and identity issues

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. – Viktor Frankl

Michael works with clients of all ages, helping them through difficult life circumstances and guiding them as they realize the change they want to see in themselves.

He has strong experience in child and adolescent therapy, personality disorders, and crisis intervention. 

Specializations

• Crisis intervention
• Adolescent and child therapy
• Personality disorders
• DBT
• School-based therapy

“One thing I like to do for my clients is to give homework to work through even when they aren’t sitting face-to-face with me. Therapy works best when we all practice self-care outside of the therapy session. I personally love to run, cycle, snuggle my dogs, and cook with my kids.”

Alicia has eight years of practice in providing in-home family services. She feels the work she does is important because more rural areas (such as DeSoto, MO) lack access to mental health resources. This is an area of high-need and low access. She welcomes collaboration with additional entities and resources to provide the best possible outcomes.

She has strong experience working with trauma in children, adolescents, and teens as well as in-home family therapy.

Specializations

• Adolescent and child therapy
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma (ITCT)